SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active list down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and search through the drop-down menu that appears.

Editor's note: SA Roadtests accepts multi-day vehicle loans from manufacturers in order to provide editorial reviews. All vehicle reviews are conducted on our turf and on our terms.

For out-of-province vehicle launch features however, travel costs are covered by the manufacturer concerned. This is common in the motor industry, as it's more economical to ship journalists to cars than to ship cars to journalists.

Judgments and opinions expressed on this site are our own. We do not accept paid editorial content or ads of any kind.


Choices: 2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross 1.5T

Hell, yeah, Baby!

Posted: October 15, 2021

The numbers
Price: R499 995
Engine: Mitsubishi 4B40 1499 cc, DOHC 16-valve, four-cylinder with single-scroll turbocharger
Power: 110 kW @ 5500 rpm
Torque: 250 Nm between 1800 and 4500 rpm
0-100 km/h: 8.9 seconds
Top speed: 200 km/h
Car magazine fuel index: 9.2 l/100 km
Tank: 63 litres
Luggage: 437-1074 litres
Turning circle: 10.6 metres
Ground clearance: 177 mm
Maximum towing mass, unbraked/braked: 750/1600 kg
Warranty: Three years, 100 000 km
Roadside assistance: Five years, unlimited km
Service plan: Five years, 90 000 km at 15 000 km intervals

Choosing can be hard; two models of Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, similarly equipped, powered by a choice of two engines developing the same power although one offers slightly more torque, both fitted with CVTs but one has eight virtual gears rather than six.

And here’s the kicker: The one with only a little more torque and gear steps costs R50 000 more. Really?

But Life is never that simple. Although I respect any individual’s decision to avoid turbochargers as a matter of personal choice, or that fifty-kay is a bucket of money, let me “sell” you on the 1.5-litre turbocharged model with its extra pulling power and gears. Apologies: Let me “help you buy.”

 I drove an earlier version of the 2.0-litre, 110 kW, 198 Nm car a couple of years ago. They’ve been facelifted since then, extensively restyled, given new equipment including LED headlights and stretched 140 mm longer, scoring about 32 litres of boot space. But let’s stay with the 1.5 turbo. It also develops 110 kW although torque output is 250 Nm so, at first glance, there isn’t much in it. But as the wicked man said, “It’s not just the torque, Babe. It’s the way it’s delivered and how the gearbox uses it.”

The naturally aspirated engine, like its brethren, builds torque in a fairly steep curve that peaks at 4200 rpm. Looking back, I described its CVT like this, “In real life it drives like a good average, torque converter automatic that can be bamboozled if treated abruptly.”

The turbomotor, on the other hand, peaks early, at 1800 rpm and keeps on delivering steadily until 4500. CVTs love this kind of muscle, with this one appearing to thrive on even fairly abrupt treatment – I couldn’t confuse it or catch it napping. Kicking down at around 100 km/h resulted in a solid downshift, by three or four “gears”, and strong acceleration. It could be mistaken for a good twin-clutch – none of the screaming, whining and “d’you mean me?’ responses one has come to expect of CVTs.

And in hooligan mode, shifting with stick or paddles, it’s a blast; quick, responsive and definitely worth the extra money.

These cars come well equipped: seven airbags, leather upholstery, warmed and electrically adjustable front seats, all the necessary safety electronics, hill start assist, keyless entry and starting, auto-on headlamps, alloy wheels, pdc front and rear, reversing camera, HUD, rain-sensing wipers, fog lights and automatic air conditioning with extra vents in the back.

Practicalities: The cargo area loads at about 73 cm onto a flat deck. Fittings include a light, a bag hook and two lashing rings rated at 20 kg and a pair of small side wells to keep the wine bottles from rolling around. The seatbacks split 60:40 and fold almost flat to reveal a load area 1.5 metres long. Tools and full-size alloy spare are under the baseboard.

Backseat headroom is fairly generous while knee- and foot space is excellent. Kit consists of two map pockets; the usual armrest with cup holders; a 12-volt, 120-W socket; a second, centrally mounted courtesy lamp and really small bottle holders. Seatbacks adjust for recline but the squabs can no longer be moved back and forth.

Front office storage consists of a big armrest box, cup holders, bi-level glove compartment and medium sized door bins. The head-up display can be deployed or parked as desired but I found it rather useful. The car performs comfortably in traffic, steers and parks easily, is spacious and comfortable and the controls you need most often are easy to find and use.

Back to the central question: If I were in the market for a car like this, would I willingly pay the extra R50-kay for one of these rather than the Plain Jane? Oh Hell, yeah, Baby!

Test unit from Mitsubishi SA press fleet



What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.