For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Fiat 500L doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.
The Eclipse Cross has standard Forward Collision Mitigation, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The 500L doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.
The Eclipse Cross offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The 500L doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
The Eclipse Cross’ lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. The 500L doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.
The Eclipse Cross SEL has a standard Multi-View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 500L only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Eclipse Cross SE/SEL’s standard cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The 500L doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.
The Eclipse Cross SE/SEL has standard Mitsubishi Connect, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The 500L doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.
Both the Eclipse Cross and the 500L have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available blind spot warning systems.
A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is safer than the 500L:
|
Eclipse Cross |
500L |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
POOR |
Restraints |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Head Neck Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head injury index |
139 |
228 |
Steering Column Movement Rearward |
0 cm |
14 cm |
Chest Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Max Chest Compression |
18 cm |
22 cm |
Hip & Thigh Evaluation |
GOOD |
POOR |
Femur Force R/L |
2.1/1.2 kN |
10.1/3.9 kN |
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L |
0%/0% |
63%/1% |
Lower Leg Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Tibia index R/L |
.54/.26 |
.88/.82 |