JDraper
12-12-2001, 07:34 PM
Well, I had a Mitsu Montero Sport for a rental car for the day, so I thought I'd give it an evaluation. I drove it for about 180 miles over windy 2 lane roads and 4 lane highways. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take it offroading, but I was on business :p
The Vehicle: 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport 4 Door rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I had one passenger with me for the whole trip, and about 50 lbs of gear.
Technical:
Engine: 3.0 V6
Transmission: 4 Speed Automatic (No Overdrive)
Tires: 235 70R 16 Yokohoma Geolanders on Aluminum Rims
Mileage on Vehicle: 21,000
Interior Fluff:
Power Windows
Power Doorlocks
Manual Cloth Seats
Cruise
Air
Tilt Wheel
AM/FM/in dash CD
Auto Mirror w/Compass and Thermometer
Power Point in Cargo Bay
The Driving Experience:
Interior Ergonomics:
Seating: The front is equipped with dual bucket seats which are hard,flat, and uncomfortable compared to those in the Explorer. The seat adjustment is not difficult, but the lever does obscure the gas cap release on the driver's side. The driving position is fairly good, even for a tall person. There is sufficient legroom, and a foot rest is provided for the left foot. The door trim sticks out a little too much and impacts the knee if you have your leg bent sharply. The visibility is very good in all directions.
Gauges and Controls: The gauges are white face and very legible. The climate controls are easy to use and within reach. The radio controls took a little getting used to but performed adequately. The factory speakers were a bit tinny. Both the front and rear windshield wipers are on the same stalk on the right side of the steering wheel, and are difficult to see and use It is easy to confuse the controls, and they need concentration to operate. Just below that stalk is the cruise control stalk which is much easier to use than the wiper stalk. The light switch is integrated into the turn signal/high beam stalk on the left side of the steering wheel and works well. The Transmission lever is floor mounted, and is very easy to operate. The vehicle has a Manual Transfer Case with lever right next to the shifter. It is easy to operate and went in and out of both hi and lo ranges easily.
Performance: The vehicle is fairly quiet to drive. In fact, it is quite a bit quieter than my Explorer, but I think much of that is due to the tires. I have BFG T/A ko's which do generate some tire whine on my Explorer. There is definitely less engine noise than is present in the Explorer.
The engine pulls well off the line in 1st gear, but bogs down drastically in 2nd thru 4th. The tranny is a 4 speed auto with no overdrive and has way too big a jump between gears. The 1st-2nd shift drops the motor almost 2500 rpms, the 2nd-3rd drops about 2000 rpms, and the 3rd-4th shift drops about 1500 rpms. The only good gear in the truck is 1st, which is well suited to the motor. The truck would do much better with a 5 speed auto with O/D or a 5 speed manual. At 60MPH, the engine was turning a tick over 2500 RPM's.
On the road, the vehicle rides quite roughly. You can feel every bump, crack and rut in the pavement. The vehicle does not want to track straight and needs constant attention to the wheel. Cross wind moves the truck around quite a bit. (I checked the tires to see if they were worn from a bad alignment but they did not show any cupping or feathering. The vehicle also tracked reasonably straight until upset by bumps or cross winds.) On long uphills, I had the gas pedal to the floor most of the time to keep my speed up, and had to manually downshift the tranny on numerous occasions to get it into a better gear. The cruise control did it's best to keep the vehicle at a constant speed, but the lack of engine power/tranny gearing overwhelmed it.
The brakes seemed to be quite good, but the pedal is a little overboosted compared to the Explorer. It took me a few miles to get used to it, but once I had the feel of it, the brakes worked fine with no noticeable fade or vibration.
The chassis seems to be fairly tight, and the body roll was acceptable. During cornering it had a distinct oversteer, but it was predictable and easy to control.
Overall Opinion: After driving the truck for about 4 hours I don't have a really good impression of the vehicle. I have driven Explorers, Broncos, Bronco II's, Grand Cherokee's, Durango's, 4Runners and Pathfinders in the past, and I have to say that this one is at the bottom of that list. The combination of the harsh ride, skittish handling, lack of power, and the poor seats made for an uncomfortable day behind the wheel. The vehicle is available with a manual with a 3.5 liter motor, which should improve the performance of the truck. A different set of shocks probably would improve the ride a bit also.
The Vehicle: 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport 4 Door rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I had one passenger with me for the whole trip, and about 50 lbs of gear.
Technical:
Engine: 3.0 V6
Transmission: 4 Speed Automatic (No Overdrive)
Tires: 235 70R 16 Yokohoma Geolanders on Aluminum Rims
Mileage on Vehicle: 21,000
Interior Fluff:
Power Windows
Power Doorlocks
Manual Cloth Seats
Cruise
Air
Tilt Wheel
AM/FM/in dash CD
Auto Mirror w/Compass and Thermometer
Power Point in Cargo Bay
The Driving Experience:
Interior Ergonomics:
Seating: The front is equipped with dual bucket seats which are hard,flat, and uncomfortable compared to those in the Explorer. The seat adjustment is not difficult, but the lever does obscure the gas cap release on the driver's side. The driving position is fairly good, even for a tall person. There is sufficient legroom, and a foot rest is provided for the left foot. The door trim sticks out a little too much and impacts the knee if you have your leg bent sharply. The visibility is very good in all directions.
Gauges and Controls: The gauges are white face and very legible. The climate controls are easy to use and within reach. The radio controls took a little getting used to but performed adequately. The factory speakers were a bit tinny. Both the front and rear windshield wipers are on the same stalk on the right side of the steering wheel, and are difficult to see and use It is easy to confuse the controls, and they need concentration to operate. Just below that stalk is the cruise control stalk which is much easier to use than the wiper stalk. The light switch is integrated into the turn signal/high beam stalk on the left side of the steering wheel and works well. The Transmission lever is floor mounted, and is very easy to operate. The vehicle has a Manual Transfer Case with lever right next to the shifter. It is easy to operate and went in and out of both hi and lo ranges easily.
Performance: The vehicle is fairly quiet to drive. In fact, it is quite a bit quieter than my Explorer, but I think much of that is due to the tires. I have BFG T/A ko's which do generate some tire whine on my Explorer. There is definitely less engine noise than is present in the Explorer.
The engine pulls well off the line in 1st gear, but bogs down drastically in 2nd thru 4th. The tranny is a 4 speed auto with no overdrive and has way too big a jump between gears. The 1st-2nd shift drops the motor almost 2500 rpms, the 2nd-3rd drops about 2000 rpms, and the 3rd-4th shift drops about 1500 rpms. The only good gear in the truck is 1st, which is well suited to the motor. The truck would do much better with a 5 speed auto with O/D or a 5 speed manual. At 60MPH, the engine was turning a tick over 2500 RPM's.
On the road, the vehicle rides quite roughly. You can feel every bump, crack and rut in the pavement. The vehicle does not want to track straight and needs constant attention to the wheel. Cross wind moves the truck around quite a bit. (I checked the tires to see if they were worn from a bad alignment but they did not show any cupping or feathering. The vehicle also tracked reasonably straight until upset by bumps or cross winds.) On long uphills, I had the gas pedal to the floor most of the time to keep my speed up, and had to manually downshift the tranny on numerous occasions to get it into a better gear. The cruise control did it's best to keep the vehicle at a constant speed, but the lack of engine power/tranny gearing overwhelmed it.
The brakes seemed to be quite good, but the pedal is a little overboosted compared to the Explorer. It took me a few miles to get used to it, but once I had the feel of it, the brakes worked fine with no noticeable fade or vibration.
The chassis seems to be fairly tight, and the body roll was acceptable. During cornering it had a distinct oversteer, but it was predictable and easy to control.
Overall Opinion: After driving the truck for about 4 hours I don't have a really good impression of the vehicle. I have driven Explorers, Broncos, Bronco II's, Grand Cherokee's, Durango's, 4Runners and Pathfinders in the past, and I have to say that this one is at the bottom of that list. The combination of the harsh ride, skittish handling, lack of power, and the poor seats made for an uncomfortable day behind the wheel. The vehicle is available with a manual with a 3.5 liter motor, which should improve the performance of the truck. A different set of shocks probably would improve the ride a bit also.