New Eclipse Design Analysis

[Jesda]

Automobile Magazine

[Jesda]

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[Veriest1]

Somebody got ripped a new one. The hinged panel to allow the door to open is really retarded.

Edit: At least it doesn't have spinners.

[driverdriver]

The rear end is pretty ugly.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I pointed one out to my mother as I was driving somewhere with her the other day. "Ugly. Ugly ugly, nasty. I hate those cars." She looked at it, said she liked it, and asked me what I thought made it ugly. I told her it was too round, too bulbous. "It's no more round than this car" (we were in her 2004 Maxima). It is, I said. That car is round, and it's got six different circles to it. This car is one flowing line, the sides are sleek, smooth, and even the minimal rubber molding is possibly too much. It's minimalistic and clean. That's a jumble and a mess. She just shrugged and said she thought it was pretty. She always seems to think I'm insulting her taste and being negative when I get judgemental about cars...it's not that. It's just that there are so few attractive cars these days!

Anyway...after that, I got to thinking: What IS it that makes it ugly. I'll do what that magazine did. Have a look:







And the interior?



The radio and display are a foot apart. The display at the top of everything is small and too far from the driver's eyes, making it hard to read. It also faces straight back as opposed to being slightly angled at the driver. The HVAC controls are sunk in beneath the other controls, which would be irritating. Seat controls are on the lower console? What the hell is going on there? The plug for the 12v outlet looks like cheap crap from Autozone. Why not blend it in? The gauge pod is pure 350z ripoff. The door handles look terrible, and we figured out 10 years ago that locks inside the handle are annoying to use. The armrest and window controls are FAR too low. I don't think my elbow even hangs that low. It is, however, in an ideal spot for getting in the way of the driver's leg. Terrible positioning.

[Veriest1]

You're right, the headlights do make it look like a baby pig or something.

I really think they were trying to rip off a Carrera on the back. They ended up making the rear bumper cover to fat though. The similiar lines are most notable (at least to me) on the silver one. The other pictures make it to easy to tell how big it really is.

Edit: I looked at it again from the front and am certain this will be the first car made into a Beenie Baby.

[Bubba1]

You're right, the headlights do make it look like a baby pig or something.

I really think they were trying to rip off a Carrera on the back. They ended up making the rear bumper cover to fat though. The similiar lines are most notable (at least to me) on the silver one. The other pictures make it to easy to tell how big it really is.

Edit: I looked at it again from the front and am certain this will be the first car made into a Beenie Baby.

I subscribe to Automobile, I like their design analysis commentary. Mitsubishi always goes overboard in their styling. The Evo front end is not attractive either. They cram too much to try to look different. It looks like they hired some laid off Pontiac sytlists.

I'm looking forward to test driving one, but I understand this one is based on the bigger galant platform.I hope its more fun to drive than the one it replaces.

[Mr1der]

oh god the new Galant...makes me wanna puke in my mouth...on the plus side, it makes last year's models cheaper and a better deal for a sweet lookin' car....

the Eclipse however...

[gabossie]

Man, photos sure can be decieving... to me it looks really good in the silver, but in all the other pics its horrible!

[Mr1der]

Silver has a tendency to hide everything...

probably why I really don't care for the color...

[Bubba1]

Silver has a tendency to hide everything...

probably why I really don't care for the color...

But Silver is mandatory for German cars.

[Mr1der]

not when the M series has a bitchin' blue.

or the Yellow M3.

but right now German is mandatory for suck (I really don't consider Porsche German right now being as they don't suck...mmmm Yellow Carrera S)

[Jesda]

I agree with you on the tail lights. The clear thing is getting really old. The new hotness is black cars with darkened tails.

[The Mic]

Lmao! the authors design commentary is amusing. New eclipse should only be sold in silver.

[JESTER]

I like it better than the Charger.

[Veriest1]

I like it better than the Charger.

Same here, beenie babies have proven to have high resale values.

[Gold Digger]

I am not going into detail like MOD, but, I will say this. Oh hell no! I am glad Mitsu isn't making those things over here. If I see one, I am sure I will laugh histarically at the driver.

[gniknave]

A designer from Mitsubishi was at home with his 4 year old son trying to come up with a design for the next Eclipse. Running short on time with a deadline coming up, desperation kicks in. He looks around the room for ideas. Suddenly, he looks at his son slapping play-doh on his face. "Brilliant! THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT!!"

And that's how this:

became this:

[AZhitman]

Good God.

That monstrousity is ALMOST as hideous as the car it replaces.

Mitsu hasn't built a good-looking car since... well... damn. Maybe the 2nd-gen Diamante.

[metalsyth]

I like a car with a little curve but that is way to much.

[Meantime]

It's ugly. Too complex. Why are automakers trying to pack so many curves, bezels, and shapes into every inch of sheetmetal now? Whatever happened to simplicity = beauty? And does anyone of them have a concept of proportion anymore? So many cars are so far out of proportion now...although maybe that's because they have to designed to accomodate fat American butts.