[Telferstr]

Hi,
I have now owned my Eclipse Cross 3 4x2 here in the UK for 4 months, and I'm still surprised by the power that the engine has on tap, given that it is only a 1.5 litre. The throttle response is quite amazing and you are often at the legal speed limit before you know it, whether in town or country. My car has a manual 6 speed gearbox, as I am not a fan of auto gearboxes, and is a delight to use. No doubt the manual gearbox helps with the engines performance somewhat.
How do you other drivers find the engines performance in the different operating conditions in your part of the world? Be interesting to find out what you all think.

 

[Rıfat]

I am a manual driver too. The best thing of the car I love is the throttle response. My car is 1500 kg and it has 16" wheels. It surprises everybody with the power of acceleration. However, at about 200 km/h the response is almost dead. After 180km/h you feel like there is a wall in front of you.

 

[Telferstr]

Hi Rifat,
Glad you are also enjoying the engine performance of your Eclipse Cross. From the UK spec sheet the Maximum speed for the manual gearbox is 127mph or 205km/h.
For the CVT gearbox the maximum speed is 124mph or 200km/h.
My car has the 18" wheels which seem okay and the same size as my 3 year old ASX had, though the Eclipse Cross ride seems a bit better and quieter than the ASX.

 

[wasabi]

I am a manual driver too. The best thing of the car I love is the throttle response. My car is 1500 kg and it has 16" wheels. It surprises everybody with the power of acceleration. However, at about 200 km/h the response is almost dead. After 180km/h you feel like there is a wall in front of you.

I wish these had better lower end torque.
What's your take on the power/torque distribution coming from the Eclipse Cross?

I'm hoping for a more powerful future version.

 

[Rıfat]

Hi Rifat,
Glad you are also enjoying the engine performance of your Eclipse Cross. From the UK spec sheet the Maximum speed for the manual gearbox is 127mph or 205km/h.
For the CVT gearbox the maximum speed is 124mph or 200km/h.
My car has the 18" wheels which seem okay and the same size as my 3 year old ASX had, though the Eclipse Cross ride seems a bit better and quieter than the ASX.

To reach 205km/h it takes minutes, not seconds Also i reached 213km/h top speed at downhill. I mention these because for that power output people may expect better top speed performance but it is a Crossover and there is so much wind resistance at higher speeds.

 

[Rıfat]

I wish these had better lower end torque.
What's your take on the power/torque distribution coming from the Eclipse Cross?

I'm hoping for a more powerful future version.

I think the power/torque distribution is great. Having max torque between 1800 and 4500 rpm's makes the car easily reach high speeds. With the new technology injectors you always feel the power under your feet. The engine always wants to rev and sometimes you feel like you don't need that much power. At this point Econ button is useful

 

[Telferstr]

I use the ECO button on a regular basis, but must say it does not seem to restrict the engines performance by much, if at all.
I think the ECO Mode may restrict the rpm limit, as on overtaking on one occasion, I had to change up from second to third very quickly as the engine revs locked up, but the quick change restored momentum.

 

[RaymondMoher]

I have the automatic...and I have to say the response is wonderful! Drove it cross country from Boston to California..7000 miles round trip and used 700 dollars in gas! It had the power when I needed it on the highways..sometimes reaching speeds of 130 plus going thru the desert. Only high pro part so far was a k&n air filter being installed..

 

[inuvik]

I have the automatic...and I have to say the response is wonderful! Drove it cross country from Boston to California..7000 miles round trip and used 700 dollars in gas! It had the power when I needed it on the highways..sometimes reaching speeds of 130 plus going thru the desert. Only high pro part so far was a k&n air filter being installed..

Ummm, the EC is speed limited to 124 mph (200kph) so unless you've modified it in some way I'm saying "video or it didn't happen" and with only 150hp there is no way you'll get to 130+ even if you didn't have a speed limiter (which the EC does). Also if you spent $700.00 in fuel to go 7000 miles using a average of $3.50 a gallon (which is high) your mpg was approximately 35 mpg for the trip. I'm thinking that isn't likely.

 

[Telferstr]

Hi Inuvik,
Did you get the Manual Gearbox Ratios I left in the New Members Introduction Section. Under Greetings Heading

 

[Telferstr]

I have the automatic...and I have to say the response is wonderful! Drove it cross country from Boston to California..7000 miles round trip and used 700 dollars in gas! It had the power when I needed it on the highways..sometimes reaching speeds of 130 plus going thru the desert. Only high pro part so far was a k&n air filter being installed..

That was some trip you did Raymond. As the USA mile is a bit shorter than the UK mile and considering the speed you were driving at times, your fuel return seems to be okay.
Driving my manual box I can get up to 50 mpg driving very carefully on shortish distances. But on average, my Eclipse Cross is doing about 38/39 mpg.

 

[Telferstr]

I have the automatic...and I have to say the response is wonderful! Drove it cross country from Boston to California..7000 miles round trip and used 700 dollars in gas! It had the power when I needed it on the highways..sometimes reaching speeds of 130 plus going thru the desert. Only high pro part so far was a k&n air filter being installed..

On a trip to the USA we drove from San Diego to the Napa Valley and then into San Francisco a number of times from Napa and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

 

[wasabi]

It will be interesting to see how driving dynamics of the new Outlander compare to the Eclipse Cross. Apparently it will be sportier than the last.