Mitsubishi Montero Sport Review
The Mitsubishi Montero Sport, which is a very simple car, but at the same time, very capable.
This is based off of the Mitsubishi Pajero, which we all know and love, or at least we’re familiar with.
Introduction to the Montero Sport
It shares a lot of aspects from the Pajero in terms of mechanical bits, technicalities, and whatnot, and even some bits of the interior.
Spacious and Versatile Interior
The Pajero is usually a five-seater or it has a version of it which is a two-door version. This one, however, is longer and more spacious.
You can actually fit seven people in it because in the back, you have a much bigger capacity in the trunk. That also includes two seats.
Technical Specifications and Option
We can start immediately with the technical aspects. The Montero comes with a bunch of options.
You could either opt for a two-wheel drive or a four-wheel drive version.
Both options come with either a four-cylinder 2.4 liter engine, if I’m not mistaken. This, the most popular option, which is a V6 that is 3 L.
It’s not turbo-charged, not supercharged. It’s a naturally aspirated engine.
That produces 214 horsepower and about 430 newton meters of torque.
Now, from that, you would notice that it has quite low horsepower compared to its output, but the torque is immense, which, in my opinion, suits the purpose of what the Montero aims to achieve because It is a family SUV.
It is a multi-purpose family SUV. The reason why I say that is because you can actually tow with it and you can go to the desert and off-road quite a bit without having to worry at all. Mitsubishi Montero Sport
Now, all that power goes to the wheels through a complex system of gearing.
We start with the transmission, which is an eight-speed automatic, which you can also switch into manual mode through pedal shifters, or you can do it with the shifter and of course, the power travels to selected wheels based on what you choose from the Mitsubishi’s Super Select 4-wheel drive system.
Performance
Now, this is the second iteration or the second version of it.
It’s an improved version of the Super Select 4-wheel drive system that Mitsubishi was very known for back in the ’90s and early 2000s.
Now, of course, you can activate the Super Select 4-wheel drive system from the rotary dial that’s in the middle of the center console.
You can opt to go between two-wheel drive high or four-wheel high, that’s for higher speeds. Mitsubishi Montero Sport
Then you would go into four-wheel high LC, which stands for Four-wheel High Locked Center.
That obviously locks the center differential or the transfer case. Then finally, you have the 4LLC, which is four-wheel low with locked central as well.
Once you switch into locked center, you can actually choose the type of terrain that you can drive on.
Obviously, it’s not there on the screen since the screen is a little bit outdated, but you do have a different way of doing it. Right above this rotary dial, you have two buttons.
Modes
One of them is for the hill descent, and the other one is to change between the modes.
Now, we have four different modes you have gravel, mud and snow, sand, and the fourth one is only available in the last option, which is four-wheel low, that one is for rock terrain. Mitsubishi Montero Sport
That’s not the end of it because you also have another button that allows you to lock the rare differential or unlock it.
Exterior Design
Now, in terms of the exterior design, I don’t think it’s the best looking, but at the same time, I still think it is better looking than the Pajero that we got used to.
All trim levels come with the 18-inch wheels, and they come with the same tire size, which is 65, 60, R18, which is a good all-rounder tire size for city usage and as well, off-roading whenever you need it.
Interior Features
Now, in terms of the interior itself, it is a tiny bit outdated because this is more or less a almost 10-year-old design or a 10-year-old car.
The seats are acceptable they are basic, but they are more or less comfortable as well. Mitsubishi Montero Sport
I don’t think you get an option for leather seats, this is the best you can get.
The seats in the back are quite spacious as well, not to mention the final row of seats, the third row of seats.
That also has more or less a good amount of of space compared to other seven-seater cars.
Screen
You get two screens in front, one in the cluster, in the gage cluster, which is fully digital, which you can change into different types of designs.
You can have the RPM in the middle, or you can have the speed. It’s very basic, but it shows you all that you need when you’re driving.
While the screen in the middle doesn’t do much, to be honest. I mean, you can connect to Bluetooth. Mitsubishi Montero Sport
There is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
It does show you a bunch of information about your car and the multimedia and obviously the radio.
HDMI port
But it also has a nice feature, you have an HDMI port.
Now, this is not an output HDMI. This is an input HDMI port, which means You can connect anything that has a screen, an HDMI, you can connect it into that, and this screen will mirror whatever device you have, be it an iPad or a camera or whatever.
Now, I doubt that the screen is going to be interactive in the HDMI, but you have it there. Mitsubishi Montero Sport
AC Control
Under the screen, we find all the AC controls, which are actual buttons, which is something that I really miss.
I think that the automotive industry has swayed into the wrong direction of putting all of these AC controls into the screens.
It’s very nice and refreshing to see a set of buttons to control the AC while you’re driving.
Performance Specs
Finally, we talk about the way the car drives. It is comfortable to drive and it is stable on the road because of the suspension. Mitsubishi Montero Sport
The suspension has been tuned in a way that it doesn’t compromise the comfort.
You have buttons on the steering wheel that allow you to control a bunch of things. Obviously, the multimedia on both sides and also the cruise control.
Now, this brings me to my final point. The engine, we said, has less horsepower than it has torque, which you can really feel on the highway.
Now, if you are in normal traffic, in city traffic, you won’t feel it that much because the torque compensates for it.
But on the highway, if you want to overtake somebody, you can really feel that the car can be underpowered.
Final Word
But overall, I still think this is a decent package for a big family that likes to go off-roading every now and then.
This is a pretty good package for a car that is a little bit over 100,000 grams.