THE crossover market has gone crazy in recent years and all mainstream manufacturers are now well and truly in on the act.

It's a pie that is without doubt big enough for everyone to have a piece of - the compact and mid-sized crossover having pretty much replaced the hatchback as the family car of choice.

Mitsubishi have made small-ish SUVs before but the Eclipse Cross is probably its first proper venture into crossover territory.

Given the marque's rich four-wheel-drive pedigree one would expect its take on a scaled-down SUV to be a decent effort - and indeed it is.

The Eclipse Cross is certainly an eye-catching contender in a fairly congested segment, managing to combine a familiar SUV chunky presence with some sleek styling too.

Its loud and proud front end combines well with a wedge-shaped rear end to create a profile that is easy to like.

The interior has an element of familiar Mitsubishi ruggedness and overall it feels like a solid and well put together car.

The cabin has a nice open feel and the elevated ride height helps to engender a big car kind of feel.

Space up front is abundant and legroom in the rear is generous too and can be varied via a sliding rear bench. It offers 448 litres of boot space.

The styling overall on the inside is fairly conventional but the controls are well laid-out and easy to navigate.

The infotainment system offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard via a seven-inch touchscreen.

There's just one engine choice for now, a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol unit.

It produces 163bhp and will take the Eclipse to a top speed of 125mph and sees it reach 62mph from a standing start in less than 10 seconds.

This car had the optional CVT automatic gearbox which certainly made suburban driving easier, even if it did feel a little jerky at times.

The Eclipse has commendable ride quality and also handles nicely for a vehicle that sits quite high.

There's the option of either front or four-wheel drive and I liked the added reassurance and grip this four-wheel drive version offered in the midst of winter.