Sit back and relax in the Endeavor
Daniel Barron
Published: 19 05 2004
Everywhere you look in the news these days, stories abound about how much trouble Mitsubishi is in financially. If there's light at the end of the tunnel, the Endeavor is a vehicle that could drive Mitsubishi through it.
I used the Endeavor Limited AWD, among other things, for a weekend of camping. To get where I was going, I drove through the busy streets of Toronto in warm, sunny weather. I opened the huge sunroof and turned up the 7-speaker audio system as I inched through rush hour traffic and happily made my way to the highway. Even the slow downtown streets couldn't bring me down. I ended my journey driving through a rainstorm on roads made of mud; my upbeat demeanour never changed. I blissfully drove to my destination.
And that's the real beauty of Mitsubishi's mid-size SUV - as solid as it looks from the outside, it's bigger and better inside. I had quite the load to carry when my friends heard I had an SUV for the weekend. I folded down the rear seats (only one person joined me for the ride; everyone else just left me their equipment), and had a huge flat surface to fit all my gear. I effortlessly packed in three tents, a grill, two foldup chairs, two sleepings bags, two blankets, and several other items, with room to spare.
With all this in the back, I could sit up front and forget that I was lugging all that baggage around. Everything around me was open, easy to reach, simple to learn, and it all looked fantastic. The leather seats weren't really grippy, but felt great and looked even better. The black and grey interior was very sharp, and there was plenty of room for odds and ends such as CDs and cell phones. The blue backlights on all the instruments were also a great added touch.
The impressive driving experience didn't end with the looks. Travelling in the Endeavor was phenomenal. The ride was smooth and quiet no matter where I was; the 4-wheel independent suspension made for a soft drive whether I was on busy city streets or uneven dirt roads. Believe me when I say I experienced polar opposites of both. The Endeavor weighs in at 4156 lbs, which is lighter than competitors like the Buick Rendezvous CX Plus AWD, Chevy TrailBlazer LS, and Honda Pilot EX. Pickup feels fast and smooth when you need to pass other cars.
The 4-speed automatic transmission is unspectacular, but the 6-cylinder engine is decidedly quiet. Fuel consumption stands at 13.8 and 10.1 l/100 km on the city and highway, respectively. Not earth-shattering, but still equal to or better than the Kia Sorento EX Luxury edition and the Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6.
The few gripes I had with the Endeavor were very minor. The shifter's numbers and letters don't light up. There's a huge number of options in the Limited edition, but no park assist, which should be in every SUV out there. Also, the roof rails were a little distracting whenever the sunroof was open.
A big reason these complaints can be put on the backburner when deciding what SUV you may want to buy: the Endeavor's price tag. The fully-loaded Limited edition has a MSRP of $42,698. That can't come close to the the option-laden Hyundai Sante Fe or Kia Sorento, but it's not much more than the Ford Explorer XLT 4X4 ($40,735) or the GMC Envoy SLE 4X4 ($41,815).
This is one sleeper of a sport ute, plain and simple. It doesn't stand out from the crowded sport utility market, but it shouldn't have to. It's solid from top to bottom, and it's biggest challenge seems to be how to overcome a struggling company name.
I used the Endeavor Limited AWD, among other things, for a weekend of camping. To get where I was going, I drove through the busy streets of Toronto in warm, sunny weather. I opened the huge sunroof and turned up the 7-speaker audio system as I inched through rush hour traffic and happily made my way to the highway. Even the slow downtown streets couldn't bring me down. I ended my journey driving through a rainstorm on roads made of mud; my upbeat demeanour never changed. I blissfully drove to my destination.
And that's the real beauty of Mitsubishi's mid-size SUV - as solid as it looks from the outside, it's bigger and better inside. I had quite the load to carry when my friends heard I had an SUV for the weekend. I folded down the rear seats (only one person joined me for the ride; everyone else just left me their equipment), and had a huge flat surface to fit all my gear. I effortlessly packed in three tents, a grill, two foldup chairs, two sleepings bags, two blankets, and several other items, with room to spare.
With all this in the back, I could sit up front and forget that I was lugging all that baggage around. Everything around me was open, easy to reach, simple to learn, and it all looked fantastic. The leather seats weren't really grippy, but felt great and looked even better. The black and grey interior was very sharp, and there was plenty of room for odds and ends such as CDs and cell phones. The blue backlights on all the instruments were also a great added touch.
The impressive driving experience didn't end with the looks. Travelling in the Endeavor was phenomenal. The ride was smooth and quiet no matter where I was; the 4-wheel independent suspension made for a soft drive whether I was on busy city streets or uneven dirt roads. Believe me when I say I experienced polar opposites of both. The Endeavor weighs in at 4156 lbs, which is lighter than competitors like the Buick Rendezvous CX Plus AWD, Chevy TrailBlazer LS, and Honda Pilot EX. Pickup feels fast and smooth when you need to pass other cars.
The 4-speed automatic transmission is unspectacular, but the 6-cylinder engine is decidedly quiet. Fuel consumption stands at 13.8 and 10.1 l/100 km on the city and highway, respectively. Not earth-shattering, but still equal to or better than the Kia Sorento EX Luxury edition and the Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6.
The few gripes I had with the Endeavor were very minor. The shifter's numbers and letters don't light up. There's a huge number of options in the Limited edition, but no park assist, which should be in every SUV out there. Also, the roof rails were a little distracting whenever the sunroof was open.
A big reason these complaints can be put on the backburner when deciding what SUV you may want to buy: the Endeavor's price tag. The fully-loaded Limited edition has a MSRP of $42,698. That can't come close to the the option-laden Hyundai Sante Fe or Kia Sorento, but it's not much more than the Ford Explorer XLT 4X4 ($40,735) or the GMC Envoy SLE 4X4 ($41,815).
This is one sleeper of a sport ute, plain and simple. It doesn't stand out from the crowded sport utility market, but it shouldn't have to. It's solid from top to bottom, and it's biggest challenge seems to be how to overcome a struggling company name.
Latest News
-
1.
-
2.
-
3.
-
4.
-
5.
-
6.
-
7.
-
8.
-
9.
-
10.