Rent Mitsubishi Montero 2023 in Dubai

If your Dubai week has a desert weekend in it, the Mitsubishi Montero 2023 is the body-on-frame 4x4 we'd hand you for it, and we deliver it to your door in one to two hours so you're not collecting it from a lot before a Hatta run. This is the full-size, seven-seat Montero in black, with proper low-range four-wheel drive and a torquey 3.2-litre diesel. Our argument is straightforward: rent this when you actually need to leave the tarmac, tow, or carry seven people over rough ground. For school runs and mall trips it's more truck than most people need, and we'll tell you when to size down.

What makes it a real off-roader

The Montero is built on a ladder frame, not a crossover platform, and that's the whole point. The 3.2-litre turbo-diesel makes 190 hp and a hefty 441 Nm of torque, sent through a five-speed automatic to a selectable four-wheel-drive system with a low-range transfer case. That low range is what a soft-roader can't match. On graded desert tracks, rocky wadi approaches, and the climbs around Hatta, the diesel's low-end pull means you're rarely searching for momentum.

The 235 mm of ground clearance lets it ride over ruts, drifts, and rough verges that would have a road car scraping its belly. Air down the tyres, switch to four-wheel drive, and it handles soft sand far better than any of the seven-seat crossovers people often confuse it with. If your plan involves dunes, this is the honest tool for the job.

Seven seats and what fits

It's a genuine seven-seater, and the layout is sensible. The first two rows seat five adults in comfort, and the third row folds up from the floor when you need it. Treat that back row as occasional seating, fine for kids or two extra adults on a short hop, less so for a long highway slog.

With all three rows up, boot space is limited to a few soft bags. Fold the third row and you get a large, square load area that swallows a full week's luggage, camping kit, or cooler boxes for a desert overnight. The practical setup most days is five people and a big boot, or seven people and minimal cargo. For a family of four plus airport cases, that's easy; for seven adults plus their suitcases at once, plan to fold a seat or take two cars.

Fuel, range and the long-haul advantage

The diesel is the quiet hero here for anyone doing distance. Real-world consumption sits around 9 litres per 100 km in mixed driving, and with an 88-litre tank that's a long legs between fills. A weekend out to Hatta or a run down to the east coast and back won't leave you hunting for a station, and the torque means the engine isn't straining to keep up on the climbs. For a week of city use it sips less than the petrol V8 alternatives in this size class, which keeps your refuelling stops down even with seven aboard.

Heat, the cabin and Dubai parking

Park a black SUV in a Dubai August and it bakes, so give the AC a head start with the doors open before you load up. Once it's running, the system pulls the large cabin down steadily, and the rear vents keep second-row passengers cool. The third row sits furthest from the cold air, another reason it suits short trips more than a baking afternoon crawl. Because we deliver and can pre-cool it, you can skip the worst of that first-minute oven.

The flip side of all this capability is size. The Montero is tall and long, so tight multi-storey bays and the steep Marina ramps take more care than they would in a crossover. The high seating position and good visibility help, but if your week is mostly mall basements and apartment parking, this is more vehicle than the job needs. On Sheikh Zayed Road it cruises comfortably, and the diesel torque makes overtaking on the E11 undramatic rather than rapid.

The rules that fall to you

Salik tolls run on the car and pass to you as you cross the gantries, and any RTA fines during the rental are yours, so keep to the limits on the open road. Seat belts are mandatory in every row, and a child under four needs a proper child seat, which we can fit on request. None of this is unusual for Dubai, just worth knowing before a long drive.

Who should rent it, and who shouldn't

Rent the Montero 2023 if your week genuinely involves desert, towing, rough tracks, or seven people over long distances. It's the capable, diesel-efficient body-on-frame 4x4 that does the jobs a crossover can only pretend to, and the black car looks the part doing it. Skip it if you're staying on tarmac for school runs, mall trips, and the airport, where a midsize SUV like the Outlander parks more easily and costs less to run for the same five seats. Book this one when the off-road brief is real, not aspirational.