Pinoy Life On Wheels

Dear readers, I finally got around to publishing my story about one of the most beautiful SUVs available in the Philippine market today, the Mitsubishi Montero.

The Mitsubishi Montero scores the biggest upset since the Toyota Fortuner, the Hyundai Accent and the Chery Cowin LPG put together. Unlike the Toyota Fortuner, the Montero as been around since guys started using hair gel. It started out as a gasoline version of the Mitsubishi Pajero in the North American market and people thought it was just another name for a Mitsubishi L200 pickup on steroids. Not so.

There is more to the name game than you think. From a distance, it looks like a Mitsubishi Strada with the rear tail light of the Mitsubishi Fuzion. Not too classy? Take a look under the bonnet and behold, the same 3.2 4M41 Common Rail Diesel Engine used by the 2009 Mitsubishi Pajero! So what’s the difference aside from some extra tweaks and less luxurious leather upholstery? The Montero is P1,670,000 or US$37,111 cheaper than the Pajero. The Montero GLS SE 4×4 is also P21,000 or US$467 cheaper than the Toyota Fortuner.

Gone are the days that SUVs were a bumpy ride even on highway roads. They’ve traded coil springs for the usual leaves, but sacrificed on the ability to carry heavy loads. Why so? Will anyone buy a Montero to use as a cement carrier? I don’t think so. The SUV is the new sports car of the 21st century. It is meant to carry people, kids and picnic baskets. Wide windows so that you can see and be seen. It’s all about the creature comforts of road trips and still have torque to spare for the shift-on-the-fly Super Select 4WD. Because in the 21st Century, you need not get out of your vehicle with a wrench just to lock the front hubs so you can switch to four wheel drive. The Montero lets you do it with one shift, even at 40kph.

I love the interior. It feels like a car and drives like a car, but unlike a car, the Montero lets you go through a .6 meter deep flood and not lose your cool. In emergency cases (I’ve seen this first-hand), it can go through a one-meter deep flood without a hiccup. Though you still have to dry your brakes when you’ve gone through it. The controls are on the steering wheel and you don’t have to take your eyes off the road. Fuel consumption is wonderful at 9 to 10 kilometers to a liter overall, highway and city driving, and because it is Euro IV compliant, it is a friend of the environment.

Some things I don’t like about it though. Most SUVs have dual evaporator airconditioners, but the rear airconditioner control and vents are on the rear right side of the third jump seats. Not very efficient cooling unless you’re sitting right next to it. This reminded me of the 1988 Mitsubishi Pajero we used to own that didn’t have rear airconditioner vents. It would never cool the interior totally on a hot summer day, but was chilly in the evenings.

Though it rode like a car, the test vehicle’s steering wheel shook whenever the Montero went on idle during a traffic stop. The L300′s 4D56 didn’t have that kind of vibration despite being the first generation CRDi back in the late 1980s. Idling is automatically set and I never understood why the steering shook so bad on traffic stops. I am hoping it was just the test vehicle.

Here are some basic information on the Mitsubishi Montero as shown by the Motion Cars website.

Model: GLS SE 4×4           GLS 4×4                   GLS 4×2
Price:   P 1,720,000       P 1,480,000       P 1,380,000

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