Mitsubishi have pulled the covers off the all-new Eclipse Cross, ahead of its international premiere at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show next week.

 Coming as the brand’s first-ever SUV since Nissan took over, though the latter had nothing to do with its development, the Eclipse Cross is the production version of the XR-PHEV concept. While the front has a familiar Mitsubishi face, at the other end, the new model comes with what you could call a Toyota C-HR flair, with stretched LED lamps that divide the rear window. Contributing to its sporty stance is a sloped roofline and a more dynamic profile. .

Mitsubishi have yet to release images of the cabin, but say “the horizontal dashboard, silver metal frames and black/silver monotone color scheme create a refined interior that is both dynamic and sporty”. The crossover model gets a head-up display, tablet-like infotainment system, and Smartphone Link Display Audio system with Apple CarPlay support, which can be accessed using the center console-mounted touchpad controller.

Positioned between the ASX (called Outlander Sport in North America) and the bigger seven-seater Outlander, the new Eclipse Cross will go up against the Nissan Qashqai, which is marketed as the Rogue Sport in America and Canada.

Powering the company’s all-new compact SUV is a fresh-off-the-grid 1.5-liter direct-injected turbocharged petrol engine, which works in conjunction with a CVT that has an 8-speed Sport Mode manual override. There is also a 2.2-liter common rail direct-injected turbocharged diesel unit, which is said to have been modified specifically for the Eclipse Cross, and fitted with a new 8-speed automatic gearbox.

The Eclipse Cross comes with an electronically-controlled four-wheel drive system, which feeds the necessary amount of torque to the rear wheels, depending on each situation and road surface. Moreover, the integrated Super All-Wheel Control vehicle dynamics system incorporates the Active Yaw Control, which uses steering angle, yaw rate, drive torque, brake force and wheel speed info to determine the driver operation and car behavior, managing the torque feed and brake force at the rear axle to “behave as the driver intends”.

As a final touch, the Eclipse Cross has increased body rigidity courtesy of a 3-point strut tower brace at the front and structural bonding at the rear, which ensure improved handling and overall stability.

The 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross will go on sale in Europe this fall, before rolling out in Japan, North America, Australia and other regions, with pricing and specification to be announced close to that date.

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