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2001 Frankfurt Auto Show IV
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Rest of the Web Says We've gathered reviews from Edmunds.com, Cars.com plus live Tweets on this car. See What We Found »
Rest of the Web Says We've gathered reviews from Edmunds.com, Cars.com plus live Tweets on this car. See What We Found »
As I applied the brakes, the red light from the center, high-mount stoplight reflected off the spoiler, into the rearview mirror, and ricocheted into my eyes. It startled me. "Whoa! What is THAT on the rear hatch?" I wondered as I brought the car to a stop. "It kind of looks like a spaceship landed there." We were driving a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. The car loaned to us was equipped with what Mitsubishi calls its "sports value package."
In essence, the sports value package transforms the already attractive Eclipse coupe into a car that looks as if its owner spent thousands on aftermarket modifications. Included are a security system with remote entry, a single in-dash CD player, leather front seat surfaces, white-faced gauges, a "turbo-look" rear spoiler, and 16-inch O.Z. Racing wheels.
GS, a good deal
All this is in addition to the equipment that the standard GS already includes: a moonroof, power door locks, power windows, and air conditioning. For $1,000 more than the well-equipped GS, we think the sports value package is a good deal. At $21,185, the Eclipse GS with the sports value package is priced competitively when compared with other cars in the sporty-coupe segment, given the high level of equipment included. But don't worry. If you are on a really tight budget, the Eclipse is also available in RS trim, starting at $16,185. However, at that price, most of the appointments of the Eclipse GS are sacrificed.
What the Eclipse GS' price does not include is a turbocharged engine. With the sports value package, the car's exterior accouterments insinuate otherwise. However, only GS-T and GS-X versions include the blown engine. Power for the GS is provided by a 140-horsepower 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine. Yeah, we would all like to have the 210-horsepower engine that comes with the GS-T and the four-wheel-drive GS-X, but they come at a premium price — about $2,000 more for the GS-T and $5,000 more for the GS-X.
