Cargo capacity behind the front seat is 76.4 cubic feet for Endeavor, while the Highlander has 81.4 cubic feet and the Pilot 90.3 cubic feet. The 60/40 rear seats fold totally flat with the touch of a finger, and, thanks partly to a wide track, the cargo area has enough length and width to fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood, although it rests on the small wheel humps. There are no less than 10 hooks on the floor and side panels so things can be secured with bungee cords or nets, and one power outlet. The temporary spare tire is mounted under the cargo floorboard, which is easy to raise; a full-sized spare is optional.

Front legroom is good. For front legroom, the Endeavor and Pilot have 41.4 inches, the Highlander 40.7; most other mid-sized SUVs are in that range. The XLS driver's seat with standard adjustable lumbar support is comfortable and well bolstered, but rather wide for aggressive cornering. The premium fabric is nice, and appears quite durable.

Rear legroom is very good, with 38.5 inches; the Pilot's middle seat has 37.0 inches, and the Highlander has 36.4. The rear seat is quite comfortable, and has a center armrest with two cupholders.

Getting in and out is easy. Ingress and egress is especially good, with wide door openings. The step-in is low, which is one of the advantages to a car-based unibody frame, as opposed to the truck-based body-on-frame.

That word "geomechanical" pops up again in Mitsubishi's description of the Endeavor interior design. What they say looks like a cascading waterfall, the vertical center of the instrument panel, we would describe as looking more like the top half of a robot, including a small rectangular LCD screen as eyes and protruding vents as shoulders. The panel background is finished in faux titanium, and the top of the dashboard is a rubbery-feeling matt black plastic. Mitsubishi believes these "futuristic forms covered with metallic textures" will appeal to the "hip character" of SUV buyers. Metallic-colored trim is a trend right now.

Functionally it's fine, except maybe for the confusing compass that appears in the LCD window on XLS and Limited models. The knobs and dials on the robot's belly are easy to push and turn. The instrument cluster is a unit of three gauges that are easy to read, lit at night in a moody ice blue. There's a new climate control system efficiently combining heat and air conditioning with one blower.

The small LCD screen also displays a menu of functions programmable by what Mitsubishi calls ETACS, or Electric Time and Alarm Control System, which works with the SWS (Smart Wiring System) and CAN (Control Area Network). Just follow the menu on the ice-blue LCD screen, press the knobs on the robot/waterfall, and presto, you can "customize body functions," says Mitsubishi, which sounds pretty intriguing. We think it means you can fine-tune the timing of things such as interior lights and intermittent wipers.

There's a nice big glovebox, and the cushioned armrest console between the front seats has a removable tray, ideal for cell phones, that increases its capacity. With the tray in place, however, you have to lift two lids to get to the deeper storage area. There are two 12-volt outlets within the console, and another one accessible from the rear seat.