Compare the2022 Kia NiroVS 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

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

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Niro are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Niro has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium’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 Niro and the Eclipse Cross have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, 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 Kia Niro is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Niro	Eclipse Cross
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	139	290
Neck Injury Risk	27%	35.1%
Neck Stress	291 lbs.	467 lbs.
Neck Compression	37 lbs.	65 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	74/269 lbs.	239/273 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 Kia Niro is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Niro	Eclipse Cross
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	138	145
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	14 inches
HIC	214	358
Spine Acceleration	31 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 Niro is 6.4% less likely to roll over than the Eclipse Cross.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Niro the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 214 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Eclipse Cross has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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

Reliability

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 Niro’s reliability 22 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 Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 13th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 5 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

Engine

The Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 11 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 184) than the Eclipse Cross’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Niro is faster than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Niro	Eclipse Cross
Zero to 60 MPH	8.9 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.8 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83 MPH	78.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Niro
	FWD	LX 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/48 hwy
		LXS/EX 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/46 hwy
		Touring 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	46 city/40 hwy
Eclipse Cross
	FWD	ES 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/29 hwy
		1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
	AWD	ES 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
		1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/26 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Niro’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Niro’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Niro higher (7 out of 10) than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (5). This means the Niro produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Eclipse Cross every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Niro stops shorter than the Eclipse Cross:

	Niro	Eclipse Cross
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Niro LX/LXS/EX Premium’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 Niro Touring SE’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Eclipse Cross LE/SE/SEL’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Eclipse Cross (106.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Niro is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Eclipse Cross.

The Niro Touring SE handles at .82 G’s, while the Eclipse Cross SEL AWD pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Niro Touring SE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Eclipse Cross SEL AWD (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

Chassis

The Niro is 7.5 inches shorter than the Eclipse Cross, making the Niro easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Niro has 4.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Eclipse Cross (100.9 vs. 96.7).

The Niro has .6 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Eclipse Cross.

Cargo Capacity

The Niro has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat folded (54.5 vs. 50.1 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Niro and the Eclipse Cross have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Niro 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.

The Niro’s standard front power windows lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Eclipse Cross’ standard power windows’ passenger windows don’t open automatically.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Niro 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 Niro 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.

When the Niro with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Eclipse Cross’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Niro EX Premium keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Niro has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Eclipse Cross SE/SEL.

Both the Niro and the Eclipse Cross offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Niro Touring SE/EX Premium has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Niro Touring SE/EX Premium has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

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

The Kia Niro outsold the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross by almost three to one during the 2021 model year.