Can we take it down a notch or two and try to behave as if our mother's were in the room? After all, we're not running for president of the U.S.
For the record, the OP was only concerned with power at low rpm and not necessarily overall performance. While it is true that the turbo doesn't develop top torque until it hits 2,000 rpm, it's also true that punching the gas at sub-2k rpm will make the ECU instruct torque converter to slip to protect the transmission. Operating in sport mode didn't seem to be a viable option. Some cars and some people end up not being a good match. And, FWIW, the OP hasn't been back to the forums since July, so we're really just discussing this amongst ourselves, at this point.
@Willisjamaica you have to admit that Mitsubishi set themselves up for this sort of criticism by invoking the Eclipse name in a vehicle that clearly isn't a sports car. Sports car fans, Mitsubishi fans, and specifically Eclipse fans are still grousing about it, as if some unspoken racing/rally line has been crossed. Imagine what would happen if Ford put "Mustang" on a minivan or Chevy released a "Corvette" with a 4-cylinder CVT in it. So, when people buy the car with the impression that it's going to live up to the name, when they try and drive it that way, it's clearly a disappointment.
@slippercream in the grand scheme, I tend to lean to the side of
@Willisjamaica in the assessment of the EC. The 1.5L turbo with the CVT is perfectly suitable for what it is. The Eclipse Cross is not a sports car. It was never intended to be a sports car. It is a compact utility vehicle with an emphasis on the utility. Trips around town, cruising on the highway, hauling a couple of bikes to the beach or the occasional jaunt through the wilderness are where the EC shines. I don't think any reasonable person would expect to see one in the next movie unless it was "Fast and Furious, Rest home Reunion."
I have heard a lot of crap about the Jatco CVTs, but frankly that's not been my experience. Maybe because I tend to drive fairly conservatively, perform recommended maintenance and don't expect race car performance from my daily commuter vehicle. Time will tell.
Circling back to the original topic, as pointed out, switching to sport mode does mitigate the power delay within the design specs of this car. For the occasional need to pull out into traffic or pass a slow moving truck, that should be more than adequate. If you are driving with the pedal to the floor all the time, I don't care what kind of car you have, unless you have a pit crew to rebuild everything twice a month, you are going to have mechanical problems.
