New Car Review of the 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor Mid-Size Wagon

Description: Mid-Size Wagon
Base MSRP Range: $25,699 - $33,499
Invoice Price Range: $24,234 - $31,562
Where built: USA

Mitsubishi's mid-size crossover wagon blends the manners of a refined luxury sedan with the elevated stance and cargo capacity of a boxy SUV plus the cabin flexibility and interior efficiency of a minivan. It's easy to drive, like a sedan, because its rigid unibody structure and all of the handling hardware match the mechanical equipment on a FWD car. Yet it resembles a sizeable SUV in format and can carry a wagon's load of cargo, while the spacious passenger compartment comes with plush and comfortable seats arranged in two rows for up to five riders and there are fancy amenities aboard.

Compared against the Outlander, Endeavor measures larger in scale. Also, it shows a more powerful and sophisticated powertrain -- a V6 rather than Outlander's four-pack. Endeavor's V6 displaces 3.8-liters and achieves 215-hp through a 4-speed automatic transaxle with Sportronic manual mode.

All three trim variations -- the entry-level LS, mid-level XLS and lavish LTD -- offer FWD or optional AWD traction. A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and dual-stage frontal air bags go into every Endeavor this year, and FWD editions offer ABS with TCS.