2007 Mitsubishi Endeavor First Impressions

• VIDEO PRESENTATION

You don't mess with a good recipe

2007 Mitsubishi Endeavor Limited (Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

Montréal, Québec -- When you're certain that you've got a competitive product, you'd be foolish to change it drastically just for the fun of it. Mitsubishi considers the Endeavor to be a competent mid-size SUV, and the changes for 2007 are minimal but effective.

I also think that the Endeavor is a competent SUV. Having driven a 2006 model a couple of months ago, I walked away impressed by the truck's toughness, power, interior space and great driving characteristics.

For 2007, the Endeavor's model range has been cut down. The two-wheel drive LS is dropped, and the LS with the Road Trip package becomes the SE 2WD. Among the changes are new body-color door handles and mirrors, new colors and new interior cloth, new door panel trim, and a 360-watt Rockford Acoustic sound system. An alarm is also included, as

2007 Mitsubishi Endeavor Limited (Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

well as side-curtain airbags. The SE 2WD costs $35,998, or $1,000 less than the 2006 2WD LS Road Trip model. That's good deal.

The same change applies to the 4WD LS models; the base LS is axed, and the 4WD LS with Road Trip package is now called the SE 4WD. It gets the same improvements as the SE 2WD but adds traction and stability control systems. The SE 4WD costs $38,998, which is $1,000 below the 2006 LS Road Trip 4WD model.

The Endeavor Limited now comes with standard-equipment leather seats, as well as the SE's improvements. It also includes a new touch-screen navigation system. The rear DVD entertainment option is now dealer-installed instead of a factory option package, which subsequently

2007 Mitsubishi Endeavor Limited (Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

deleted the sunroof. You can now get the DVD and the sunroof together. The Limited costs $42,998 or about $1,100 less than the outgoing Limited with optional leather.

Driving the 2007 Endeavor

There are no mechanical changes for the new Endeavor, and that's actually good news. The truck is just as pleasing to drive, the chassis is just as tight and the engine pulls strongly like before. Back roads or highways, the Endeavor offers a confident ride,
and the 225-horsepower V6's throaty sound is nice.

The tough-guy exterior shape is pretty much identical, and so is the rugged interior. We didn't have the opportunity to compare the 2006 and 2007 models side-by-side, but the improvements to the interior aren't really noticeable. Mitsu could've went a step further and spruce up the cockpit a little more, at least so we can see that there's something new.

2007 Mitsubishi Endeavor Limited (Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

The navigation system seems to work well, as we didn't really have time to fully test it. But the screen is within arm's reach, and the readout is big and easy to read.

The controls on the center stack are unchanged from the outgoing model, and that's good; everything feels solid and works well. The seats are comfortable, front and rear interior space is very generous, and the cargo area is huge.

The new Endeavor might not look different from the 2006 model. However, with its small improvements, simpler model range and its price drops, Mitsubishi's big SUV is better than ever.