It should come as no surprise that the dramatic exterior lines and readily-accessible power come at the
price of cabin space. Testing this car during the Thanksgiving holiday, we quickly discovered that my 87-year-old
grandmother was not amused by having to be shoehorned in and out of the Lilliputian back seat. And she's barely
five feet tall. But what did she expect? I certainly wasn't going to ride back there when driving this hot rod
was an option. She probably would have been a lot happier behind the wheel.
Up front, the Eclipse is a lot more comfortable--assuming you're not over 6-ft. tall. And forget about
wearing a hat. Racing helmets are okay though, because all these concerns are forgotten when the green flag
waves.
The wrinkly leather seats are fashionable and comfortable. Some drivers find the cockpit-like foot well a
bit uncomfortable, though. My knee rubbed against the transmission housing. All controls and dials were plainly visible and well-lighted, and the cupholder configuration was steady and solid.
Naturally, visibility in such a small cabin is always a problem, and the Eclipse is no exception. Indeed, when peering through the rear windshield in nighttime backing-up situations, the tall, looming spoiler reduces rearward visibility considerably. Out front it's better, but it doesn't offer the panoramic view found in the Honda Prelude.
The payoff for the tight quarters is big, however. Performance, handling, and braking are phenomenal and the
Eclipse scores a thumbs-up on all fronts. Our front-wheel-drive GS-T test model was equipped with the standard
5-speed manual transmission, by far the most entertaining combination.
There's nothing that makes the heart of an automotive enthusiast sing like the sound and feel of 16 valves and
210 ponies, all purring in perfect, turbocharged, road-gobbling synchronization. These ponies allow the Eclipse
to accelerate quicker than the Prelude.
But be ready! Punch the throttle from a standing start and the front-wheel-drive GS-T shoots forward like it
was shot out of a cannon. When the car first begins taking off, the steering wheel pulls to the left, which can
catch an unsuspecting driver by surprise the first time it happens. This phenomenon, known as torque steer,
occurs when massive amounts of horsepower are sent to the front wheels of a front-wheel-drive car. It's not a
problem once you know it's there and it arguably adds to the fun of driving this highly entertaining sport coupe.
Torque steer was quite common on front-wheel-drive cars in the 1970s, but manufacturers have been able to engineer
most of it out--on lower horsepower cars, that is.
Those who don't want torque steer in their lives can do one of two things: Order the less powerful normally
aspirated (non-turbo) Eclipse or--a better solution for performance enthusiasts--order the all-wheel-drive Eclipse
GSX. Torque steer is absent from both of these cars. Ordering the automatic transmission on the GS-T is another
way to reduce torque steer.
The all-wheel-drive GSX has the additional advantage of offering incredible grip and roadholding in slippery
conditions, whether those conditions be rain, snow, ice, mud, sand or wet leaves. Even on dry pavement, the GSX
is much easier to drive fast than the GS-T. The all-wheel-drive system on the GSX features a center differential
and viscous coupling with an optional limited-slip rear differential. When the GSX encounters slippery conditions,
power is automatically apportioned to the wheels with the best traction. All of this happens seamlessly as the
driver rockets around a corner in control.
We're happy to put up with a little torque steer, however. The front-drive Eclipse GS-T is the most entertaining
among the Eclipse lineup and, on a dry race track, it's the fastest. We recommend it to anyone who appreciates a truly high-performance sport coupe.
Fortunately, the Eclipse comes with high-performance handling to go with the high-performance acceleration. It's nimble and precise when blasting down twisty roads. Hats off to the designers of the speed-sensitive steering, which subtly decreases the power-assist as engine speed increases--resulting in more graceful handling at lower speeds and more confidence-inspiring road feel at higher speeds.