Compare the2024 Subaru ImprezaVS 2024 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
Servicing Ease
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 Impreza 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 Impreza has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Impreza is much safer than the Eclipse Cross:

	Impreza	Eclipse Cross
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	154	155
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	268 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Torso Max Deflection	1.61 in	2.28 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	892 lbs.	1294 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	134 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.65 in	1.73 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.73 in	2.01 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Subaru Impreza achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Eclipse Cross is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

The Impreza’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Eclipse Cross’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

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

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Impreza has a standard 530-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 Impreza’s reliability 19 points higher than the Eclipse Cross.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is rated below average.

Engine

The Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 30 more horsepower (182 vs. 152) than the Eclipse Cross’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Subaru Impreza 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Impreza	Eclipse Cross
Zero to 60 MPH	9.4 sec	9.9 sec
Quarter Mile	17.3 sec	17.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84 MPH	80 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Impreza
	AWD	2.0 DOHC flat-4	27 city/34 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
Eclipse Cross
	AWD	ES 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
		1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/26 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Impreza’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. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. 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 Subaru Impreza higher (7 out of 10) than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (5). This means the Impreza produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Eclipse Cross every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Impreza Sport/RS’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the Eclipse Cross:

	Impreza Sport/RS	Eclipse Cross
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11.6 inches

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Eclipse Cross are solid, not vented.

The Impreza stops shorter than the Eclipse Cross:

	Impreza	Eclipse Cross
70 to 0 MPH	177 feet	178 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	132 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Impreza’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Eclipse Cross ES’ standard 70 series tires. The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Eclipse Cross LE/SE/SEL’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Impreza RS handles at .83 G’s, while the Eclipse Cross SE pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

The Subaru Impreza may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

The Impreza is 8.2 inches shorter in height than the Eclipse Cross, making the Impreza much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Passenger Space

The Impreza has 3.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Eclipse Cross (100.5 vs. 96.7).

The Impreza has .3 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear hip room and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Eclipse Cross.

Cargo Capacity

The Impreza has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat folded (56 vs. 50.1 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Eclipse Cross. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Impreza’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch. The Eclipse Cross has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

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

The Impreza’s power locks have a lockout prevention feature. When the key is in the passenger compartment and the driver’s door is open, the locks unlock every time you lock them. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t provide lockout prevention.

The Eclipse Cross’ standard power locks don’t automatically lock the doors. The Impreza’s standard doors lock when a certain speed is reached. This is an important feature for occupant safety. Locked doors are proven to open less often in collisions, and they are also effective in preventing crime at traffic lights.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Impreza 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 Impreza 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 help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Impreza’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Eclipse Cross offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Impreza 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Subaru Impreza 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 Subaru Impreza, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross isn't recommended.

The Subaru Impreza outsold the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross by over three to one during 2023.