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When I purchased my first Mitsubishi Eclipse more than a decade ago I was blown away by the quality of the automobile. It was sleek, elegant and one hot little sports car. While gas mileage wasn’t a big issue at the time, it is now. Even back then the Eclipse was outstanding on gas consumption.

If there was a downside to the Mitsubishi Eclipse it would have to have been the ground clearance. It was so low to the ground that the front bumper often caught on parking blocks or the curb. That problem was taken care of in 2003. The extra ground clearance made the car as perfect as it could get.

In 2005, Mitsubishi introduced a concept Eclipse that was a gas-electric hybrid. It was incredibly stylish and environmentally sound. Unfortunately it was shelved in 2006. The car interested me so much that I actually contacted Mitsubishi to inquire about it and to query if there was any chance that the concept could be revived. I was told that this wasn’t something that the company was currently interested in seeing on the showroom floor.

While there is no hybrid on the Mitsubishi Eclipse horizon, there are some new changes in store for buyers of the 2009 model year. New is the dual exhaust for the GT that will slightly increase the horsepower. Also new in all models is the redesigned front and rear. The GT also boasts new HID headlights. This may or may not be a plus for potential buyers.

The 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse is available in the 2-door coupe or the Spyder convertible. There are also 2 trim styles available as either the GS or the GT models. All Mitsubishi cars come with a very high safety rating and the Eclipse is no exception. The Eclipse also offers improved gas mileage. This is an added bonus because the Eclipse has always been on the side of frugality when it comes to gas consumption.

With more customer inquiries and interest it could be possible to convince Mitsubishi Motors to reintroduce the hybrid concept car that they set aside. Unfortunately the sacrifice in that might be that the purchase price would increase drastically. The Mitsubishi Eclipse has always been one of the most affordable sports cars on the market and the introduction of a hybrid version could alter that perception slightly. Naturally adding it to the already stellar Eclipse fleet would be the best plan.

Overall, the outlook for the Mitsubishi Eclipse is very good. It has been setting the standard in the affordable sports coupe market for two decades and will likely set the standard for as long as Mitsubishi cares to continue the model. Even with the additional government regulation anticipated worldwide, it is likely that the Mitsubishi Eclipse will continue to be a powerful automotive force for years to come.

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Source by Ronnie Tanner