1997 Mitsubishi Montero Sport XLS | Retro Review 

Sensacional parabéns 👏👏👏

Do you think Mitsubishi is going to bring back the Montero Sport in North America? I really miss them.

@@brandongant618 I worked for them. The answer is no. They are only made in Thailand and Japan which means they’d be subject to the chicken tax and they need to be widened 6 inches for federal roll over standards which is a multi million dollar requirement. That would make it way too expensive to import and to sell as it would Jack the msrp up. Same reason why we won’t get the triton in the states. If Mitsu and Nissan come up with something and manufacture it in Tennessee on nissans truck line, then you might see that!

I agree

Dodge Durango looks similar!

Lol no

@@blakelip3 I agree too

Better than anything they are selling today.

Wasnt this the period when they systematically covered up vehicle defects companywide

@Allen Tokyo lol you said that with a straight face

@Allen Tokyo hell no

@@ETYPEJaguar38 nah they actually addressed mass complaints before they were even forced to around this era. Mid to late 2000’s was the downfall of Mitsubishi

Yeah. I agree

need to bring back 2 box shapes. I see that the rav4, rogue, pathfinder, tiguan kinda bringing that for the current gens

The 4Runner is the most reliable SUV of that era. Hands down.

@@a.person7825 I have a mitsubishi challenger 1996 2.8l diesel (Japanese montero sport) has over half a million kms and everything still works, the clear coats peeled and faded in the sun, that's about it.

@@0KiwiStyles0 Well, the JDMs are always more reliable. Good job! It being a diesel makes a HUGE difference.

I love Mitsubishi Montero 1997

With cool commercials!!

@Allen Tokyo I just don't see them anymore. Pretty rare these days, but I'm happy when I see one driving.

It's pretty popular in ASEAN and Australia since Montero Sport continued to be marketed there.

I see Mitsubishis just not many Dealers

Yes around 2003 my best friends mom had one when I was in 4th grade She had the late model of this generation, these things were everywhere

Always loved the Montero and the sport! Great rigs on & off the road!

One of the best offroaders

Meanwhile, the second and third/current gen of this car is practically ubiquitous here in Indonesia, sold as Pajero Sport

Facts! 97' was a great year

My sister used to pick me up from elementary school in a Montero in 97’

Loooved my ‘93 Diamante LS ❤

Yeah. Me too

True I went on vacation there and seen a bunch of them!

True Some Nativas I've seen in Puerto Rico has the Montero decal on the quarter panel :3

@@SataniaMcDowel Those were probably imported from the States because the Nativa name was Puerto Rico only.

So many are still around. And people know about the valve seals and the no reverse when cold quirks

The valve seals are a common issue. The transmission issue is because ppl don't service their transmission. I had a 2000 Nativa with the 3.0 engine and drove it to 200k with no issues on the original transmission and it was serviced regularly with synthetic fluid. Now I own a 2004 Mitsubishi Nativa (Montero Sport) here in Puerto Rico with the 3.5 engine. I bought it with 50k original miles 9 months ago. Now it has 66k miles and I love it so much because of the bigger and powerful engine! I changed all fluids, timing belt, tensioner, water pump, front cam seals and valve covers gaskets with valve seals and spark plug groomets. The previous owner was an old guy who took excellent care of it and I love taking extreme care of my cars.

I'm about to do these services on mine, next weekend. I love them so much. I've owned 2 of them. Now I also have a limited, it's rock solid

They were everywhere when they were new but they weren’t taken care of by owners. This is a vehicle that needed its maintenance and on time or else it would break.

@@foxtrot685 yeah true ppl never would change the timing belt and it break and it total the engine

@@redthunderfox this is true even to this day. When buying a car, most owners have no idea what a timing belt is.

Mine is 300 miles short of 200k. Still going strong after years of off road use. I treat it better now

I have the 2000 Limited. MSRP is a little higher. Definitely worth the price still if it was brand new. Companies don't make today's trucks this solid unless you spend $100,000 on a Ford Raptor or equivalent. Mitsubishi was doing it for half the price.. If it wasn't for the late 90's Japan recession. Mitsubishi would be ahead of Tesla..

Your have to compare it to the 4runner of it's day or the pathfinder. All very very capable off road and similarly priced.

@@josiaevans But the Montero Sport is no 4Runner.

@@joec1774 yeah the Montero was way better looking 🙌

​@joec1774 but it looked just as good.

You shoulda kept it !

Glad to hear that, my brother is buying a 2006 Pajero SWB 3.2 Di-D

Yes 2005 was probably Mitsubishis final Goodyear and the beginning of their demise in the US

In my market (Dominican Republic) there were two versions: Montero Sport (Gasoline) with full width reflector and Nativa (normally diesel) with spare wheel carrier. I really like Nativas because of the 5 tail lights 😁 2 in the bumper + regular 3. I'm wondering if the spare wheel carrier was an option with the US Montero Sport 😕

In the US at least, the exterior tire carrier was only available as an option for a couple years (1997-1999 model years). In 2000, it appears they had a mild styling update (one noticeable change is the black strips added to the taillight lenses) and dropped the carrier from the US market. As with many SUVs around the early 2000s, less people cared for the rear mounted spare tire and so they started dropping the option on many vehicles. I want to say the Chevy S10 Blazer was the last SUV to offer a swingaway version in 2005.

even had an oil pressure gauge and said nothing lol

That's a really low bar to clear, those were junk.

@@sleeksilver Yes, they were, but I chose them because which ones are still on the roads today? I live in an area that loves these 4x4 SUVs, and nobody's rockin' a Mitsubishi anything. These Sports rusted away or failed mechanically, then were crushed. They were better than the Blazer/Jimmy at the beginning, but not for long after the sale.

Four-cylinder models came with a five speed so they weren’t bad plus they get much better gas mileage.

@@rickmerring2148 138hp though in a midsize SUV.

@@palebeachbum loaded with people and gear definitely was a snail

@@palebeachbum at 181 inches, it wasn't a midsize SUV.

@@trent7080 I'm not 100% certain of its classified size, but I do know vehicle size is measured by interior volume, not length or wheelbase.

They were called a Mitsubishi Challenger in Australia too.

That's so cool I had a 99 xls 3.0 with 208k miles sold it 3 months ago

I don't think it seems any more quaint than a 2021 Toyota 4Runner. Those too are body on frame with very plain and cheap looking interiors. I think you're just accustomed to seeing so many car-based CUVs on the road now.

@@palebeachbum actually I was considering the horsepower numbers even on the V6, the four speed automatic transmission, the optional ABS, and general lack of safety features which are now required by law. The interior or the body on frame design were not what caused my statement.

@@tkewrestler2662 gotcha. Makes sense.

Was sold as the Mitsubishi challenger here in Australia

Agreed 💯

TheZProtocol I see you say "Nativa" so you're from Puerto Rico. Let me tell you something, I own one and I love it! Mines a 2004 Mitsubishi Nativa (Montero Sport) with the 3.5 liter engine and it currently has 66 thousand miles here in Puerto Rico.

@@eastcoast9549 casi no tiene millas para 17 años, en el 2016 compré una año 2000 con 153k y ahora tiene 166k, claro, desde agosto la tengo parada pues se le dañó algo en la transmisión, pero ya la voy a reparar y le espera un viajesito para Cabo Rojo

@@JanMichael1997 la mía me ha bregado súper. Le doy mantenimiento de rutina al motor con aceite sintético y le cambié el aceite de transmisión hace 1 mes pero al cambiarlo me percaté que ya le habían dado servicio. También cambié la grasa de diferencial y fue igual, le habían dado servicio antes y salió todo limpio. Anyway lo hice para prevenir y que me dure más la guagua. El dueño anterior era una persona mayor y le daba mantenimiento extremo. Era su vehículo favorito y actualmente es mi vehículo favorito. Vivo en área metro.

@@eastcoast9549 Súper, mi caso ha sido un poco derrochador, se le mandó a hacer el trabajo de las gomitas de las válvulas, juntas, retenedores y correa de tiempo, ahí se me fueron $1,300 y fue en el verano pasado justo antes de que se me dañara la transmisión, este año fue que la pude reparar y fueron unos $2120. Lo bueno es que ahora tengo una que tal vez cosméticamente no será la más linda, pero mecánicamente está al 100% con su aceite 5W30 sintético high millage (tiene 165k, yo la compré con 153k) y sus filtros al día, de casi 5 años, nunca me ha dado problemas (gracias a Dios) y solo queda disfrutarla. Saludos 🤗

@@JanMichael1997 hace 2 meses le cambié a la mía la correa de tiempo, los sellos de aceite, bomba de agua, tensores, las juntas del valve cover con los sellitos de espares, cablería, espares, termostato y el fan clutch nuevo. Le ajusté las válvulas también. Me paso corriendo la isla en ella.

That’s hilarious 😂

The loaded model is over $50,000 in 2021 money.

Still quite a few in Australia and although they weren't the toughest they look great

It was called the Pajero in europe and still Montero in south america, so i'd hardly call that the rest of the world.

In middle east it was called Nativa. Lots of these on the road still running, they look worn out though.

In Japan it was called the Challenger. The rest was called the Pajero Sport.

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That's what you get for using a main dealer. Support your independent specialist shops! :)

Dealership screw her over. The only "bad" things were valve stem seals and when cold start, reverse wouldnt do anything.