Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is now a police car

ABU DHABI: Mitsubishi has introduced the new Eclipse Cross with an intriguing design. The vehicle looks like an aggressive compact crossover and many are not happy with the use of ‘Eclipse’ moniker for a non-performance car. However, it has been liked by the police forces of Italy.

The crossover has been apparently liked by Arma Dei Carabinieri (Italy’s state police) so much that it has now added the Eclipse to its service fleet. According to the reports, the new Eclipse units will be used for the “transport of organ and blood” kind of tasks and other police related duties like institutional operational requirements.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that the Japanese brand has provided the Italian police force with its vehicles. Previously, its armoured SUVs were used in high-risk regions like Afghanistan and Iraq.

As of now, we have no clue whether there would be any technical modifications to deal with the police duties. However, we can assume that it will be powered by the 1.5-litre MIVEC turbo gasoline engine throwing out 163 PS and 250Nm coupled with either a continuously variable transmission or a six-speed manual unit, just like the Eclipse Cross UK variant. It has the potential of reaching 200kmph with the CVT and 205kph with the manual transmission. The driving options include both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive choices.

As mentioned earlier, the car comes with a fascinating exterior, which does not let the brand’s effort go in vain. Thanks to its blue and red themed exterior that adds charm to the design.