2001 Mitsubishi Montero

My husband works for a car dealership, and as a result, we are able to drive a variety of vehicles. He recently brought home the Mitsubishi Montero, as we were going out for the day and everyone coming with us would not fit in my Mazda Protege, or his regular demo. First off, the Montero is roomy. It fit four adults (three large sized adults and one thin adult) and an over active four year old very comfortably. No bumping elbows here. The third seat option was wonderful, giving my son his own little area. There was plenty of leg room in the back seat, as well.

With temperatures that day hitting over 110 degrees easily, the air conditioning did a superb job of cooling the interior of the car down. The automatic temperature control was a cool feature, as well. The seat was comfortable while driving, and it was a smooth ride.

I didn't like the fact though that for some reason, the a/c vents to the middle of the Montero didn't work that well. It didn't affect me as the driver, but the two adults in the middle seats were a bit uncomfortable until the car cooled down a bit.

Driving this vehicle was great. It was a firm ride, while being soft, too. Going over bumps didn't mean hitting your head on the ceiling. The gas mileage also is quite good. There is a panel screen that you can use to see how many more miles you can drive before needing to fill up the tank. A full tank of gas showed just over 450 miles could be driven. The doors are big enough to get in and out of easily, with minimal fuss. It braked exceptionally well, and my only concern while driving it was going through a toll booth, if it would fit (again, I am used to my passanger car, the protege).

People who would enjoy this vehicle I think would be families, especially mothers. Getting my son in and out of the third seat in the back was a breeze with the fold down middle seat. It was almost like a mini-van, only in a sports utility shell.

I will honestly say this, if we had the money, I would buy one of these, and there aren't many cars that I say that about, since I know a lot about the track records of different cars. The Montero is one of the few that doesn't have to go into the service department regularly, or is offered the next year as a trade in by disatisfied customers.