The R&T staff is divided on their feeling about the current Mitsubishi Eclipse. There are those who genuinely like the car, no doubt because of its ultra smooth 205-bhp V6, easy to live with personality and comfortable yet capable handling. They dont give a hoot about it being stereotyped as...

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a "chick car." But others dont feel the current car fills our needs as proper sport-ing device the way the much loved first and second generation cars (especially the all wheel drive turbo models) did.

Mitsubishi must have been thinking the same thing, because ever since the Concept E show car (upon which the 4th gen car that graces these pages is based) made its appearance at the 2004 Detroit auto show, they've been hinting about returning the Eclipse to its roots to "take the nameplate's legendary status among import sport enthusiasts to new heights."

There is no denying the influence of the 1995-1999 second generation car (arguably the best looking of the eclipses), most notably the way the roof tapers back into large rear fenders. Its also quite impressive how closly the production car's styling mimics the Concept- E; the shape of the new car is markedly more dynamic then the 2005 model, and we're sepecially happy to be rid of those cheese grater doors.

Several exterior details make this car stand out, such as the "chrome under glass" rear spoiler, chrome laced clear lens covered head and taillamps, LED brake lights and shapely exterior door handles. These elements give the car some flash without being over the top. If there is an area where Mitsu's designers missed the mark, its the front end, which bears a striking likeness to Pontiac Sunfire-not a good thing.

The eclipse is not just a swoopy new body thrown on the old architecture; it rides on a new platform, called PS, that first saw duty under the Endeavor SUV and then the new Galant. All three vehicles are built at the normal, Illinois, plant. With the increased size of the PS, the eclipse has grown by 2.3, width by 3.3, height by 2.2 and front and rear tracks by 2.4. Interior volume is up as well, for instance, head room inceasing by an inch.

Mitsubishi claims it has shifted the focus of the eclipse back toward the sporting end of the spectrum (less creampuff), and as such the structure is now signifacntly stiffer. Bending rigidity is up 119 precent while torsional rigidity is up by 11.

Unfortunately, this larger, stiffer platform (plus a bigger V6, more on that later) has made the Eclipse into quite the portly fellow; the last third genetation car we tested in November 2001 had a curb weight of 3190lb. The new one weighs in at 3570! Suddenly we're not liking Mitsubishi's new math. But aside from the weight issue and the fantastic new shape, the biggest news for the Eclipse is the new engine that powers the GT model: its a cast iron block, aluminum head 3.8 liter SOHC V6 that delivers 263bhp at 5750 rpm along with 260 lb.-ft. of front tire shredding torque at 4500 rpm.

It features MIVEC (mitsubishi Innovative Variable timing and lift Electronic Control) to optimize the powerband at both low and high RPM running. It works. MIVEC plus the increased capacity give this 3.8 power to spare at all times, with extra kick at higher rpm. The outgoing 3.0 liter defined the term "buttery smooth." The new one should be classified as "buttery smooth, but with some serious rip."

Despite the weight handicap, the new Eclipse absolutely trounces the old car in acceleration, no doubt helped by the new 6-speed manual transmission ( a 5 speed automatic with sportronic manual shifting is available) that has relatively short throws, with just a touch or rubberiness. Zero to 60 mph takes a mere 5.8 seconds (smack dab in Nissan 350Z territory), with the quarter mile flying by in 14.4 sec. At 101.0 mph. The 2001 Eclipse with the 5 speed manualhit 60 mph in 7.2 sec., respectable but not thrilling.

The eclipse uses MacPherson strut front and multilink rear suspension that, like the outgoing car, is calibrated on the soft side, and for 2006 suspension travel has been increased. Similarly, the optional P235/45R-18 Goodyear Eagle RS-A all season tires (part of premium Sport package) aren't particulary sticky, but they deliver a nice ride while transmitting barely any road noise. Those same tires adversely affected our panic braking distances of 127 ft. from 60 mph and 224 from 80. Those numbers are far from spectacular, but understandable considering the tires and the weight of the car.

The brakes themselves 11.6 in. rotors up front and 11.2 at the rear (both vented) help up well on the run up and down a local mountian road, with nary a trace of fade and little smoke, though the pedal could be a bit firmer.

So how does it drive? Like a GT car... meaning we enjoyed taking it up the mountain road, but it wouldnt be our weapon of choice for that battle. It shines in more normal everyday spirited driving, the kind you would do on the way to work, running errands and taking weekend trips on highways or winding two lanes; track days are out. For sure, the new Eclipse is one of the most comfortable sports couples on the market, delivering a remarkably smooth ride, a quiet *****pit and superb front seats.

So is this the second coming of the Eclipse? In a word, no. I'm no physics major, but all that weight distributed 61 percent front/39 percent rear along with front wheel drive, soft springs, too much body roll and all season tires (that start squealing in protest long before they should) do not a sports car make. Understeer is the rule of the day entering low speed corners, while torque steer and wildly spinning inside front tire ( a limited slip differential is not available) make themselves evident on the way out.

All that said the car responds pretty well to both drop throttle and left foot braking to dial out the understeer (throttle and brake can be overlapped, as the car does not have a stability system that cuts power). The Eclipse responds even better as speeds increase, eating up high speed sweepers, with driver induced oversteer tendencies available if called upon. And what's important here is that the new Eclipse handles better then our previous test car: 0.83g versus 0.74g around the skidpad, and 64.1mph versus 63.0 navigating the slalom.

In contrast to the boy racer exterior, the interior of the eclipse is, well, kind of normal, but still sporting where it needs to be. And we like it that way. All controls are easy to use immediatly, and chrome rings around the insturments add some pizazz, as do the flip cellphone inspired interior door openers. The optional 650 watt Rockford Fosgate audio system with a trunk mounted subwoofer cranks out the tunes and the Ice blue interior lighting is...cool.

Pricing is also an Eclipse strong point, as you get quite a lot of a car for the money. The base 4 cylinder will start around $20,000 when the car goes on sale mid year. The V6 GT should begin at about $23,000, with a well loaded example like our test car hovering at near $27,000. Okay, so the new Eclipse isnt the sports car we hoped it would be. But dispite a few shortcomings, its definitely better then the car it replaces and a step in the right direction. Yes, we wanted an all out performance car, but Mitsubishi already offers one of those, its called a Lancer Evolution. The Eclipse is for those who want the striking good looks of a sports coupe, but dont want to put up with the harsh rides and boomy interiors of, say, the Evo and 350Z. Its for someone considering an Acura RSX, But who actually wants some power. Did we mention the Eclipse engine?