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2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross plug-in hybrid price and specs: Meet the car that could power your home

The 2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV plug-in hybrid SUV is due in Australian showrooms next month, will be able to charge your house if there’s a blackout.


  • 2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV pricing and specifications
  • Three plug-in hybrid models top revised Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross range
  • Can travel 55km on battery power, petrol engine boosts range to 500km
  • Will be able to power households during future blackouts
  • Recharge times and other functions controlled via smartphone

The 2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV plug-in hybrid has been unveiled ahead of its arrival in Australian showrooms in the middle of August 2021 – and it could one day be used to power households during a blackout, once the technology is enabled in future homes.

As with its bigger brother, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid, the Eclipse Cross PHEV plug-in hybrid can travel up to 55km on battery power alone before the petrol engine kicks in, providing a maximum combined driving range in excess of 500km, eliminating the range anxiety that plagues many electric vehicles.

Mitsubishi says the Eclipse Cross PHEV plug-in hybrid vehicle could also one day power homes during emergencies.

“The vehicle can also serve as a rechargeable battery that powers an entire household with its stored energy,” Mitsubishi Australia said in a briefing document. 

“Since a plug-in hybrid can generate its own power when fuelled, it is also a short-term ‘generator on wheels’ in instances when power fails such as in natural disasters,” the company said, adding communities will be able to benefit from the car-to-household technology “in the near future”.

Certain functions of the 2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV plug-in hybrid can also be controlled via a smartphone app.

“The Mitsubishi Remote Control app allows drivers to plan and activate battery charging remotely via the app, to take advantage of off-peak electricity tariffs,” says Mitsubishi.

“There are remote pre-heating or pre-cooling mode functions, as well as a system status check indicating if, for example, the doors or tailgate are open or the headlamps are on.”

Further, a “car finder function” can be set to activate the headlights at a pre-determined time to locate the vehicle when within wireless LAN range.

Three plug-in hybrid models sit above the revised Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross range:

  • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross ES PHEV from $46,490 plus on-road costs;
  • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Aspire PHEV from $49,990 plus on-road costs;
  • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Exceed PHEV from $53,990 plus on-road costs.

The rest of the range is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine matched to a CVT auto:

  • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross ES 2WD 1.5L CVT $30,290 plus on-road costs;
  • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross LS 2WD 1.5L CVT $32,590 plus on-road costs;
  • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross LS AWD 1.5L CVT $35,090 plus on-road costs;
  • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Aspire 2WD 1.5L CVT $34,990 plus on-road costs;
  • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Exceed 2WD 1.5L CVT $38,290 plus on-road costs;
  • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Exceed AWD 1.5L CVT $40,790 plus on-road costs.

All but one of the seven available colours are metallic or pearlescent paint ($740 extra), while prestige paint is $940 extra. These prices are steep compared to rivals, most of whom either charge less than this or not at all for premium paint colours.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV plug-in hybrid is powered by a 2.4-litre petrol engine (94kW/199Nm), which is backed by two electric motors: 60kW/137Nm driving the front axles and 70kW/195Nm driving the rear.

Mitsubishi says the 13.8kWh battery pack provides a maximum petrol-free driving range of up to 55km, and takes up to seven hours to recharge from empty using a 10 amp household power point.

When running in EV Mode (available from 0 to 135km/h), Mitsubishi says the Eclipse Cross PHEV is powered by both the front and rear electric drive motors, drawing current provided by the battery.

In Hybrid Mode (available from 0 to 70km/h), the car continues to utilise the battery to power the front and rear motors, while the petrol engine is engaged to run the generator to charge the battery while driving. 

“This mode is also automatically activated when the driver calls for maximum acceleration, or for example when driving uphill or when the battery state of charge is too low,” says Mitsubishi. 

“In this mode, the vehicle will attempt to revert to EV Mode as often as possible for maximum efficiency and minimum emissions.”

In Hybrid Mode above 70km/h, the Eclipse Cross PHEV operates like a traditional hybrid, “whereby the petrol engine drives the front wheels in tandem with the front electric motor … and the rear electric motor drives the rear wheels,” says Mitsubishi. 

“Once again, the vehicle is configured to revert to EV Mode or Series Hybrid Mode whenever possible,” the company says.

The 2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV plug-in hybrid option comes after the rest of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross range received a mid-life styling update late last year.

The updated model is 140mm longer than before with more luggage capacity, additional safety and convenience features, and a revised tailgate design with improved rearward visibility.


2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross ES PHEV standard features:

  • 18-inch alloy wheels
  • 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and DAB+ digital radio
  • Halogen headlights
  • LED daytime-running lights
  • Two USB ports
  • Climate control air-conditioning
  • Four-speaker sound system
  • Paddle shifters
  • Reversing camera
  • Charging cable
  • Chrome window trim
  • Rear roof spoiler
  • Autonomous emergency braking
  • Lane-departure warning
  • Manual cruise control
  • Active Yaw Control (torque-vectoring)

2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Aspire PHEV adds (over ES PHEV):

  • Suede/synthetic leather combination seat trim
  • Eight-speaker, four-tweeter Mitsubishi Power Sound System
  • Heated front seats
  • Electric driver's seat
  • Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go
  • Blind-spot monitoring
  • Rear cross-traffic alert
  • Lane Change Assist
  • Front parking sensors
  • Synthetic leather door inserts

2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Exceed PHEV adds (over Aspire PHEV):

  • LED headlights
  • Satellite navigation
  • Head-up display
  • Leather seat trim
  • Dual-pane sunroof
  • Heated rear seats
  • Heated steering wheel
  • Electric passenger seat
  • Driver's seat-back map pocket
  • Black headlining
  • Ultrasonic Mis-acceleration Mitigation System
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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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