Ya, there is quite a large following on here I've noticed. It's a nice resource to have. Since eventually I have questions that will be answered here since there's a wealth of knowledge.
The Montero's seem to be the underdog off road vehicle in the U.S. but other countries love 'em.
I've only had mine for about a month or so, so I've not been able to really take it out and get to know it very well off road. I've hit some light trails around here, and taken it around in the snow a little bit, but I have to say I really like it for all that it is..I mean it is really comfortable, it will seat 7 if need be. It can going to haul me, my dogs, and all my gear on trips, and get groceries. If I remove the second row seats for trips, I can even sleep in it. I'm too tall to do that with it now...I tried. I think it will handle everything I throw at it just fine. I'm not rock crawler, and I don't intentionally seek out the deepest mud holes(anymore).
I hit the trails for a few to several days at a time where it sometimes gets technical, but mostly it's trips that are full of washboard roads, with ruts and rocks. More serious stuff only on occasion. It really is filling it's niche well with me.
4runners are great, and samurai's are too in their own way(albeit they are not as versitle for a DD due to their size) but in all honesty, I really feel I'm getting more value out of this Montero than a 4runner....or used Land Cruiser for that matter. I was very very serious about getting an LC100 or nice LC80, but when I weighed the pros and cons out and was honest with myself about cost of ownership and what I need, this did seem to be the most reasonable choice