The Mitsubishi Eclipse is one of the most easily recognized nameplates of the ’90s and early 2000s. Due to the popularity of tuner culture through movies like The Fast and the Furious, video games like Need for Speed: Underground, and car shows like SEMA dedicating time and attention to tuner cars, tuner cars were everywhere. The Eclipse, which was a joint project from Chrysler and Mitsubishi, was one of the most accessible tuner vehicles on the market, and it quickly gained popularity.

After years of success, Mitsubishi decided to shift their global focus toward meeting environmental goals with their products. Sadly, a tuner car didn’t have a place among these goals, and the original Eclipse was discontinued in 2012. With the return of the Eclipse nameplate with the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross for the 2018 model year, critics were initially hesitant to support the Eclipse name being put on a crossover SUV.

After a few years of production, the Eclipse Cross has become a staple in the Mitsubishi lineup, but is it worth a buy? Here is everything you need to know about the new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and why it is understandably the cheapest vehicle in its class.

What the 2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross brings to the table

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a compact crossover SUV that starts at $25,795, according to Mitsubishi. The Eclipse Cross is currently one of the cheapest vehicles in its class, only being outdone by the 2024 Buick Envista, which is just now rolling out to dealers, and is priced at $22,400.

The 2023 Eclipse Cross comes standard with a 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder engine which is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission, or CVT. Even though this CVT doesn’t have any gears, the Eclipse Cross does have eight simulated gears you can “shift” through in Sport Mode. Fuel economy is solid with an EPA-estimated 27 combined MPG.

The 2023 Eclipse Cross comes with one huge party trick when it comes to features, it has all-wheel drive. Other than that, there is not a whole lot to discuss when it comes to the standard features of the Eclipse Cross.

The infotainment screen is outdated and it’s only 7 inches, although Apple CarPlay is a standard feature. Bluetooth is available, but only one USB port is available. On higher trims, the Eclipse Cross is available with a larger 8-inch touch screen, additional USB ports, automatic dual-zone climate control, and a push-button start.

The Eclipse offers less cargo space than most other compact SUVs, and the sweeping roofline in the rear creates blind spots for the driver. Mitsubishi does offer a solid factory warranty of five years or 60,000 miles for the basic warranty, and an upgraded 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty for the powertrain.

The 2023 Eclipse Cross is cheap, and it is easy to see why

The 2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross only has a few things going for it. For one, it holds the legendary Eclipse nameplate. It also offers all-wheel drive as a standard feature, and until recently, it was the cheapest compact crossover SUV you could buy. With the Buick Envista, currently, the cheapest compact SUV hitting dealer lots at the time of writing this article, it is going to be tough to recommend the Eclipse Cross to anybody.

The Eclipse Cross doesn’t bring anything new to the table. The electronics are outdated and underutilized. The build quality isn’t great, and while the factory warranty is substantial, Mitsubishi seems to be using that warranty to quell any fears of unreliability after purchase.

Sometimes, a big factory warranty isn’t a great sign for dependability, and buying a crossover SUV that is short on features that relies on a turbocharged engine with a CVT doesn’t seem like the best choice. If you are looking for a solid crossover SUV, you might be better off spending a little more for a Mazda CX-5, one of the best in the segment, or looking for a smaller Chevy Trax, a bargain in its subcompact class.