davegulliksen's Full Review: 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
I just bought a Mitsubishi Endeavor after shopping for a week when my 14-year old Sable station wagon finally became too problematic to keep. I would have bought another Sable except that the current design has very poor visibility. We needed a vehicle that could do light hauling but was low enough that my wife could get into without difficulty. And I needed something I could commute 35 miles to work in every day, so it had to be comfortable. Both the top rated Honda Odyssey and Dodge Caravan were too high for my wife to get into, and the Ford Windstar had a poor repair record.
We were more focused on safety, reliability and comfort than style or high performance, and the 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor had almost every feature we were looking for. Although pricier than many, the final $32,000 we paid for it was pretty average for the features we got.
======== PLUSES ==========
PERFORMANCE/ENGINE:
-Handles like a car, decent power and acceleration.
-Rides well, good visibility for traffic.
-Low center of gravity and wide stance reduce rollover risk.
-Fluid dip sticks and caps in the engine that need to be checked by the driver are color coded white.
-Low tire pressure warning (optional).
-Many programmed safeguards to keep the drive train from being damaged by very cold conditions.
INTERIOR
-Lumbar support on driver's seat if power seat.
-Cab interior is not raised so it's easy to get into.
-Easy to drop back seats to increase cargo area, although you might have to move the front seats forward briefly.
-Back seat head rests - good safety factor.
-Good front and rear legroom.
-Roomy compartment for CD's and such.
-Cup holders in front and back take most sizes securely.
-Three 12-volt outlets (one in the cargo area).
-Roomy pockets in front doors.
-Front seatbelt height adjusters.
SOUND SYSTEM
-Sound system has good sound and power.
-6 CD player starts up exactly where left off.
-Has played all CDR's I've given it.
-Complete CD and radio controls on the steering wheel, easy to use.
CONTROLS
-Powerful options using the display screen like how long the interior lights stay on after locking the car.
-Many screen display formats - briefly highlights your choice when you switch stations or tracks, or change air flow.
-Separate lever for cruise control, easy to use.
-Most controls easy to figure out and use by touch so you don’t have to look away from the road.
CARGO
-Liftgate window can open separately.
-Ten hooks on floor and walls for securing cargo.
OTHER
-Remote fob effective to about 150 feet.
-Lights on the bottom of the doors light where you will step when exiting.
-Folding exterior mirrors.
-Designed and manufactured in the USA.
======== MINUSES (in order of importance to me) ==========
-Dim backup lights combined with security glass make backing up at night difficult to see.
-Cargo area is smaller than many station wagons (a large microwave and a mid-sized TV completely filled the area).
-Hard to tell where the vehicle ends, particularly in front and back.
-Spare is in the bottom of the cargo area and the jack is under another door in the cargo area so you have to empty the cargo area to change a tire.
-Speedometer goes up to 140 miles an hour and the numbers are in increments of 20 with no color coding so it can be hard to tell exactly how fast you are going.
-Does not have an option for lights to go on automatically when it's dark.
-CD player will not play MP3 files and warns it may not play CDR's.
-Adjustable foot pedals not available.
-Proximity indicator not available.
-Just an open cup for loose change.
-Often can take two tries with the ignition key to start.
-Cheap looking plastic console.
-Although marketed as an SUV, the instruction guide warns against much off-road use.
ONE MONTH UPDATE:
Gas mileage has been poorer than expected: 16mpg on the highway, which is in line with what Consumer Reports' findings were.
3.8 liter engine powerful. Accelerates up to 80mph with very little effort.
Heated seat gets uncomfortably hot if left on more than a few minutes.
ONE YEAR UPDATE:
Gas mileage has improved after being broken in - about 20mpg highway.
I am noticing that the LCD display is slow to get bright enough to be seen in cold weather until the car warms up. Whenever the sun is at my back, the light often drowns out the display.
I am much better able to tell where my front end is, but the back end is still hard to sense.
30,000 MILE UPDATE
Still runs very well. No repair costs except for standard maintenance. For the first maintenance I went to the Mitsubishi dealership, and it cost me $300 to replace my oil and filters, and rotate my tires! Since then I bring my car to the local garage. Starting about a month ago I now hear a fairly loud whispering sound at over 25 miles per hour, which my garage tells me is the internal belt, but that there is nothing to be done.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 32000
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: AWD XLS 4-door wagon with Cold Zone &Touring Pkgs
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