Dethroning the Montero as Best riding 4x4 SUV
- Thread starter ManfromSnowyRiver
- Start date
Fergie
Expedition Leader
Worst? 1979 Dodge Ramcharger....rattle your molars loose.
I spent a lot of money, time, sweat and blood getting a 1995 XJ to ride right, but that was with LOTS of tweaking. 4" of lift, drop brackets, custom spring packs and all sort of other stuff.
My 1991 FJ80 was great with an OME set-up. It kept up with a Frontier and a Tacoma on washboarded road in to Bahia Gonzaga several years back, before it was paved.
My 2001 Monty ride really well though. In stock form, every day driving, it is just fine. However, it does need new suspension as when we load up for camping, the *** is dragging to the point that steering is twitchy.
After some OME on it, I'd bet it ride wonderfully, even under a load of gear.
I spent a lot of money, time, sweat and blood getting a 1995 XJ to ride right, but that was with LOTS of tweaking. 4" of lift, drop brackets, custom spring packs and all sort of other stuff.
My 1991 FJ80 was great with an OME set-up. It kept up with a Frontier and a Tacoma on washboarded road in to Bahia Gonzaga several years back, before it was paved.
My 2001 Monty ride really well though. In stock form, every day driving, it is just fine. However, it does need new suspension as when we load up for camping, the *** is dragging to the point that steering is twitchy.
After some OME on it, I'd bet it ride wonderfully, even under a load of gear.
ManfromSnowyRiver
Explorer
Who could forget the Ramcharger! And nothing could chew through Ujoints like A Ramcharger either.
As Scooter
Observer
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
Because this would be called the MITSUBISHI SECTION, this thread is for MITSUBISHI MONTERO OWNERS to compare the ride quality to other vehicles we have owned, easy enough for you to understand??
kbahus
Adventurer
There is no way a Gen3 rides better than a GX470/120. I was thoroughly unamused with mine bombing dirt/sand roads in the UP last summer. My 80 was more smooth in similar conditions than the Gen3, but then again I am may be the only one here that went from Toyota to a Gen3 and don't like it.
plh
Explorer
I wasn't...
Toasty
Looking for that thing i just had in my hand...
Why not? It was designed to be better/faster than the LC (all series) offroad and it proved itself more than any other 4x4 in the offroad racing circuits. Independent suspension is king when ride is concerned on or offroad, we wheelers often discredit it because we prefer a solid axle. (i'm no different)
My GX has the sport package so maybe that makes it less awesome than a Gen 3 at high speeds offroad? Either way the Gen 3 was made to go fast offroad and the GX was not. Not that the GX is bad offroad at all, It's just no Montero. Also like Shovel said, a lot of it has to do with how it's "tuned" shocks tires etc. I'm sure my GX would benefit from some Bilstien 7100's real springs and real tires considering my comparison is a ton of Monteros with real shocks and real tires. I can only imagine the GX driving near equal to a 2nd gen Montero though because of the similar setup, that's why I bought the GX in the first place It's like a cheap (expensive) knock off Montero. I don't particularly like the Gen 3 (because IRS and unibody) but NO Toyota ever has been in that realm of offroad capability, It is what it is.
Tires for tires and shocks for shocks in stock form the Gen 3 is going to be superior, not that i'd buy one... As you can clearly see there is a GX in my driveway and not a Gen 3 and the Gen 3 was less than a 3rd of the price and still under warranty (barely). I love my Toyota, it's a great rig but the Toyota thing is a fair bit of hype where the Mitsu has almost no hype and no status as far as keeping up with the Jones's.
As far as tech goes Toyota has had to copy Mitsubishi in their designs for a very long time and that speaks volumes.
I test drove several Gen 2 and 2.5's in hopes of buying one. While I like many things about them, especially the 'looks' and a few key features, my wife and I had a hard time talking ourselves into that they were superior enough to our land rover Discovery ... that we just "had" to buy a Monty. Even in the reliability department, just about all the Monteros we drove suffered from a number of issues, all of which were repairable. They have a lot of characteristics many Japanese vehicles of the era have: robust running gear, less than robust interior and creature comforts. The doors sound flimsy and tinny when you close them. On the topic of ride and handling, the ones I drove (and it was several) seemed rather wollowy, and more top heavy in the corners than I expected, the the 2.5's were noticably better in the handling dept ....the earlier ones were quite a bit noisier too inside than I expected. The leathers they used might have been 'passable' at the time, but it must have been a lower-grade stock than many contemporary vehicles because it gets hard, cracked and falls apart easier over time than many others. The stock sound system on 96 and earlier was definitely substandard to the competion of the age in my opinion ....(but that can be changed, of course). As far as off-road goes, each vehicle is going to handle differently. Since 99% of my driving is on the road, that's my main focus. The little off-road driving I did with the Monteros that I tested, showed they can handle it ...and that's about all I need. That's just being an objective observer ... having owned and driven many SUV's over the years. There's no 'perfect' vehicle and I think on balance the Monty's got a lot of great things right ...worth owning one. But I have to say, it really made me appreciate driving my Land Rover more (warts and all -- and there are several). I'm still looking for the 'right' Monty .....and can't wait to get one, hopefully towards Spring. Actually, I'm thinking of maybe getting an H3 instead...
I think from an overall comfort and off-road standpoint, a WJ series (99-04) Grand Cherokee Overland is a fantastic buy. You get the 4.7 SOHC which is a screamer, neck-snapping power and throttle response and can pass people like they're standing still, Good handling, All the options, Solid axles front/rear, Very comfortable to drive, Nice leathers, Kick-butt sound system, Parts and service availability in just about any town, An extra inch of clearance (Up-country suspension only) ...and best of all Gerotor Veri-locking diffs rear, center and FRONT! No other vehicle in this class has that! You can basically be locked up front to rear ...or partially depending on the situation ...then drive out to the road and unlock automatically. I was initially skeptical, but I've seen it work many times. I went over to check on something by a rural property we own the other day and I parked in a neighbors field driveway because there was too much snow piled up on the roadside. This was a pretty steep driveway and there was about 4" of wet snow on the ground, and it was a muddy field driveway because the ground isn't frozen and we've had about 2" of rain lately. There is NO WAY, no way, I could have made it out of there with any other SUV or 4x4 pickup we own, or have owned. But I knew it would be no problem for the Jeep Overland. When I went to leave, it literally backed me out of there and up the drive to the road w/o spinning a tire! It's a wonderful system. Check some of the Youtube videos. If you have one tire that has traction, it'll get you out ...and the system doesn't rely on torque robbing traction control tricks that pause and require a lot of wheel-spin to engage.
There's a SUV off-road test, some S. African guy has a bunch of youtube videos (you can google it), where they put a number of SUV's to test up this particularly steep and rocky path that vehicles have problems negotiatin. Land Rovers (new and old), Toyotas ...don't remember the others they tested, maybe a G Wagon?. The Grand Cherokee, which costs a lot less ... with Gerotor diffs was the only one to literally walk right up it. I don't know that I would buy the plain-jane straight 6 WJ. The ZJ's were fine, but the WJ 6's that I drove weren't the same.
Anyway, there are a lot of good SUV's out there. The Montero is one of them. It isn't perfect but it is a heck of a buy for what you get and worth being a strong fan of them! I wish there was a greater parts support environment for these wonderful SUVs.
I think from an overall comfort and off-road standpoint, a WJ series (99-04) Grand Cherokee Overland is a fantastic buy. You get the 4.7 SOHC which is a screamer, neck-snapping power and throttle response and can pass people like they're standing still, Good handling, All the options, Solid axles front/rear, Very comfortable to drive, Nice leathers, Kick-butt sound system, Parts and service availability in just about any town, An extra inch of clearance (Up-country suspension only) ...and best of all Gerotor Veri-locking diffs rear, center and FRONT! No other vehicle in this class has that! You can basically be locked up front to rear ...or partially depending on the situation ...then drive out to the road and unlock automatically. I was initially skeptical, but I've seen it work many times. I went over to check on something by a rural property we own the other day and I parked in a neighbors field driveway because there was too much snow piled up on the roadside. This was a pretty steep driveway and there was about 4" of wet snow on the ground, and it was a muddy field driveway because the ground isn't frozen and we've had about 2" of rain lately. There is NO WAY, no way, I could have made it out of there with any other SUV or 4x4 pickup we own, or have owned. But I knew it would be no problem for the Jeep Overland. When I went to leave, it literally backed me out of there and up the drive to the road w/o spinning a tire! It's a wonderful system. Check some of the Youtube videos. If you have one tire that has traction, it'll get you out ...and the system doesn't rely on torque robbing traction control tricks that pause and require a lot of wheel-spin to engage.
There's a SUV off-road test, some S. African guy has a bunch of youtube videos (you can google it), where they put a number of SUV's to test up this particularly steep and rocky path that vehicles have problems negotiatin. Land Rovers (new and old), Toyotas ...don't remember the others they tested, maybe a G Wagon?. The Grand Cherokee, which costs a lot less ... with Gerotor diffs was the only one to literally walk right up it. I don't know that I would buy the plain-jane straight 6 WJ. The ZJ's were fine, but the WJ 6's that I drove weren't the same.
Anyway, there are a lot of good SUV's out there. The Montero is one of them. It isn't perfect but it is a heck of a buy for what you get and worth being a strong fan of them! I wish there was a greater parts support environment for these wonderful SUVs.
Last edited:
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
Umm, no, do a bit of research on that 4.7 being the least reliable engine that they ever used. And good luck fitting larger tires under that 'dubjay' without lots of upgrades just to do what the Monty can fit stock. Coming from 16 years of Jeep ownership I can talk crap about them all I wish, because I know what I have experienced and the Monty is a far better vehicle. We won't even get into axle strength. And if you want to compare the Monty year to year vs the Discovery there is no comparison, just a walk through any junkyard will prove my point.
I hear ya. You make some good points. I can't disagree (except that the 4.7 is unreliable -- it isn't). And yeah, the Grand Cherokees suffer from a few other things too that we could point out ...like chronic heater blend door issues, etc. All vehicles have some flaws. What makes a vehicle a 'great' vehicle comes down to what fits the person's usage requirements. Hard-core off-roading is one thing, DD use and occasional off-roading is another which is what the vast majority of owners engage in I would argue. Not everyone puts big meats under their rig. Actually most Monteros I've seen, owners don't. I'd say very few do. If that's the yardstick of what makes a good vehicle, well then yeah I guess you 'got' me. You're the winner on this one. But a lot of people put larger tires on lots of rigs with the right modifications, some more than others. I'm not saying Monty's are bad (you're misreading my post), I love monteros ....just that the topic was about what other vehicles have as good or better characteristics (that was my take) ...and what are the merits of some and apparently you've become offended by my stance. If I said that a Hummer H1 was a good off-road vehicle, I'm sure you could list 5 reasons it wasn't as good as a Montero (noisy inside, no sunroof, bad fuel economy, too hard to park, expensive parts, etc). Depends on the use. I've seen Hummers dance across boulders and pass me like I was standing still!! But they take a parking lot to turn around in. Not the best for DD.
To argue that there are more land rovers in junk yard and therefore they must be crappy vehicles is short-sighted because it overlooks the economics of replacing the engine ...the primary reason they are in there for, even if 95% of the rest of the vehicle is sound. If an engine blows on a Defender, or even a Hummer H1 the economics of replacing it make sense and people do it. I never hear people argue that Defenders are all over junkyards therefore they're crappy vehicles. They have a great reputation and basically they're the same vehicle, but different. I can buy a replacement engine for a chevy truck for $1,500 or $2k so it makes sense to do it. If it was $8k, people would junk just about every Chevy truck who's engine crapped out. When these high schoolers with no mechanical aptitude buy inexpensive Land Rovers with deferred maintenance because they 'look cool' and expect to drive them without fixing the deferred maintenance items or address a few inherent weak designs, and end up overheating the engines (which are absolutely intolerant to overheating) and crack the blocks, etc yeah, they can't afford to fix them b/c LR engines aren't really available anymore or need Hat Cylinder sleeves $$. That doesn't make the entire vehicle crappy. The reason they are in the yards is because they have great parts value. If an engine blows in a Defender, you just replace it and yer back on the trail. But you see a lot of Monteros with blown engines too, that doesn't mean that all Montero's are crappy. They're not. They're great rigs. With the right maintenance and so on, a Land Rover and Montero ....and just about any rig, can last a long, long time.
Last edited:
Fergie
Expedition Leader
I had an 01 WJ with the 4.0L and wish I'd never bought it.
At 100k, it fell apart, and I was on top of all the maintenance. Hell, the front driveshaft grenaded in a flat parking lot one day...out of the blue!
The damn fan relay caused me fits too, and the exploding radiator almost took my face off in Death Valley.
Sure, it road well, but when the AC crapped out in 100* temps in rush hour traffic on the 91, I'd had enough. Sold it, bought a 91 FJ80 and with nothing more than an oil change, cruised through CA for two weeks before moving back to AZ.
And thus needed my time with American made vehicles.
At 100k, it fell apart, and I was on top of all the maintenance. Hell, the front driveshaft grenaded in a flat parking lot one day...out of the blue!
The damn fan relay caused me fits too, and the exploding radiator almost took my face off in Death Valley.
Sure, it road well, but when the AC crapped out in 100* temps in rush hour traffic on the 91, I'd had enough. Sold it, bought a 91 FJ80 and with nothing more than an oil change, cruised through CA for two weeks before moving back to AZ.
And thus needed my time with American made vehicles.