Rent Mitsubishi Montero 2023 in Dubai

Ask what sits underneath the sheet metal and most three-row SUVs on a Dubai rental fleet give you the same answer: a stretched crossover platform wearing tall styling. The Mitsubishi Montero 2023 answers differently. It shares a ladder-frame chassis with Mitsubishi's own pickup truck, the kind of construction a genuine 4x4 needs and a badge-engineered crossover simply doesn't have. We deliver it to your door in Dubai within one to two hours of booking, no showroom trip required. The frame and the stance both promise real off-road capability, and mostly they deliver, but there's one detail worth knowing before you picture a Hatta weekend: this particular fleet car is rear-wheel drive, not the 4WD version Mitsubishi also builds on the same body.

The engine, drivetrain and what it can do off-road

Under the bonnet sits a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre V6, 216 hp and 285 Nm, paired with an 8-speed automatic. It's a smoother, torquier unit than the four-cylinder engines that power most rental SUVs, and it pulls onto Sheikh Zayed Road and completes a highway overtake without the strain a smaller motor shows once the cabin's full.

Here's the part to get straight before you book. This Montero is the rear-wheel-drive GLX, not the 4WD GLS that Mitsubishi also sells on the same body with a low-range transfer case. The ladder frame, the 218mm of ground clearance and the tall stance are all genuine, and on the winding tarmac up to Hatta Dam, or a firm graded track with washboard and the odd pothole, it rides with a composure most unibody crossovers can't match. What it won't do is soft sand. There's no low range and no locking differential on this unit, so a dune run out at Big Red is off the table. If dune bashing is actually the plan, ask for a confirmed 4WD vehicle rather than assuming this one covers it.

Seven seats, boot and the daily use

Three rows, seven seats, and the ride quality explains why people still pick a body-on-frame SUV like this over a minivan. Front and middle rows are wide and firm rather than sofa soft, in keeping with the truck underneath, and two adults up front sit high with a clear view over most traffic. The middle bench takes three at a squeeze, or two adults with legroom to spare.

The third row is what you'd expect at this size: fine for kids on a school run or an airport pickup, tight for adults on anything past a short hop. Luggage follows the usual three-row pattern. With all seven seats up there's only about 131 litres behind the back row, room for soft bags and the weekly shop, not suitcases. Fold the third row and the boot opens into a genuine five-seat load bay, close to 500 litres, easily two large cases and the carry-ons. Drop the middle row too and there's around 1,400 litres for flatpack furniture or bikes. Plan for seven people or a full boot. The two rarely happen together.

Running cost, heat and the cabin

A naturally aspirated V6 hauling a ladder-frame body was never going to sip fuel, and Mitsubishi doesn't pretend otherwise. The official combined figure sits near 8 litres per 100 km, a lab number set at a steady cruise with an empty cabin. Load it with a family, run the AC hard through Dubai traffic, and expect closer to 11 or 13. The 70-litre tank still covers a normal week of city driving on one or two visits to the pump, and with fuel this cheap that rarely turns into real money. Mitsubishi quotes a highway range near 880 km at a steady speed, but a realistic week of mixed city driving lands closer to 550 to 600 km before the gauge asks for a fill.

The cabin is bigger than a crossover's, so it takes a few extra minutes to pull down after baking in an open car park through a Dubai summer. Start the engine, let the AC run before everyone climbs back in, and park in shade or a basement level where you can. The front vents do the heavy lifting once the car's moving, and the third row is slower to feel cool air than the front seats.

Mileage is the number to check before you book. You get 250 km a day included, enough for ordinary city driving plus a run out to 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 21 to take the keys.

Who should rent it, and who should look elsewhere

Rent the Montero if you want the feel of a real truck-based SUV: a comfortable, relaxed highway cruiser with genuine presence, and a ride that shrugs off rough or broken tarmac on the way to Hatta without ever needing to leave the road. The V6 stays composed at speed, and seven seats give a family or a group room for an extra passenger or two when the day calls for it.

Two honest limits. This is the rear-wheel-drive GLX, not the 4WD GLS built on the same body, so soft sand and dune runs are off the table. If that's the actual plan, book a confirmed 4WD instead. And at 1.815 metres wide, it wants a bit more care in a tight Marina multi-storey than a compact crossover would. If you only need five seats for light city driving, a smaller SUV costs less to run and parks with less fuss. For a genuine body-on-frame SUV that handles Dubai's highways and its rougher back roads with confidence, at 250 km a day included and AED 0.5 for every kilometre past that, the Montero is worth the rate. You'll need to be 21 to collect it.