The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross arrived in the US for the 2018 model year and last year sold nearly 20,000 examples. To compare, its Toyota C-HR rival saw nearly 49,000 examples leave dealership lots. Still, the Eclipse Cross is an important crossover for the Japanese automaker and now the facelifted 2022 model has been unveiled. Unfortunately, only three images have been released showing the right-hand-drive version for Australia and New Zealand. The North American model will look identical aside from where the steering wheel is located.
The refresh focuses mainly on exterior styling with a new front end featuring an evolved version of the Dynamic Shield design concept. More specifically, there's a new front bumper and a new light layout.
The rear hatch and rear window have been redesigned, while the taillights now extend upwards and inwards for an overall more enhanced look. The tailgate receives a more sculpted shape that's supposedly reminiscent of the brand's now-gone rear-mounted spare tire featured on body-on-frame SUVs like the sorely missed Montero.
Meanwhile, the interior receives new silver accents and optional light gray leather seats. The door trims share the seat's color to help create a more upscale-looking cabin. Another new noteworthy feature is a standard 8-inch smartphone-link display audio system. The touchscreen has also been moved closer to the driver and front-seat passenger.
Instead of speaker volume being controlled via the touchscreen, conventional turning knobs have returned, surely a much-welcome feature for those who find the previous method difficult to use. Honda, for example, has been making the same change to its updated vehicles. The multi-function touchpad, however, has been deleted entirely, resulting in more center console storage space.
The 1.5-liter MIVEC direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder is carried over from last year unchanged. Mitsubishi says there are no plans to offer an upcoming plug-in hybrid version in the US.
The facelifted 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is set to go on sale in America in the first quarter of 2021.