Montero vs Trooper

[NH Moto Expo]

I had been thinking about a 92 to 97 Trooper since I first read Scott's ringing endorsement of the vehicle. I'm having trouble sourcing one here in New England so I've decided to expand my search to include Mitsubishi's. The problem I'm finding is there are so many variations of the Montero, including sport, LS and with so many years I'm really not sure what I should be looking at.

What year and model would best compare with a Trooper. My priorities are for maximum interior space (not seat's...but space), reliability, and ease of modifications for over landing. The trooper has indy 4x4 with loads of parts and experience. Is there a go to place for Montero parts?

Any help would be appreciated, even if all you can do is point me to a source for more reading.

Jim

 

[scrubber3]

4x4wire.com has a huge amount of knowledge on the Montero/Pajero. The Montero Sport is a totally different vehicle from a Montero LS or SR and some would argue that the Montero/Pajero are a better platform for overlanding due to space and ability. Though there are some really nice sports out there that are done right for their purpose. The sport seems to be more common than the Montero. The Montero is only made in 4x4 and the sport can be found in 2wd if that is your thing. An SR can be found with a 9.5 inch air locking differential. The LS can be retrofitted with the SR air locker fairly easy though. In my experience, the Montero is more reliable than a Trooper, but not enough to justify anything. I like the Troopers a lot and think they are great for overlanding too.

HTH

 

[4D55 Performance]

If your looking for a vehicle that is about 15 years old then the 1994-1996 Montero SR should fit the bill. Look for the big orange sticker on the drivers side of the center console to see if it has a rear locker. It has a 215 hp 3.5 liter engine and 4.63 gears which move the vehicle very comfortably. The SR model also has a locking rear differential which is standard. While a some Montero's burn a little bit of oil because of the valve seals, this issue pales in comparison to the oil burning issues the Troopers have. The Montero SR comes with a smooth shifting and bulletproof 4 speed automatic tranny. The tcase has 4 modes and ABS is operative in all modes which is very uncommon. It has 2wd, AWD, 4Hi and 4Low. The rear air locker can be activated in all modes as well. Most vehicles will only allow you to activate the locker in 4low. The rear axle on the Montero is a huge 9.5" rear axle and I have never heard failures due to over sized tires. The front differential is a high pinion 8.5" which is also very strong because of the high pinion design and the high quality of steel that Mitsubishi uses. Unlike other IFS vehicles in it's class, the Montero will easily handle 37" tires with out mechanical failures. The drive train is completely over built from the factory. As you have noticed, there is not a large aftermarket for the Montero, but I am not sure it is necessary because of the build quality of the vehicle. In stock form a 1992-2000 will easily handle 31-33" tires with out a lift (depending on the year). And with a slight torsion bar crank or a small body lift 35-37" tires can be easily fitted. So there is not a huge need for a lift at this time. Bullbars are available from several sorces including ARB. Gearing options are available from Mitsubishi or the junkyard if you know what your looking for. The transfercase can be upgraded to 3.15 Crawler gears or can be upgraded to Atlas Tcase, NP231 or Rock-trac 241. I think retaining the awesome OEM tcase and installing crawler gears is the way to go because you retain the AWD mode. Roof racks, manual hubs, snorkels and many other parts are available as well. Realistically I can not think of one advantage that the Trooper has over the Montero. While the Troopers are great little vehicles, the Montero has a better engine, transmission, Tcase, suspension and axles. I have recently owned two 1996 FJ80's and my 2000 Montero is a better vehicle in every condition, except for rock crawling. It is a perfect platform for an overlanding build because of it reliability.

 

[SOFpirate]

When it comes to space for all your ridiculous belongings, the Montero Sport isn't nearly as large as the LS or SR, coming from someone who owned one for 8 months and then went back and got a full size.

I really don't have too much experience with troopers, and they seem like they can keep running when the going gets tough just by looking at some of the ones that drive on the road. Just remember, all FULL SIZE Montero's all come with a Centre Differential Locker (CDL). All it really does is actually throw it in 4WD. The regular 4HI on a montero is just a beefed up AWD really, and the 4HLc is with the CDL locked and is the "normal" 4WD. I'm not sure what the trooper comes with. All I can do is let you know how awesome and venerable the Monty is, and that I had the option to swap it out many times with multiple other off road vehicles, and didn't. I never will though. I love my Montero, it's gotten me in, out, and through just about everything. Endgame, Montero for life.

But also, do your research, I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed either way.
And if you need a true size comparison on the vehicles, a Trooper is like the Montero LS/SR, and the Montero Sport is SLIGHTLY larger than the Nissan Pathfinders.

 

[hochung]

My priorities are for maximum interior space (not seat's...but space), reliability, and ease of modifications for over landing. The trooper has indy 4x4 with loads of parts and experience. Is there a go to place for Montero parts?

I think you would be better off with a toyota.

 

[shmabs]

The ease of modification criteria can be a bit tough with mitsu's (especially the sports), there just isn't a huge aftermarket support for them. I love building stuff, so i was able to somewhat overlook the lack of available parts. One downfall i didn't plan for was stock replacement and maintenance parts. Maybe its just my location but i have had a hard time getting replacement parts in a reasonable time frame, most auto parts stores near me simply dont have a great supply of montero sport (or montero) parts in stock, this has been extremely frustrating at times. It turned into a huge headache when i was installing my arb!

However a nice SR would fit all but one of your requirements pretty well.

Mike

 

[NH Moto Expo]

Thanks for all of the responses! I've been looking at a lot of the build threads and getting lots of ideas. The biggest reason I was considering the trooper was for the overall size of the vehicle. Glad to hear that the LS or SR is similarly sized. So is there a better year? I understand that starting in 2000 the trucks went unibody. Is that a detractor? Or nothing to really worry about?

I'd like to keep this for a long time and build it into a hunting/camping rig. I run a couple of bird dogs and travel with them to hunt pheasant, quail and grouse, so I need to have room for crates and stuff that's why I'm looking at larger SUV's. The reason I want an SUV rather than a truck is to keep the dust off of the dogs and gear when traveling back roads.

Keep the opinions coming.

 

[scrubber3]

The unibody means that the entire truck has independent suspension. Better on road manners and some may say that off road they don't fair as well as the body on frame that has front IFS and rear solid axle. I've seen the unibodies hang with the 2nd generations, but I am certain it is easier to modify the earlier models for off road use.

You said you were using it to hunt? I'd go with the models before the year 2000. You said it needed to hold dog crates? You may want to check the dimensions of the interior before purchasing any year or model SUV.

 

[4D55 Performance]

I think you would be better off with a toyota.

I have been there and done that twice. I have had two immaculate 1996 FJ 80's with lifts, lockers and snorkels and my 2000 Gen II.5 Montero is an all around better vehicle. It has a better engine, tranny, tcase, rear axle and the front IFS is stronger than the Toyota solid axle. Yes, the Montero IFS is stronger than the FJ80's solid axle. While I loved both of my FJ80's the engine had head gasket issues, the tranny shifts rough, the tcase does not have a 2wd mode for increased fuel economy, and interior comfort in the Montero is far superior to that of the FJ80. I never achieved better than 13mpg on my FJ80's but my Montero averages 21mpg and it will get up to 24mpg on the freeway. The biggest issue I see with the Montero is the big swinging back door, but because of this design you can mount a 35" tire with out issues. So I guess it is a trade off. My wife and I absolutely loved our FJ80's, so much so that we bought another FJ80 when our first one was totaled. But realistically they are very over rated. The FJ80 is not the be all end all of offroad vehicles. I do believe the FJ80 is far superior to the late model Jeeps I have owned, but the FJ80 still has a lot of deficiencies that are hard to over look. The biggest deficiency of the Montero is the lack of flex in the front end, but the front end also handles great on washboard roads because of this design.

 

[4D55 Performance]

Thanks for all of the responses! I've been looking at a lot of the build threads and getting lots of ideas. The biggest reason I was considering the trooper was for the overall size of the vehicle. Glad to hear that the LS or SR is similarly sized. So is there a better year? I understand that starting in 2000 the trucks went unibody. Is that a detractor? Or nothing to really worry about?

I'd like to keep this for a long time and build it into a hunting/camping rig. I run a couple of bird dogs and travel with them to hunt pheasant, quail and grouse, so I need to have room for crates and stuff that's why I'm looking at larger SUV's. The reason I want an SUV rather than a truck is to keep the dust off of the dogs and gear when traveling back roads.

Keep the opinions coming.

The unibody vehicles were first sold here in the states back in 2001. The 1998-2000 Montero's are considered to be a Gen II.5. The Gen II.5 had the largest wheel openings of any Montero and it is possible to fit 35-37" tires with little effort.


1983-1991 Gen I Montero, very spartan and no safety features, but my 1991 was a blast to drive.

1992-1997 Gen II Montero. The Gen II Montero came in many different configurations but the 1994-96 SR model is the best choice because of its 215hp & 228ft lbs. DOHC 3.5L engine, 9.5" locking rear axle and 4.63 gears. The 1997 came with the detuned 3.5L SOHC 200hp engine and 4.27 gears, but retained the Gen II sheet metal. If you are Looking for a manual transmission, look for a 1995-1996 LS because they were rated at 177hp, which is 34 hp higher than the previous models. The rear locker was not offered on LS models but a rear LSD was offered on the LS model.

1998-2000 Gen II.5 Montero. The Gen II.5 Montero had the largest wheel wells of any Montero and it is possibly the most desirable because of this. It featured a 200hp & 228ft lbs. SOHC 3.5L engine, 9.5 locking rear axle and 4.27 gears. While the SOHC made 15 less hp it still made the same amount of torque as the DOHC 3.5L. The SOHC also seems to be more reliable because it does not have butterfly valves. The Gen II.5 is by far the rarest of all the Montero's. With there very unique styling and limited production numbers, they seem to demand a premium, but good deals can still be had. If you want a nice low mileage Gen II.5 expect to do a nation wide search for several months. The Gen II.5 also features driver and passenger air bags which can come in handy.

2001-2006 Gen III Montero. The Gen III Montero seems to have two basic variations. From 2001-2002 you had the 3.5L and from 2003-2006 you had the 3.8L. Many members swear by the 3.8 and say the add hp is well worth it, but the 2003-2006 was not offered with the LSD like the 2001-2002 model was. So there is a trade off. You also need to be aware that there were two automatic transmissions and two transfer cases which were used. I would look for a 5speed automatic with the select-able sportronic over the venerable 4speed automatic. I would also look for the tcase with 2wd, AWD, 4Hi, and 4Lo, but thats just me. Some like the tcase with out the AWD mode found on the XLS model because it has a shifter that directly shifts the tcase.

 

[4D55 Performance]

The unibody means that the entire truck has independent suspension. Better on road manners and some may say that off road they don't fair as well as the body on frame that has front IFS and rear solid axle. I've seen the unibodies hang with the 2nd generations, but I am certain it is easier to modify the earlier models for off road use.

You said you were using it to hunt? I'd go with the models before the year 2000. You said it needed to hold dog crates? You may want to check the dimensions of the interior before purchasing any year or model SUV.

It is important to note that the Gen III Montero is not a true unibody vehicle because the suspension is built upon a subframe. A custom or specialized body lift will work on the Gen III Montero because of this design. I also agree with you, the Gen III Montero is very impressive offroad but it is much more expensive to modify a Gen III Monty than it is to modify the previous generations.

 

[off-roader]

1996 is the first year dual air bags became available due I believe to federal mandates.

Also if a rear locker is desirable with a manual transmission gen I or II v6, you can always simply put in an ARB locker or an SR axle assy. The SR assy will be the least expensive option and can usually be done in an afternoon.

 

[SOFpirate]

So if you drop a SR rear end in an LS ... does that make it a SS or a LR?

 

[Chili]

On the Montero..

Will a 33" tire fit on the factory spare tire holder?

Also, how spacious is the rear seat? It looks like it has belts to accommodate 3 but looks like it would be pretty tight.

There is a pretty clean looking LS local to me, for a decent price. Just wondering if I should consider that instead of putting another couple thousand on stuff my Bronco needs.

 

[Silverwulf]

33 will fit spare tire holder, I'm 6'4 and fit in the back seat. 2 kids and 1 adult fit perfectly. as for 3rd row. those are kid size.