We live in an age of style, not design. All those homilies about form, function, and modern restraint have turned to dust, and instead we've embraced style-pure personal expression.
There's so much talk about style in our culture these days, it's no wonder car designers have become the new celebrities of the automobile business. They're part visionaries and part spin doctors, and they want us to know that exuberance and extravagance are the order of the day.
By and large, we're all for it. And brand- name, big-city style is within reach for those whose pocketbooks are rated only for suburban outlet malls. To prove it, we present the 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT and three rivals, all priced in the neighborhood of $25,000. With these cars, style is paramount, and the only question is whether or not the experience lives up to the promise of the designer label.
The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a champion of in-your-face style that challenges you with a futuristic shape. It recalls the organic, much-loved second-generation car, especially in the way the fenders reach out to grab the wheels. The roofline takes inspiration from the Audi TT, and there's a nice feeling of surface tension throughout the sheetmetal.... Read full article