2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor XLS AWD
08/13/2003
Greg A. Godsell
The Endeavor is an all-new crossover SUV from Mitsubishi. Mitsubishi had a program called Project America. From this program, Mitsubishi's Normal, IL plant was supposed to be able to build a number of vehicles off a common platform. The Endeavor and the Galant are two such vehicles. The Galant and Endeavor share their chassis and 3.8L V6 power train. The Endeavor got the better end of the deal. While we found the Galant to feel kind of ungainly on the road, the Endeavor feels spry and composed.
The Endeavor has a mechanical/industrial look that starts with a wide mechanical smile in the front. The sides feature chunky fender cut lines that are part of the sheet metal and not extraneous trim. On the inside is a surprisingly spacious interior. There is an enormous center console and an abundance of room everywhere. Despite the room, you will find no third row seating.
The dash and instrumentation are finished in a bright silverish material and are backlit blue at night. All the knobs and controls are oversized and spaced far apart. I'm not crazy about some of the new instrument panel finishes that designers are using, and this is definitely not one of my favorites. The finish of the center stack is too bright and the harder plastics are susceptible to marring and scratching. One interesting touch is the little screen on the dash. As you start the car it displays a boot-up sequence that draws out a sketch of the Endeavor. Unfortunately, it suffers from the same problems that we've noted with similar displays in the Montero and others. Despite the cool screen and graphics, it provides almost no real value.
On the road, the Endeavor is well composed and handles better than most SUVs I've driven recently. The independent rear suspension helps. It doesn't suffer from the side-to-side roll or head-toss that plague many of its competitors. The 225hp 3.8L V6 gives the Endeavor plenty of zip. It will be plenty quick on the highway and around town.
Our test model was the XLS AWD which had a sticker price of $32,142. That's not a bad deal for a spacious SUV. So, where does the Endeavor fit in a very crowded market? On paper, SUV styling, ample room, and decent driving capabilities make the Endeavor a viable alternative for it's competitors. The only deficiency seems to be the lack of third row seating. Whether or not this is a liability may not matter. Two formidable competitors, the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander, stand in the way of broad success for the Endeavor.