Eagle Talon

[TimidOCer]

Woah this is so weird I just now started to gain interest in these cars.. They look good are cheap and can be extremely fast . Im also really interested in the awd ones.. just wondering what comments anyone has on the cars in general or whatver

 

[b0mbrman]

Where do the similarities between this car and the Eclipse end?

 

[Vic]

There is very little difference between an Eagle Talon, a Mitsubishi Eclipse, or (94 or earlier) a Plymouth Laser. They are all (or were in the discontinued Laser's and Talon's cases) manufactured by a joint Mitsu/Chrysler project called Diamond Star Motors in (IIRC)Flat Rock, MI. From '89-'94, differences were limited to trim and lighting ('89 to '91 models have ugly pop-up headlights and a slightly squarer body style). '95-'99 Talons and Eclipses look different from a distance, but up close you see that the only differences are really just in the spoilers and body fascia, in addition to trim, etc.
The top-end models of all years (labeled TSi for Talons, GSX for Eclipses, and RS for Lasers) all have the same 2.0 Liter DOHC I-4 with intercooled 14psi turbo that hits ~210hp at ~6500 rpm and ~180 lb-ft of torque at ~4500 rpm (sorry, too lazy to look up exact numbers right now, but I'm willing to bet I'm very close). Power transmission is AWD and as an option on some models (like the '94 Eclipse I owned) have a center locking diff that maintains consistent distribution of 65% rear/35% front. Turbo lag is noticeable so 0-60 is only just under 7 but quarter-mile runs average 100 mph and 14's. The AWD turbo model is one of the funnest cars to drive in the snow, EVER.
There are also turbo models without the AWD, non-turbo/non-AWD models that still have the 2.0L DOHC 4, and low-end models with a wimpy 1.6L SOHC engine. For the most part, non-turbo models are dog-like slow.
The good news about these cars is that they are cheap. The bad news is that they are cheap for a reason. Reliability is bad and QC at Mitsu is terrible. Resell values are horrible.