MANILA, Philippines -- Chances are, most SUV’s these days will hardly ever see the deep mud ruts, steep terrain or rocky paths they were intended to drive through. Most will be content living out most of their lives in the city with only the occasional curb to climb or shallow flood to wade through.
The SUV’s may be domesticated, but that certainly doesn’t mean its urban life is lacking in challenges. For this test, the Montero Sport GLS-V couldn’t have come at a better time as I was moving houses and could certainly use a hauler. This new model, equipped with a 2.5 liter common rail diesel engine with a variable geometry turbo (VGT), boast of a 15 percent improvement in power over the previous 3.2 liter’s 163 hp. Not only was it more powerful and responsive, the smaller engine also made for better fuel economy. Its combination of more power with better fuel mileage would also help squeeze in more trips, hauling boxes from house to house.
Yet all of this isn’t apparent from the Montero Sport GLS-V which looks almost identically like its non-VGT equipped predecessor. Sharing a platform with the Strada, the resemblance is easily seen in the vehicle’s front fascia as the trapezoidal headlamps and diagonally slanted grille inserts. Chrome mirrors add a distinct touch while massive wheel flairs house 17-inch wheels. A sleek profile keeps things nice and subtle towards the rear.
Just after the rear wheel, the back grows a shoulder, continued in the back by the wide tail lights that reach toward the Mitsubishi logo in the center.
Inside is a simple interior that emulates the vehicle’s rounded wedge nose. The two-tone dashboard is crowned by a three-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. Speed, tachometer and various other info are separated into three dials.
On the center dash, between the two air con vents, sits a multi-information display revealing real time compass, altimeter and barometer. It also doubles as a screen for GPS navigation, or movies. The touch screen interface grants easy access between functions.
Climate controls are just below, separated into three dials. Audio is handled by the MP3, iPod, USB-ready and Bluetooth-capable head unit. Whatever music medium you have will be routed through six speakers with tweeters.
Resting on the center divider is the four-speed automatic transmission with Invecs II Sportronic mode. Despite the shifter’s chunky appearance, it is light and easy to slide through the gears.
Over in the rear is the key feature of the Montero Sport I’d need the most; its flexible seating configuration. The second and third row can be folded flat to allow for large and bulky cargo, perfect for moving. Folding just half of the second row grants space for long items. The third row simply hides into the floor for normal cargo needs.
Keeping the vehicle high above the ground are a set of double wishbone coil springs with a stabilizer in front while 3-link coil springs with a stabilizer keep the rear up.
Safety hasn’t been forgotten either as all passengers have their own seatbelts, dual stage SRS airbags are standard and ABS and EBD bring the car to a stop without drama. Even this mid-spec model features additional safety gadgets like the tire pressure monitoring system and reverse sensors.
Of course the real test here would be accommodating load after load and making repeated trips from house to house with little complaint. Second row seats folded with ease. With the second row folded, the third row seats could fold completely flat. From there, it was just a matter of sliding box after box, furniture after furniture all the way to the back.
Even with a full load of cargo, the Montero’s ride remained soft and comfortable. It would lean a bit in turns but was far from feeling out-of-control or overloaded. There was noticeably less turbo lag as the engine would pick up at about 2,000 rpm and rapidly accelerate from there. All this power made it very easy to reach cruising speed and simply coast from there to save fuel.
Once at the new house, the reverse sensors made it easy to back up, as all the cargo made it impossible to see the back. The only complaint is that the car seems to take more turns at the wheel to get around a corner.
It was late at night by the time all the boxes were finally moved, the last pieces being a long bench, a futon and one last box. Despite the odd mix, they managed to all fit, reducing the number of trips, averaging 9 km/L and leaving more than half a tank.
At the end of it all, it’s clear the Montero Sport passed the moving test with flying colors. Lots of cargo capacity, a new powerful and fuel efficient engine and a great ride should put it at the top of anyone’s list. New features like built-in GPS Navigation and iPod connectivity make the drive even better. Though far from its natural off-road environment, the features found in the Montero Sport GLS-V show that its just as well suited to urban life.
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