One of the first things you notice upon entering the Mitsubishi Montero Sport is the grab handles–sometimes known as “uh-oh” bars, or by even more colorful names.  There are seven of them all told, which seems a little excessive for a four-door, five-passenger vehicle.  Is this truck planning to have you clutching at as many grips as you can find for dear life?

Don’t bet on it.  In spite of all the grab handles and the other design elements that mark the Montero Sport as a dune-hopping, mud-slogging off-road beast, the smallest Mitsubishi SUV is as docile and domesticated as a golden retriever.  It’s more at home in the suburbs than in the wild.

Introduced in late 1996, the Montero Sport gives the red, three-diamond Mitsubishi logo a spot in the lucrative mid-size sport utility market.  The Montero Sport is based on the same chassis as the larger, more expensive Montero, whose rugged heritage dates back to the early days of the SUV class.  The big Montero has since taken its desert-rally fueled reputation upmarket, to the luxury sport-ute class, and the Montero Sport steps in to fill the void.  With its tank-on-wheels design and the respected Montero nameplate, the truck has been a big hit since its introduction.  For easy reference, think of it as a Japanese Ford Explorer.  A minor design reshuffling, new rear suspension, bigger brakes and a new optional limited-slip differential are the major changes to the Mitsubishi Montero Sport for 2000.

The Mitsubishi Montero Sport greets the world with an aggressive, “Mitsu-beastly” face. A big diamond-patterned grille with a six-inch high red Mitsubishi logo boldly declaring the truck’s heritage rides up front, between crystal headlamps and ringed with heavy chrome on our Limited test model.  (Lesser Montero Sports have a black grille surround.)  The Paris-Dakar desert rally look is a strong theme as well; visible cooling fans behind the grill, skid plates, a small round foglights make the Montero Sport appear ready to ford streams and leap over dunes.  The Montero Sport’s overall look is that of a solid box with the corners sanded carefully off.  It’d make an easy pinewood derby design.  A deep crease runs up the side, accenting big wheel arch flares which stand out aggressively, especially on two-tone models.  A proportionally low greenhouse and high sides are accented by an unusually long wheelbase to give the Montero Sport a sleek, 4×4-limousine-like profile.  The 16″ wheels’ twisted-spoke pattern looks powerful.  The side steps spoil the tough, blocky profile, but short passengers will need them to get in!  From the rear, the Montero Sport’s aggressive stance is also strong.  The planed-off look is continued with taillights that are flush with black trim running across the back of the truck.  The whole unit blends into the lower edge of the back window.  The spare tire’s visible hanging underneath.  Although roof racks tend to add a touch of burliness to most sport utes, they don’t do justice to the Montero Sport’s slick design.

Inside, Mitsubishis tend to be a little bit cluttered with regards to controls placement, and the Montero Sport is not an exception to this rule.  A clean, easy to read instrument panel greets the driver with white on black gauges, but not much else falls so quickly to hand. The steering wheel feels nice, but looks cheap, and it hides scattered dash buttons no matter how the tilt column is adjusted.  The control work well; they’re just poorly placed.  Worst of all are the switches for the optional heated seats, which are invisible and nearly inaccessible under the console armrest.  By contrast, the overhead console is refreshingly simple.  There’s no fussy sunglasses holder, garage door opener, or tissue box; just a digital clock and a pair of map lights.  The Montero Sport’s design makes the windshield a little narrower than it could be, which makes the blind spot created by the rear view mirror noticeable (not as noticeable as in the aforementioned Explorer, however).  Drivers will appreciate the tall side mirrors in a market full of SUVs with car-sized, blind-spot creating mirrors.  Rear-seat passengers will appreciate the luxury-car-inspired cupholders in the Montero Sport’s rear armrest, and everyone will enjoy the impressive eight-speaker sound system.  Behind the rear seat, the cargo area features a rollaway cover (which was required some wrestling to operate on our test vehicle) and convenient panels that lift out of the floor to reveal shallow plastic storage trays.  They’re sized perfectly to keep small loads from tumbling, and sticky loads from fouling up the carpet.  Visibility to the rear could be better, but that’s a common SUV complaint.

Once on the road, the comparison to a Ford Explorer comes to mind again.  The Montero Sport handles much like an Explorer, in that it’s more suited for city life than the boonies, but it improves on its competitor by performing with a degree more composure.  Thanks to a long wheelbase, the Montero Sport doesn’t pitch violently over road irregularities, as shorter SUVs do.  The long-travel independent suspension and new three-link coil spring setup in the rear ensures that on the freeway, it’s not as prone to wandering as the Ford.  The Montero Sport’s more composed over washboard and dirt surfaces as well.  There’s much less steering bounceback from the tires.  That said, it never feels completely stable.  It’s got a wobbly, tippy feel on the road, which is of course common in sport-utes, but the Montero Sport is less sure-footed than most.  For comparison, a Nissan Xterra is an inch or two wider-tracked, and is as steady as sport-utes come.

The four-speed automatic transmission shifts with a smoothness normally found in luxury sedans, but the Montero Sport feels a bit underpowered, even with a 3.5-liter, 200-hp V6 under the hood.  Long freeway grades had us dropping the gear selector into second to keep from losing too much speed–and that was with no load and the AC off.  Four-wheel-drive is selectable by a console-mounted lever, and unlike the Ford Explorer the Mitsubishe features a low-ratio “creeper” gear for inching down hills and crawling through extremely difficult terrain.  Other concessions to hostile terrain are standard tow hooks and skid plates to protect the fuel tank and oil pan.  One-piece side stampings for the body improve the Montero Sport’s durability, and the truck feels solid.  Also assisting with traction is a limited-slip differential, which allows the power to go to the wheels with the most grip.  It’s optional on the XLS model and standard on the Limited.

Yet, for all of its 4×4 trappings, the Montero Sport is happiest on pavement.  The limited outward visibility makes for a vehicle that’s hard to place, even though the narrow track should make it more trail-friendly.  The Montero Sport also needs more power if it’s going to climb boulders.

Back on the positive side, the Montero Sport has absolutely fantastic braking for a sport-ute; there’s very little pitch and no wandering or wiggling from the front or rear during even the hardest panic stops. ABS is standard.

Mitsubishi Montero Sports are available in four trim levels, starting with the two-wheel drive only ES.  The next step up is the LS, then the XLS, and the Limited rests at the top of the heap.  The Montero Sport Limited features a 3.5-liter V6 which is shared with the larger Montero, while the lower trim levels have a 3.0-liter V6.  Our test vehicle was a Limited, and it was equipped with a keyless entry, sunroof, fog lamps, an “Infinity” sound system with cassette, and color-keyed side steps.  The only option on our test vehicle was a leather interior with heated front seats.  It was on par with a loaded Ford Explorer Limited, and close to the same price:  our Montero Sport stickered at $33,047.  Montero Sports start at $22,527 for an ES.  Four-wheel-drives start at 26,807 for an LS.

The Mitsubishi Montero Sport is going to be happiest if it doesn’t see hard off-road duty–but unlike some of its competitors, it is in fact capable of making folks reach for one of those many grab handles.

Specifications:

All specs are for the 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport Limited, which we tested.

Length:    181.1 in.
Width:        69.9 in.
Height:        68.3 in.
Wheelbase:    107.3 in.
Curb weight:        4260 lb

Cargo space:    43.4 cu.ft. (seats up)
79.3 cu.ft.(seats folded)

Base price:    $31,357
Price as tested: $33,047

Engine:    3.5 liter SOHC 24-valve V6
Drivetrain:     four-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Horsepower:    200 hp @ 5000 rpm
Torque:    228 lb/ft @ 3500 rpm
Fuel capacity:     19.5 gal.
Est. mileage:    15/18

6/2009 update:  The Montero Sport never seemed to catch on.  It was a decent truck, but missed the mark somewhere along the way.  They’re uncommon today.