Cars Worth Noting: 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor

It must have been quite an endeavor creating this SUV. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Now that the silliness is out of the way let’s get down to the business at hand. The ever-popular SUV market has been flooded with product from every major manufacturer, including Porsche. . It’s easy to get lost in the SUV mayhem.

Endeavor tries it’s hardest to stand out – maybe too hard. Studies have shown that most SUV buyers prefer the traditional twobox approach. And while a few manufacturers have managed to push that envelope (like Nissan Murano and VW Touareg), Endeavor’s aggressive exterior merely resembles a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a body kit.

The aggressive theme is carried over into the interior which features a very industriallooking center console, but while this is a Mitsubishi there’s a lot of Nissan DNA staring back at me, and when the sun goes down the IP glows a familiar VW red and blue.

I personally like the Endeavor. A week behind the wheel proved it to be a good solid crossover SUV with a firm and quiet ride, as good as anything in the segment. The 3.8L V-6 was plenty adequate, even in a world where SUV owners teach their kids to say ‘Hemi’. The limited model that I drove had all of the creature comforts of a luxury sedan including heated seats, an extra-large center console and a power sunroof, to name a few.

On the downside this 4WD SUV was a handful to stop on snow-covered Michigan side streets thanks to a set of all-weather radials that offered zero grip.

I might try to advise Mitsubishi the same way I advise my teenage son who constantly tries to dress to be different. Different isn’t always good.