It had nothing to do with Prince--er, I mean, the artist formerly known as Prince. It was just plain bad luck that a sporty little convertible was delivered to my home in the middle of a frigid, damp week in February. Mitsubishi's Eclipse Spyder GS-T in Sundance Plum Pearl with tan leather interior sat in my driveway that first day, taunting me as I peeked out the window at the cold, rainy sky.
Due to the nebulous weather conditions, we spent the first few days driving the little purple GS-T with the top up and the heater cranked on errands around town. Our test car came with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine, resulting in gobs of low-end torque that made even a quick jaunt to the grocery store feel like a rally. If beating people off the line doesn't float your boat, chances are the spiffy purple paint on our test car will.
Slide into the sporty leather seats, grip the thick steering wheel, check out the four large, black-on-white instrument panel gauges (new for 1999); the Spyder's got the look and feel of a high-priced sports car, yet it costs less than $28,000. Once inside, the cockpit welcomes you with its firm seats, thick headrests, orange-lit gauges and large dash area, which creaked a bit when the car was in motion. Though the climate controls would be better off placed below the radio instead of above it, the center console is within easy reach of the driver.
The Infinity sound system was phenomenal and we were happy that the car had both a cassette player and an in-dash CD player so we didn't have to go to the trunk to change discs, but we were discouraged by the placement of the stereo controls. The preset station buttons were difficult to reach when the gear shifter was in first, third or fifth gear; we had to wriggle our hands around the shifter to reach the buttons. We were also annoyed by the car's constantly twisted seatbelts.
Two cupholders are available--one behind the gear shifter, which was well-placed and prevented cappuccinos from spilling, and another in a shallow tray inside the flip-up center cubby, which meant that the cubby lid had to stay flipped open to use it. Climate vents were quite large and easy to maneuver to a desired position, and we were delighted to find vents placed on the driver's side door as well as the dash. This innovative placement allowed us to point the heat at our hands or our bodies, keeping us wrapped in a pocket of heat on chilly days.
Rearward visibility with the top up was less than desirable due to the high rear spoiler, low seating position and small side mirrors. After washing the car, we were dismayed to find two steady streams of water leaking into the car where the tops of the doors met the roofline. Luckily, we had not taken the little purple car out in the rain, because passengers would surely have gotten wet in a harsh downpour.
Finally, two days before we had to give the car back, the gray clouds parted and the sun came out to light up our bright blue Colorado sky. Despite the low temperatures, it was a perfect day for canyon carving. The electronic top folded down beautifully with the push of a button. We only had to unlatch the front of the roof and cover the folded top with the leather boot. Sounds simple, but it wasn't. The boot cover was stiff and ornery, and it took a good 10 minutes to push it down under the edges of the sheetmetal. Two small latches were all but impossible to secure and we worried that the cover would shake loose on the highway. It didn't.
We slipped some CDs into the dash, slammed the pedal to the floor and caught our breath as the car screamed forward. The little pocket rocket was not lacking at all when it came to power and, though we didn't test it out ourselves, Mitsubishi tells us the Spyder can sprint from zero to 60 in about 6.5 seconds. Shifting gears was fun because of the short strokes required, but the shifter itself felt a bit rough and the transmission produced a dull whine--even when at an idle. The Spyder's four-wheel disc brakes were impressive and the four-wheel independent suspension bounced over road irregularities with ease, but we were disappointed by the tremendous amount of cowl shake exhibited at moderate speeds.
Steering could have been a bit tighter and more precise, but it was loose enough to be forgiving in the twisties if you didn't measure things quite right. Unfortunately, the 205/55R16 V-rated tires on our test car squealed on every turn--a sound that does not inspire confidence, especially when you are sandwiched between the side of a mountain and the steep vertical drop off a cliff. Our guess is that with 7,340 miles on the odometer, plenty of journalists before us had put the Spyder through some tough paces.
The vehicle is, without a doubt, fun to drive. This, coupled with the car's powerful engine and swift good looks, will make people buy Mitsubishi's Eclipse Spyder GS-T, even if they live in a climate that sees more rain than shine. It's impossible not to have fun with this car.
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