R50 Nissan Pathfinder vs. Gen3 Mitsubishi Montero vs. Gen3 Toyota 4Runner

[DanF.]

I'm toying with the idea to sell my BMW 540i and purchase a DD 4x4 that would cost around $5,000. My wife owns a 2004 Pathfinder, and my brother owns a Gen3 4Runner, so I've had some experience and driving time with those two, but no experience with a Montero. I'm looking for the pros/cons of each. I'd like to do a mild build on it to give it some better offroad/camping/overland capabilities, e.g. tires, rack storage, lighting, mild suspension, etc... The follow pros/cons are not all-inclussive, and I'd appreciate whatever you guys can add to my list. FWIW, I'm going to post in the three main sub-forums (here, and in the Nissan, and Toyota) to get as much info as I can.

R50 Nissan Pathfinder

Pros: Strong engine, easy to lift 1-2", can still find manual gearbox with low miles, smaller size vehicle

Cons: Not a ton of aftermarket support, tire size limited by IFS, complex engine, not many came with factory LSD


Gen3 Mitsubishi Montero

Pros: strong driveline, very good 4wd system, can still find near-100k mile versions in good condition, lots of interior room, factory LSD

Cons: no manual gearbox for Gen3 models (?), long overall size


Gen3 Toyota 4Runner

Pros: Large aftermarket support, great reputation for toughness, can find manual gearbox versions, some came with rear diff. locker

Cons: most have 200k+ miles by now, seem to rust more, least powerful engine of the three, smallish interior



Again, feel free to add to this list, and share your opinions. I'm 6'2", and lanky, so width isn't a big concern. I like camping/mtn biking/exploring, and have a dog that'll ride in the back.

 

[Toasty]

Toyota Pros: has a frame, easy to find, modifications have been well documented
Toyota Cons: most expensive initial cost with no gains of reliability over the Mitsubishi, undercarriage has a lot of hanging things to snag offroad

Mitsubishi pros: 5 speed Automatic, nearly flat undercarriage, fastest offroad, toughest independent suspension, fits biggest tires with least lift, highest build quality
Mitsubishi cons: Unibody, hard to find in good condition, no manual trans sold in US (Gen 3)

Nissan pros: least expensive, some aftermarket support, good online documentation of modifications, manual trans options
Nissan middle ground: undercarriage better than the Toy and worse than the Mitsu
Nissan cons: unibody, least reliable, emerging technology on these was quickly phased out and hard to find parts for (Yes harder than the Montero), hardest to fit large tires.



All are good 4x4's and really whatever you buy will probably do the job just fine.

 

[Toasty]

Being 6'2" as well i'd say the biggest Pro here goes to the Montero for headroom.

 

[mikebmrx]

I just went through a similar decision and ended up with a 2003 Montero. Other people will have a ton more info than I, but I can at least tell you why I went with the Montero.

I owned a gen 2 4Runner and found the cons of the gen 3 much the same when I test drove them. I'm 6'-0" and wanted just a bit more room in the drivers seat. Open diff, except for the one year. For the same money as the Montero I was looking at older, higher mileage and typically more beat up vehicles.

Reason I went with the Montero over the others (4Runner, LR, Trooper, Pathfinder) was the traction control system, bulletproof transmission, worldwide praise of the Montero (Pajero), plenty of interior room and ability to add decent size tires without lift. All in all the Montero took the least amount of work and $'s to be a capable camping/overland rig and still be comfortable family daily driver.

 

[DanF.]

Great responses. Keep 'em coming.

 

[Schitzangiggles]

Just got my wife an '01 Montero and inside that thing is huge. Your can convert the seats from the front to the rear into a giant bed, it is a limited and has the Torsen LSD. It goes placed stock that I couldn't go in my wrangler or Cherokee until I dumped a bunch a $ and time into them. Seats 7 and is fairly easy to work on. The gen 3 pajeros/monteros share engine s with a lot of ChryMoCo vehicles so parts are cheap and plentiful. The suspension sits in a subframe apart from the unibody and so while they are IFS/IRS, you can still do a body lift with out changing the suspension geometry. Apart from severe neglect of maintenance I haven't seen the CV joint poop the bed. It is a tough Truck.

 

[PirateMcGee]

Might check out the Monty Sport as well

 

[DanF.]

Might check out the Monty Sport as well

I've seen a Montero Sport manual trans, but from what I've read (which really isn't a lot... just starting) the 4wd system is better in a Montero, and there's more room inside vs. the Montero Sport. I wish I was able to drive both and have a more realistic impression.

 

[PirateMcGee]

The 4wd system in a 2003+ montero is better but otherwise not really. Definitely comparable in cargo room to the R50 and 4runner. The 3.5 models are auto only. The Sports are downright inexpensive.

 

[DanF.]

The 4wd system in a 2003+ montero is better but otherwise not really. Definitely comparable in cargo room to the R50 and 4runner. The 3.5 models are auto only. The Sports are downright inexpensive.

The few Montero Sports I've seen listed near me are, unfortunately, pretty hammered. I'm not expecting to find a pristine example of whatever I might buy, but I'm hoping I won't have to dump a lot of maintenance $$$ into it for major issues. Typical wear items are fine. It's going to mainly be a DD, so as much as I would live to have an ongoing project, I'll need to be able to get around every day. At least my commute to campus (current college student.... an old one at that) is short.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

The Monty is the best kept secret out there, build quality is on par with a 4-runner but for half the price and better ride quality.

 

[96LTDrus]

I'll comment as someone who's looked at a bunch of Monteros, owns a '96 4Runner Limited, but has little exposure to R50s.

Toyota Pros:
available rear locker, available multi-mode t-case, available 5spd (although finding all of that in one vehicle is almost impossible)
parts are common and cheap, easy to find, tons of DIY knowledge on the web (biggest plus over Montero IMO)
Straightforward/easy construction and maintenance (simple solid rear axle, basic 4spd Aisin automatic transmission)
generally bulletproof (watch out for coolant-contaminated ATF, rear axle seals, lower ball joints)
Roll down rear window- fantastic, quiet, flow through ventilation with the sunroof open and dogs love it.
best stock clearance
Toyota cons:
poor on road ride/handling
cramped feeling cockpit
overpriced on used market
VERY sensitive to wheel balancing, prone to driveline vibrations- this one drives me bonkers.

Montero pros:
awesome driving position/visibility
excellent on-road handling
Underrated/good value assuming you can find a non-trashed one

Montero cons:
rarer, more expensive parts, smaller community for DIY fixes
More "finicky" in servicing: more frequent alignments, pickier with ATF type/brand
A few more niggling reliability issues (top end oil leaks, valvetrain wear, gauge cluster soldering issues)

Don't know Nissans enough to make a full pro/cons list, but I do know they rust MUCH worse than 3rd gen 4Runners, there have been recalls for trailing arms separating from the bodies, the ones I typically see have holes in front and rear fenders peeking out from the body cladding. Monteros also rust, I'd argue a bit more than the Toyotas as far as bodies go. Check the dog legs when you open the rear doors on any 3rd gen Montero if you're in the midwest, you may be unpleasantly surprised. 4Runners typically have the corners of the steel bumpers rust out first, but the bodies themselves are surprisingly resilient, especially considering how much the 2nd gen 4Runners rusted. 4Runners can get rusty frames, check rear trailing arm mounting points, and the frame near the exhaust pipe towards the rear of the truck.

If I found a non-midwestern (ie non-rusty), clean, low mile Montero Limited, I'd buy it on the spot. For overall daily use I think it's superior comfort and on road dynamics win out. Stock for stock, I think the 3rd gen 4Runners eke out a win off-road with a very simple and durable drivetrain, superior overall geometric clearance and articulation, and factory locking rear diff. Again, I'm not a hard core offroader, more so dirt/gravel backroads with occasional more serious obstacles so the Montero would likely have more advantages for me.

if I were you I'd throw in the 99-04 Jeep Grand Cherokee into the mix. There's tons to choose from and they are pretty cheap, a low mileage Laredo (less crap to break) with Selec-trac and a stack of maintenance records would be a tempting choice (IMO).

 

[DanF.]

I'll comment as someone who's looked at a bunch of Monteros, owns a '96 4Runner Limited, but has little exposure to R50s.

Toyota Pros:
available rear locker, available multi-mode t-case, available 5spd (although finding all of that in one vehicle is almost impossible)
parts are common and cheap, easy to find, tons of DIY knowledge on the web (biggest plus over Montero IMO)
Straightforward/easy construction and maintenance (simple solid rear axle, basic 4spd Aisin automatic transmission)
generally bulletproof (watch out for coolant-contaminated ATF, rear axle seals, lower ball joints)
Roll down rear window- fantastic, quiet, flow through ventilation with the sunroof open and dogs love it.
best stock clearance
Toyota cons:
poor on road ride/handling
cramped feeling cockpit
overpriced on used market
VERY sensitive to wheel balancing, prone to driveline vibrations- this one drives me bonkers.

Montero pros:
awesome driving position/visibility
excellent on-road handling
Underrated/good value assuming you can find a non-trashed one

Montero cons:
rarer, more expensive parts, smaller community for DIY fixes
More "finicky" in servicing: more frequent alignments, pickier with ATF type/brand
A few more niggling reliability issues (top end oil leaks, valvetrain wear, gauge cluster soldering issues)

Don't know Nissans enough to make a full pro/cons list, but I do know they rust MUCH worse than 3rd gen 4Runners, there have been recalls for trailing arms separating from the bodies, the ones I typically see have holes in front and rear fenders peeking out from the body cladding. Monteros also rust, I'd argue a bit more than the Toyotas as far as bodies go. Check the dog legs when you open the rear doors on any 3rd gen Montero if you're in the midwest, you may be unpleasantly surprised. 4Runners typically have the corners of the steel bumpers rust out first, but the bodies themselves are surprisingly resilient, especially considering how much the 2nd gen 4Runners rusted. 4Runners can get rusty frames, check rear trailing arm mounting points, and the frame near the exhaust pipe towards the rear of the truck.

If I found a non-midwestern (ie non-rusty), clean, low mile Montero Limited, I'd buy it on the spot. For overall daily use I think it's superior comfort and on road dynamics win out. Stock for stock, I think the 3rd gen 4Runners eke out a win off-road with a very simple and durable drivetrain, superior overall geometric clearance and articulation, and factory locking rear diff. Again, I'm not a hard core offroader, more so dirt/gravel backroads with occasional more serious obstacles so the Montero would likely have more advantages for me.

if I were you I'd throw in the 99-04 Jeep Grand Cherokee into the mix. There's tons to choose from and they are pretty cheap, a low mileage Laredo (less crap to break) with Selec-trac and a stack of maintenance records would be a tempting choice (IMO).

Great response, thanks!

 

[BEG]

I meant to post here but I posted in the thread with the same name on the Toyota forum:

"I think a better comparison might be with the Gen 2 and 2.5 Montero, since these would overlap more years with the R50 and 3rd Gen Runner. Depending on which years and packages you go with, the Gen 2/2.5 gains you BOF, a factory rear locker, solid rear axle, factory body lift (2.5), drive flanges that can be replaced with manual hubs, metal bumpers, rain gutters for mounting racks, sliding rear windows and bigger 3rd row seats, among other things."

 

[DanF.]

I meant to post here but I posted in the thread with the same name on the Toyota forum:

"I think a better comparison might be with the Gen 2 and 2.5 Montero, since these would overlap more years with the R50 and 3rd Gen Runner. Depending on which years and packages you go with, the Gen 2/2.5 gains you BOF, a factory rear locker, solid rear axle, factory body lift (2.5), drive flanges that can be replaced with manual hubs, metal bumpers, rain gutters for mounting racks, sliding rear windows and bigger 3rd row seats, among other things."

Ah, no worries. I'm surprised by how few Gen 2 and 2.5 Monteros I've seen.