M274 Mongoose

The Marines' fastest ground vehicle is the Mongoose All-Terrain Vehicle. Essentially four wheels and an engine, this ATV can travel very fast over nearly all types of terrain. There is also a passenger seat on the rear, behind the driver. With no weapons on board, the passanger must use his own weapons for defense. It serves a similar purpose to the Covenant Ghost.

Due to the speed of the Mongoose it is said to be a very good vehicle for objective based games, such as CTF and Assault, as, although passengers are very exposed to small arms fire, it is usually moving too fast to hit, unless you get a lucky shot with a Rocket Launcher or Spartan Laser, or are standing far away, and make a headshot with a Sniper Rifle. It is not made for an aggressive strike against your enemy, but rather a quick recon run or flag snatch.

This vehicle did not make it into the final version of Halo 2 because the prototype version did not behave as well as Bungie wanted, but it will appear in Halo 3 as a vehicle for both singleplayer campaign and multiplayer.

During an Electronic Gaming Monthly interview with Bungie, riding the rear of a Mongoose was termed "Riding Brokeback."