Rent Mitsubishi Montero 2023 in Dubai

Most SUVs on a Dubai rental fleet are unibody crossovers wearing tall styling. The Mitsubishi Montero 2023 is not one of them. It is built on a ladder frame shared with a pickup, the kind of construction that used to be standard for anything badged as a real off-roader, and you feel the difference the moment you close the door. We deliver it to your door in Dubai, usually within one to two hours of booking. That toughness is genuine, but there's a catch worth knowing before you picture a dune weekend at Hatta: this particular car is rear-wheel drive, not the 4WD trim Mitsubishi also builds on the same body. What follows is the honest version of what that means for how you'd actually use it.

The engine and 4x4 system, and how it drives

Under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre V6 making 216 hp and 285 Nm, sent through an 8-speed automatic. It's smoother and more relaxed than the four-cylinder engines in most rental SUVs, and it pulls onto Sheikh Zayed Road without the strain a smaller motor shows once the car is loaded with people and bags.

Here's the part to get straight before you book: this Montero is rear-wheel drive, not four-wheel drive. Mitsubishi builds the same shape with a 4WD system and low range on higher trims, but this fleet car isn't that one. The frame, height and stance all say off-roader, and on Hatta's paved mountain road, or a graded gravel track out past the farms, it rides better than most crossovers over broken surfaces. What it isn't built for is soft sand. If a dune drive is the actual plan, ask for a confirmed 4WD vehicle rather than assuming this one covers it.

Seven seats, and what fits behind them

Seven seats across three rows is standard on this body, and the ride quality shows why people still choose a body-on-frame SUV over a minivan for it. The front and middle rows are wide and firm rather than sofa soft, in keeping with the truck underneath, and two adults up front get a commanding view over most other traffic. The middle bench takes three at a push, or two adults comfortably with legroom to spare.

The third row is the usual story on a car this size: fine for kids on a mall run or an airport pickup, tight for adults on anything longer than a short hop. Luggage space follows the same pattern as every three-row SUV. With all seven seats up there's only a modest boot, enough for soft bags and the weekly shop, not suitcases. Fold the third row and you get a proper five-seat load bay for two large cases plus carry-ons. Drop the middle row as well and there's enough space for flatpack furniture or bikes. Plan for seven people or a full boot, rarely both at the same time.

Fuel, heat and running a body-on-frame SUV

A V6 pulling a ladder-frame body is never going to sip fuel like a hatchback, and it doesn't pretend to. Mitsubishi's official combined figure sits near 8 litres per 100 km, which is a lab number reached at a steady cruise with nobody aboard. Load it with a family and run the AC hard through Dubai traffic and expect closer to 11 or 13. The 70-litre tank still stretches a normal week of city driving to a couple of visits to the pump, and with fuel this cheap that rarely turns into a real cost worry.

The cabin is bigger than a crossover's, so it takes longer to pull down after baking in an open car park through a Dubai summer. Start the engine and give it a few minutes before everyone climbs in, and park in shade or a basement level where you can; the front vents do the real work once the car is moving. Mileage is the number to check before you book. You get 250 km a day included, which covers ordinary city driving and a run out toward Hatta with room left over. Past that it's AED 0.5 per extra kilometre, so a long weekend loop is worth a quick sum first. Salik and any RTA fines during the rental are the renter's responsibility, and you'll need to be 23 to take the keys, a couple of years older than the city-car minimum.

Who should rent it, and who should size down

Rent the Montero if you want the feel of a proper truck-based SUV, a comfortable highway cruiser with real presence, and a capable ride over rough or broken roads on the way to Hatta, without leaving the tarmac or a firm graded track. The V6 keeps it relaxed at speed, and the seven seats cover a family or a group with room for the odd extra passenger.

Two honest limits. This is rear-wheel drive, not the 4WD version of the same car, so soft sand and dune bashing are off the table. If that's the plan, book a confirmed 4WD instead. And at 1.8 metres wide, it asks more care in a tight Marina multi-storey than a compact crossover. If you only need five seats and light city driving, a smaller SUV costs less to run and parks easier. For a rugged three-row SUV that handles Dubai's highways and its rougher back roads with confidence, the Montero earns its rate.