Mitsubishi SUV a good endeavour

Mitsubishi’s Endeavor, the company’s full-size crossover ute designed to flesh out their market share with the family demographic, comes to us relatively unchanged since the facelift the big hauler got in 2006.

My Autonet tester (a “Limited” trim, in all-wheel drive) was a good example of Mitsu’s ability to make a most-things-to-most-people vehicle, with the car-based vehicle bringing all the pluses of a UV, along with the usual list of minuses.

The Endeavor’s offerings include the higher driver’s position standard in such vehicles, with the better visibility for which consumers who shop this segment are looking and the perception of safety that the size of the machine brings.

Its outward appearance is cut from the standard mould of the crossover class, with a suitably rugged and outdoorsy-looking shell balanced on top of 17-inch polished alloy wheels. My Limited tester also included running boards, roof rack and those plastic wind-deflector thingies (I believe that’s the correct, technical term) on the hood and side glass.

You could be forgiven for mistaking the Endeavor for a number of similar vehicles on the roads- to me it looks a lot like a Grand Cherokee- but let’s face it, pretty much the entire crossover class look like each other.

My evaluation vehicle employed (as does the whole Endeavor line) the company’s capable big-six engine, a 3.8-litre V6 that proved that base horsepower numbers don’t always tell the whole story.

Consider that while the stated number for the engine is a relatively small-sounding 225 hp, the tester never lacked for power in my time in it. Very good acceleration was always on tap, even when driving with a utefull of full-size adults, whether merging at highway speeds or from a standing start. This owes much to the torque delivery, which puts up to 255 lb.-ft. to the wheels at a relatively low 3750 rpm.

As a disclaimer, I will say that I didn’t tow anything with my tester, which is where the lower horse-number may have been a disadvantage; but Mitsubishi does state a tow capacity of up to 1,588 kg (3,500 lbs) for the vehicle.

I have no complaints about the transmission either. Although a four-speed automatic may sound unsophisticated by today’s standards of five, six, or seven-speed autoboxes, the shifts were very well calculated in the Limited, and seemed instinctively appropriate for the driving situations. No feel of “lugging” on hills, or over-revving when stepping hard on the accelerator.

The steering and handling of the Endeavor were up to the standards of this class as well. The whole family/crossover segment tends to lean toward a comfort-feel with the tuning of the steering; and not loose or floppy in the feedback through the steering wheel, it doesn’t feel sporty either. Of course, people looking for a racy feel in a UV tend to shop more expensive, less “everyday” marques; like Infiniti’s FX or Lexus’ RX lines.

It’s suspended quite well for a tall vehicle, without a lot of bounce coming from the independent multi-link and coil-spring rig used on all four wheels; and the feel of swaying when cornering is kept to a minimum. Or at least to the standard of most vehicles in the class - the tradeoff a buyer makes when choosing a full-size UV of any sort is that you WILL feel some yawing in the turns. Stability and traction control are standard across the full line of Endeavors.

Braking in my tester was uniformly good (ABS and electronic brake force distribution are also standard on all Endeavors) bringing the heavy hauler (curb weight of 1890 kilos, or 4167 lbs) to a controlled stop in any situation in which I tried it.

The cabin is roomy, as you would expect, with ample space between passenger and driver up front, and good head and leg accommodation for people in the rear seats. Leather seating and simplified rear seat climate controls make the Limited a nice space in which to spend a long road trip.

Mitsubishi went for the rugged look with the Endeavor’s dash, with heavy, solid-feeling materials sculpted into a craggy, angular surface over the center stack and gauge display. Climate control knobs are large and easy to grip, and the placement and layout of the buttons is very straightforward. The high-mounted LCD information display is touch-screen operated, and while the display is somewhat cartoony-looking with its big graphical icons, it is intuitive and easy to use.

Ultimately, the Endeavor Limited delivered what a good family utility vehicle should. It provides the size-and-height that is the major selling point of this segment, along with the cargo capacity (2,163 litres, or 76.4 cubic feet with the seats folded down) and all-wheel drive.

My list of detractions is short, and in addition to the standard complaints found in any large vehicle (tippy feel when cornering; difficult manoeuvrability in parking lots), I would add that it lacked a backup camera, which is something I like in a large vehicle at this price point, and the Endeavor recommends premium fuel.