A Forgotten Bad Boy: the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
Serena Aburahma
· 4 min read
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Mitsubishi
may not exactly be the most popular car brand right now, but Mitsubishi has created some great cars in the past. To be fair, cars like the Mitsubishi Outlander
are decent and modern options, but they aren't that similar to the sports cars that Mitsubishi once made. Here's a look at the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, one of Mitsubishi's forgotten sports cars.
What the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX offered to drivers
Like other popular JDMs from the 90s, the Eclipse GSX was a car that offered a lot of style and a lot of speed. But, like other JDMs, the Eclipse GSX was built for the Japanese market.
Regardless, the Eclipse GSX was able to attract attention from around the world, for a time at least.
And, one of its best features was the fact that the Eclipse GSX offered plenty of power to whoever was driving it. As
HotCars
wrote, Mitsubishi gave it more powerful engines over the years, but the first generation had a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 engine. This engine could get about 180 horsepower.Later models had V-6s that could get over 200 horsepower. The V-6 engine in the later models, while more powerful, wasn't great in terms of reliability, though. That said, the four-cylinder engines were the more reliable option for folks.
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Why was this forgotten Mitsubishi once so popular?
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Regardless of the engine choice, the Eclipse GSX was usually fast, stylish, reliable, and cheap. Unsurprisingly, this Mitsubishi became a hit among folks who wanted to go fast but not go broke.
However, what made the Eclipse GSX popular was the movies. In particular, the Fast & Furious franchise. While the Mitsubishi GSX wasn't the most expensive car in the franchise, it did show up in several movies.
And, since the movies did so well around the world, it didn't take long before fans wanted an Eclipse GSX of their own. Unfortunately for Mitsubishi, though, the Eclipse GSX soon got eclipsed by other Japanese sports cars.
How the Mitsubishi GSX compared to its rivals at the time
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At the time, the Eclipse GSX was a worthy competitor against other famous JDMs like the Nissan GT-R. This was true both on the racetracks and in terms of purchasing decisions. After all, the Eclipse GSX had a good balance of features and specs.
Things went downhill when Mitsubishi introduced the V-6 for the Eclipse GSX, though. It was less reliable than the four-cylinder option, and worst yet, other JDMs on the market were using a similar four-cylinder engine.
Funny enough, one of those other JDMs was another Mitsubishi, the Lancer Evo. The Lancer Evo was still using that reliable four-cylinder engine. And, since the Lancer Evo was also a stylish, speedy, and affordable sports car, folks saw little reason to buy the Eclipse GSX instead.
And so, for the 2011 model year, Mitsubishi decided to pull the plug on the Eclipse GSX. Other popular JDMs survived and continued to be popular, while the Eclipse GSX slowly became forgotten. Regardless, in its prime, the Eclipse GSX was as good of a Japanese sports car as any.
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While this Mitsubishi sports car may have been forgotten, folks shouldn't forget to shop around for a better car insurance policy.
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