A little love for 2002-2006 Montero

[haven]

While Land Cruiser, Jeep and Land Rover are getting all the attention, Mitsubishi Monteros have been overlooked and under-appreciated. The 2002-2006 Montero is a very capable vehicle on and off road. And prices are getting cheap for this great dual-purpose SUV.

Here's an example:

2002 Mitsubishi Montero Limited $9000
3.5L V6, 5 speed automatic, full time AWD
35,000 miles St George, UT
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r_id=251616338

The Montero Limited was completely redesigned for 2002. Mitsubishi followed the example of the Grand Cherokee and Range Rover, and designed an SUV with unit body. Front and rear suspensions are carried on sub-frames. They added independent coil springs front and rear, 5 speed automatic trans, two speed transfer case, limited slip rear diff with manual locking, and P265/70R16 tires on alloy wheels. The Montero has more than 9 inches of ground clearance, and can tow up to 5000 lbs. EPA rating for the 3.5L V6 is 14 city, 19 highway.

The Limited received lots of luxury touches: heated power driver's seat, leather seating, big sunroof, climate control, heated mirrors, fog lights premium sound system, 3rd row of seats that folds into the floor, and so on. These aren't important to its success as an ExPo vehicle, but they are appreciated in a daily driver.

The price in 2002 was $36,000, a bit of a bargain compared to the import SUVs of the era. Being able to buy a low mileage example 6 years later for less than $10,000 seems like a bargain.

The unit body and independent suspension are anathema to the rockhopping community, who look down their noses at vehicles that don't have a solid front axle. It's true that the 2002-06 Montero will never be a star on the Rubicon Trail.

I think the primary reason people shopping for an ExPo vehicle are overlooking the Montero is that the 2002-2006 model has swoopy styling. Mitsubishi was trying to appeal to a wider audience, and in doing so, made a vehicle that doesn't look like a utility truck.

But don't underestimate the Montero. The Montero is a great choice for weekend trips on unimproved roads. If you want more off-road capability, there are bumper, winch and suspension kits from ARB for this model. It will easily tow an off-road camping trailer.

The Montero is a comfortable daily driver, capable of dealing with rain and snow without drama. It's the epitome of a dual purpose vehicle.

Chip Haven

[net4n6]

I am second to Chip's post above.

I worked for Mitsubishi HQ for 5 yrs and drove 6 different Monteros (company car) throughout my 5 yrs there.

Montero was an excellent SUV. It was a best value for your money SUV out there. I was sad that Mitsubishi decided to discontinue to have Montero in the US.

[tdesanto]

The redesigned package, AKA, "Generation III" model, was actually released in parts of the world in 2000 and in 2001 in the US.

Slight modifications in 2003 with the addition of traction control.

Too bad they never brought the OEM air-locking rear differential to the US.

These are tough trucks that are overbuilt in many areas. Lots of cargo capacity and comfort too. True, these will never be rock-crawling rigs, but there's so much else going for them.

As for towing off road: how 'bout to over 13,000 ft?
Montero_Engineer Pass.jpg Montero_Cinammon Pass.jpg Montero_Imogene Pass.jpg Montero_Ophir Pass.jpg

Montero Rear Door.jpg

[kcowyo]

I was always partial to the '95 Montero SR, with the 3rd row and locking diff, but Tony's '01 has made me a believer in the newer models. Just look at the Montero's success rate at Paris-Dakar. These are amazing machines. Underrated indeed.

A great vehicle under the radar from most buyers in NA.
.

[Gurkha]

Wonder why they removed the chassis. The older IDI engine Panjero with chassis is a highly competent and reliable off roader.

[RocKrawler]

Personal experience: had a Diamante with under 100K miles that dripped oil everywhere. I know a few people with Montero's, none are leak free. same for the Eclipse & GT owners I've talked to. I had a FJ62 with 300K on it and it was drip free, and a buddy has an F350 with a powerstroke that has 892,000 miles on the original motor & no leaks. As soon as DSM can build a sealed motor I'll consider them again, until then I like a clean driveway.

[tdesanto]

I was always partial to the '95 Montero SR, with the 3rd row and locking diff, but Tony's '01 has made me a believer in the newer models. Just look at the Montero's success rate at Paris-Dakar. These are amazing machines. Underrated indeed.

A great vehicle under the radar from most buyers in NA.
.

I'm still partial to the 2nd gen model as well. I still miss my '94.

Personal experience: had a Diamante with under 100K miles that dripped oil everywhere. I know a few people with Montero's, none are leak free. same for the Eclipse & GT owners I've talked to.

My '94 had some oil leaking from the rear side of the valve cover gaskets. Replaced those and had no trouble otherwise for 135K miles.

My '01 has 73K on it and hasn't leaked a bit.

[cydonia-jacc]

I have always loved the Montero. But, didn't some publication award the last gen "most expensive production vehicle to insure?" I always figured that publicity killed the resale.

[Martinjmpr]

I agree the Monty is a great "sleeper." My 1st gen (1990) was one of the best used vehicles I ever purchased. Bought it from a dealer in May of 1992 with about 18,000 miles on it, sold it in 1999 with about 147,000 miles.

No major problems, although I did have the dreaded valve guide issue that plagued the 1st gen 3.0l V-6's. Cost about $1500 to fix (and the thing about the valve guide problem was that while it did rob you of a few HP and burned oil, it was not the kind of problem that would leave you stranded by the side of the road.)

Mine was pretty simple and rugged: Manual trans, no AC and no power windows, which is how I wanted it. It's the only vehicle I've ever had on all four "coasts" (East Coast at Cape Hatteras, NC, West Coast at San Francisco, Great Lakes at Chicago, and Gulf Coast at Fort Walton Beach, FL.)

Why doesn't the Monty get more respect here in the US? Well, a couple of reasons. First of all, it's a tiny player in the market. Mitsubishi sells Pajeros in every part of the world and the US is just a tiny drop in the bucket for them. That's why they don't spend much time or money advertising the Monty.

Also, whether we like to admit it or not, fashion and fad play a big role in determining how people spend their discretionary income. People who will never get their tires dirty will spend big $$ on an FJ60 or 80 because of its "superior off road ability" - never mind that they won't use it. They'll buy it because they assume the FJ is "better." Since more demand = higher price, and higher price creates the illusion of "quality", it becomes a vicious circle.

I sometimes wonder if part of the problem is the name issue. The fact that the vehicle that is so famous worldwide (Pajero) is sold under a different name in North America means that much of the favorable press that the Montero gains worldwide never hits the US. I still don't understand why Mitsubishi refuses to use the "Pajero" name in the US (yes, I know, in Spanish it's a nasty slang term, but it could still be sold in the US under it's traditional name and most of us wouldn't care.)

I'll say this: In 23 years of military service, I've been to some pretty awful parts of the world and there were Pajeros in every one of them. They are right up there with the 80 series Toyota and the Nissan Patrol in terms of their "tough car" reputation.

In the meantime, though, the Montero's small "footprint" in the auto market is a boon to those who own them (except for the sucky aftermarket, which is a pity. But the internet helps a lot with that.) People who will shell out $5k for a rust bucket FJ60 with a blown engine will pass right by a mid-90's Monty for $2500. I've often thought that if I could pick up a mid 90's (2nd gen) Monty for under $2k it would make a great daily driver + a good rig to "build up" into a trail runner.

Photos of my 1st gen below: First one is climbing a steep ledge at Hole-in-the-Rock trail in Utah in 1999, second one (one of my favorite pictures ever!) is my campsite in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada in May of 1998.

[Martinjmpr]

Also, I wanted to share this: Back in 1992 I bought my Monty in Denver and drove it to my next duty station at Fort Bragg, NC. At that time Montys were not common anywhere, but they were apparently more common in the Western part of the US than they were in the East.

So I got to North Carolina, and on at least 3 separate occasions, people came up to me at parking lots and said "What is that thing? Is it a Land Rover?"

I even had one guy chase me down on the street to ask me what it was. He had never seen a 4 door Montero before (remember that the 2 door version had been sold in the US since 1983 and was also sold as the Dodge Raider.)