Compare the2022 Hyundai KonaVS 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Kona’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Kona’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Kona and the Eclipse Cross have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Kona	Eclipse Cross
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	205	290
Neck Injury Risk	20%	35.1%
Neck Stress	207 lbs.	467 lbs.
Neck Compression	57 lbs.	65 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/232 lbs.	239/273 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	217	244
Neck Compression	70 lbs.	143 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	59/27 lbs.	314/170 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Kona	Eclipse Cross
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	109	145
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	196	358
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	44 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Kona is 4.4% to 4.9% less likely to roll over than the Eclipse Cross.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Kona the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 110 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Eclipse Cross has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Kona’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Eclipse Cross runs out after 100,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Kona for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mitsubishi doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Eclipse Cross.

There are over 2 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kona’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Kona has a standard 640-amp battery. The Eclipse Cross’ 520-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Kona’s reliability 37 points higher than the Eclipse Cross.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 13th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 14 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

Engine

The Kona N Line/Limited’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 more horsepower (195 vs. 152) and 11 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 184) than the Eclipse Cross’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kona gets better fuel mileage than the Eclipse Cross:

			MPG
Kona
	2WD	1.6 Turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/35 hwy
	4WD	1.6 Turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/33 hwy
Eclipse Cross
	2WD	ES 1.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/29 hwy
		1.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
	4WD	ES 1.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
		1.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/26 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Kona AWD/1.6T’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Eclipse Cross:

	Kona AWD/1.6T	Eclipse Cross
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.6 inches

The Kona stops much shorter than the Eclipse Cross:

	Kona	Eclipse Cross
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	178 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	134 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Kona N Line/Limited’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Eclipse Cross (235/45R18 vs. 225/55R18).

The Kona SE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Eclipse Cross ES’ standard 70 series tires. The Kona N Line/Limited’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Eclipse Cross LE/SE/SEL’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Kona has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Eclipse Cross’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Kona has variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Kona is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Eclipse Cross.

The Kona SEL AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Eclipse Cross SE AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Kona executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the Eclipse Cross SEL AWD (26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

Chassis

The Hyundai Kona may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 400 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

The Kona is 1 foot, 1.4 inches shorter than the Eclipse Cross, making the Kona easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Kona has .1 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more rear headroom and .2 inches more rear hip room than the Eclipse Cross.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Kona and the Eclipse Cross have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Kona is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Eclipse Cross prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Kona has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Eclipse Cross only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Kona’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Eclipse Cross’ headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Kona has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Eclipse Cross has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the SE/SEL.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Kona (except SE) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Kona, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross isn't recommended.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2019 issue and they ranked the Hyundai Kona SE higher than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL AWD.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Kona third among small suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Eclipse Cross isn’t in the top three.

The Kona was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” in 2019. The Eclipse Cross has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.