Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross long-term test review: report 3

The car Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross 1.5 3 2WD Run by Max Edleston, junior photographer

Why it’s here To prove that Mitsubishi can fight among the best in the hotly contested family SUV class

Needs to Be comfortable and economical for long trips and function as a photographer’s mobile office when needed

Mileage 8250 Price £23,495 Target Price £22,345 Price as tested £24,295 Test economy 35.1mpg Official economy 36.2mpg (WLTP combined) 

6 September 2019 – Go go gadgets

I’ve been getting to grips with many of the gadgets in my Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross this week. These include cruise control, heated seats, Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and a head-up display to name just a few. And because there are so many, I wanted to note which work brilliantly and which are letting the side down.

Firstly, the head-up display. This is the first car I’ve owned with such a feature, and it’s just the right size, so you can clearly see your speed and whether or not the cruise control is active. The only downside is that nowhere does it tell you what speed the cruise control is set to – an annoyance, especially on motorway trips.

Secondly, I find the keyless entry and unlock/lock button on the door handles to be a big help, especially when coming back to my car from the airport laden with camera gear. It’s a simple feature, this, but a massive help at the end of a long day.

Automatically dimming heads lights are something I’ve not come across before, either, but they work brilliantly in the Eclipse Cross, quickly reading oncoming cars and adjusting accordingly so that I don’t dazzle anyone. There have been a couple of occasions where the system has failed to read a car ahead, but on the whole it has been impressive and useful.

I do have to mention one niggle, though, and that’s the continual beeping noises the Eclipse Cross makes. This is mainly a problem when starting up the car: once the engine has started, the car beeps at me to put my seatbelt on before I’ve even moved. At the same time, if I've parked near anything else, the sensors scream at me to move away. Then, as is the case sometimes, the fuel warning light beeps at me as well.

As such, I can sit for the first few seconds of my journey with what can best be described as an orchestra of beeps surrounding me. And if it’s 5am and I have a long journey ahead, that's not what I'd call a relaxing start to the day.

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