Mitsubishi Charges $39,740 For An Eclipse That Has Nothing To Do With The Turbo Coupe Enthusiasts Remember
Mitsubishi confirmed pricing this week for the 2027 Eclipse Sportback, and the number says plenty about what the name is worth these days: $39,740 with destination included, for a front-wheel-drive electric crossover built on the same platform as the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf starts at $29,990. That’s roughly a $10,000 premium for different styling and the privilege of parking an Eclipse instead of a Leaf.
That’s a strange place for a nameplate that once meant a turbocharged coupe with a 4G63 engine and a cameo in the first Fast & Furious movie. The new Eclipse Sportback has no turbo, manual, or coupe doors. It has a 75-kWh battery, 214 hp, and a 0-60 time of about seven seconds. It’s the Leaf wearing a costume, and Mitsubishi wants almost $10,000 extra for the outfit.
The Leaf Underneath Is Doing All The Work
Mitsubishi isn’t hiding the relationship. The Eclipse Sportback shares its 75-kWh battery, 214-hp motor, 261 lb-ft of torque, and charging hardware with the redesigned Nissan Leaf. Both use NACS ports for DC fast charging, support 150-kW charging, and can recharge from 10% to 80% in around 35 minutes. The Eclipse’s EPA range is 282 miles, compared with the Leaf S+’s 303 miles.
Mitsubishi offers one fully loaded trim rather than Nissan’s three. That complicates the comparison, but even the top Leaf Platinum+ costs less at $38,990. The Eclipse’s optional $2,600 Technology Package adds a panoramic sunroof, Bose audio, and a power liftgate, pushing its price past $42,000 before taxes and fees.
The Eclipse name carries real heritage: a turbocharged coupe that became a tuner-scene favorite and a fixture of early-2000s car culture. None of that engineering or attitude survives in the badge-engineered Leaf twin arriving at dealerships this month.
What survives is name recognition, which Mitsubishi is using on a vehicle sharing its hardware with a cheaper Nissan. It’s a bet that nostalgia sells, even when the product has little connection to its predecessor. With a refreshed Outlander, a new pickup, and other Momentum 2030 products coming, the Eclipse Sportback could test how far Mitsubishi can stretch its legacy badges.
The Car Itself Isn’t The Problem
WardsAuto drove the Eclipse Sportback around Seattle and praised its quiet, refined, comfortable ride. Mitsubishi also offers longer warranty coverage than Nissan: five years/60,000 miles for the vehicle and 10 years/100,000 miles for the battery, versus the Leaf’s three-year and eight-year coverage, respectively.
That’s the frustrating part. The Sportback is a competent electric commuter. The issue isn’t engineering; it’s the math. Buyers drawn to the Eclipse name face a premium for a badge that no longer represents what made the original special, while the mechanically related Leaf shows how much less they could spend.
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