2001 Mitsubishi Montero

The recently redesigned Montero seeks to carve a small slice of the American SUV pie out for itself. Although a more capable off-roader than many others in its class, the Montero has some shortcomings ON the road.

?I love it,? ?I hate it,? - the Montero?s styling has a polarizing effect. Mitsubishi wanted to steer far away from blandly styled vehicles, and on that note they have succeeded. You?ll never mistake the Montero for a Toyota Highlander. The Montero is a fairly substantial and good looking truck, but when ordered in Limited trim it takes on a tacky, over-done look. On the outside, the Limited offers such necessities as chrome mirrors, chrome grille, chrome tail light accents. Combine that with the two tone paint, and the Montero is ready for a starring role in virtually any wannabe rap video. It?s all just too much. Stick with the Montero XLS, you won?t be sorry.

Inside the Montero Limited are all the goodies we?ve come to expect from a big SUV, leather, sunroof, power seats etc. There is a gimmicky compass and climate control center. The compass is a little confusing, it has a red arrow which remains at a fixed position while the letters (N S E W) that represent direction rotate around it. I couldn?t help but think that the locations should be fixed while the arrow pointed to the proper direction. Oh well, the rest of the information displayed on the small screen is more useful, outside temperature, date and time are always welcome additions to any information center. The gauges are large and easy to read, but the have an odd color behind them ? purple? Seats are supportive, but feel rock hard on the bottom portion, and stints behind the wheel of 1 hour or more are hard on the ole bum. Driving position is awkward and feels very truck like. A high point of the interior is the HUGE sunroof, this thing is really big, and opens so wide it seems to be enjoyable for the middle seat passengers as well as the front.

Speaking of rear seats, there is plenty of leg room, and the back seats recline to add that extra measure of comfort. Climbing in and out of the rear seating area is tighter than it ought to be given the Montero?s girth. There is a 3rd row of seats, but this should be considered for kids only. Any adult over 5?3? will be uncomfortable. With the 3rd row seat in place, there is little cargo room. However, that seat folds nicely in the floor with little effort and no tools. In about 1 minute the average person can convert the Montero from its full seating capacity to a minivan sized cargo hauler. Although not quite as cavernous as the Chevrolet Tahoe, the Montero can swallow its fair share of junk ? a small table, large boxes, night stands and a small upright vacuum cleaner will fit with just a bit of a squeeze. Loading and unloading can be a hassle. The swing out type rear door swings to the curb side rather than away from it.

Gotta hand it to those Mitsubishi folks, the did add some cool touches to the interior worth mentioning. The Montero Limited came with a small compartment full of disposable rubber gloves, in order that no Montero owner should get his or her hands dirty in case of a flat tire ? that is thinking ahead. Also, the rear door holds a comprehensive tool kit rivaled only by BMW, flashlight included. When folding the 3rd row seat into the floor, where does one put the head rests? They thought of that too. Mitsubishi installed a small net on the inside of the back door for the purpose of holding those stray head rests. Very clever indeed, it?s these little things that add up, and could potentially turn shoppers into buyers.

On the road the Montero?s truck roots are obvious. The Montero feels decidedly more truck like than the more pleasant Chevy Tahoe as well as the car like Montero Sport. That?s right, the Montero Sport is a clear winner over the larger Montero in the ride quality category even though the Montero Sport is actually more truck-like on paper. The Montero Sport is amazingly peaceful and easy to live with, whereas the Montero is a beast. Handling is sloppy and un-nerving. Moderate winds cause the Montero bounce around like a beach ball . While the Montero?s 3.5 L V-6 produces a respectable 200 hp, it feels downright inadequate on the road. Acceleration is tortoise like. Again, the Montero Sport is much better in this area. Granted, in this time of sky-high gas prices it wouldn?t be so bad to sacrifice power for a little extra MPG. No luck in the Montero, it delivers a miserable 13 city 18 highway fuel mileage. Ouch ! The only real advantage to driving the Montero is that you sit up high and feel a little safer as a result. But that is true of almost all truck based SUVs.

The Mitsubishi Montero Limited has its good points, but overall it just isn?t as good as the competition. If you want a serious off-road truck with aggressive styling that can also haul extra people and/or cargo, the Montero is for you. If, however, you want a comfortable family hauler that has the versatility of an SUV, but rides and handles like a car, you?d better keep looking. In fact look at the Montero Sport, it is everything the Montero could be, but in a slightly smaller package.