PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUV

Compact and polished new Mitsubishi puts its popular ASX stablemate in the shade

The most popular vehicle in the compact SUV class is about to be overshadowed. Mitsubishi’s ASX is facing a serious threat from a member of its own family in the form of the Eclipse Cross.

The newcomer has sharper looks, a vastly better engine and transmission pairing and a $31,990 drive-away starting price that is $6000 dearer than the cheapest ASX.

However, the Eclipse Cross is loaded. Standard gear in the base LS version includes autonomous emergency braking, lanedeparture warning, keyless start, 18-inch alloy wheels and seven-inch touchscreen with Android/Apple smartphone mirroring and digital radio.

Step up to the $38,490 drive-away Exceed and there’s a head-up display, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear crosstraffic alert, around-view camera, leather trim, LED headlamps, panoramic sunroof, powered and heated front seats and dual-zone aircon. All-wheel drive on the Exceed adds $2500.

The only area the ASX wins in is cargo capacity at 393L against 341L, despite being 40mm shorter. That’s going to be a tough sell for dealers but could be good news for Mitsubishi.

Chief operating officer Tony Principe says there will be some cross-shopping but points to the ASX being a fleet favourite — private buyers, he reckons, will gravitate to the Eclipse Cross.

“The ASX is the sensible choice, this (Eclipse Cross) is going to be more of an emotive buy,” Principe says.

Product planning head James Tol agrees. “In this space it is all about the design. They’ve got to look good but they’re also about utility. The sliding second row seats give us the versatility customers want — they can decide whether they want maximum cargo space or leg room.”

Tol also believes there is space for a lowerspec Eclipse Cross in the future, presumably to make the model more attractive to fleet and