There is a good number of us who remember the days before SUVs had aggressive and edgy styling, an age when plain utilitarian boxiness was the thing. An era when the SUV format grew in popularity through the ’80s and ’90s, and the segment became increasingly populated with boxy offerings from multiple makers.
And from that now gone age of boxy SUV newcomers, here’s this early Mitsubishi Montero. A competent off-roader that wasn’t quite ready for the changing shifts taking place in the segment and didn’t really catch on in the US. Not the most common of survivors in that nation, with about 10-15K units sold yearly during its run. And as far as I know, numbers for the model didn’t do much better in South America, where today’s sample was found.
So, with early Monteros being rare, why not give this remaining early one its few minutes of CC fame?
The ups and downs of the Montero saga have been told at CC before. But in short, like most Japanese carmakers, Mitsubishi had joined the 4×4 off-roader world back in the 1950s. Originally, by assembling Jeeps under license in an arrangement that went on for decades. Of those, Jeep Wagons were the most successful and known variants.
By the late 1970s, as Mitsu’s ambitions grew, the company got around to creating a new off-roader from the ground up. A short wheelbase, 3-door, serious 4×4, that showed up in the JDM marketplace as the Pajero for the 1982 model year –i.e. today’s Montero find. The model’s styling and ergonomics were full 1980s JDM origami; attractive and modern, with a straightforward purposefulness to its chunky looks.
Like most JDM offerings, the ’82 Pajero was quite competent for its segment, and then some. Besides a choice of 2.0L and 2.6L 4-cyl. petrol engines, power steering was offered, and the front suspension was via double wishbones with torsion springs. Additional mills included 2.3L and 2.5L diesels, with turbocharged versions available on both.
As for its capabilities, the model’s short overhangs provided ideal approach and departure angles, and its 4WD off-roading prowess was highly commended in period reviews.
Mitsubishi was going through a lot at the time the Pajero/Montero showed up, as it was trying to find its stride against the likes of Toyota and Nissan. From a growing roster of models with “premium” content, to a newly established –yet weak– dealer network, all while trying to keep up with their previous commitments to Chrysler.
As such, it’s no surprise that like a lot of Mitsubishi products, the Pajero has a multitude of monikers and identities worldwide. In some markets arriving as a Colt, and in the US being the Dodge Raider (’87-’89), and the Mitsubishi Montero.
As told in our previous entry, what limited the Pajero/Montero’s appeal was its trucklike ride. The model’s short wheelbase and offroading traits endowed the little SUV with a choppy and jumpy ride, far from the carlike manners buyers were learning to expect at the time. Along with Mitsubishi’s muddy image and flakey dealer network, the model struggled in the marketplace.
Pajero/Monteros may have not sold that well in the US or Latin America. But even if they weren’t awfully common, their boxy silhouette was always easily identifiable during the 1980s and 1990s. Against the more substantial looking Isuzu Troopers or the plusher Land Cruisers, the Montero’s boxy looks appeared playful and iconic. The model’s short wheelbase and sheer surfaces probably doing much in creating that impression.
I would like to say that today’s find was the result of a hard chase by yours truly, but no. Instead, it’s yet another car that appeared on its own parked a few steps from my home’s front door in San Salvador (Yes, another curbside find that came my way).
Now, what truly caught my attention on today’s find was its early grille. It’s a design element that I believe went away around ’84-’85 or so, not long after the model arrived stateside in ’83.
The non-symmetric design seems to somehow reflect late ’70s modernism. Though there’s also a lot to this grille’s looks that I tend to refer to as “Sanyo tape deck styling”. No, you won’t hear that term elsewhere, but it seems fitting to me.
And what could be under the hood of this one? Most models sold in the Americas with the 2.6L petrol engine, though being an early model it could even carry the smaller 2.0L mill.
A couple of days after capturing the “Sanyo tape deck”, a more familiar Montero face showed up on my street. A redesign from the late ’80s that carries Mitsubishi’s latter 3.0L SOHC V6.
While in Japan the 5 door appeared in 1983, the useful variant didn’t arrive stateside until 1989. All that usefulness mounted to a total 4,000 pounds though, so the V6’s standard 143hp had quite a bit of work to do when pushing this boxy SUV down the road.
As I’ve told in many previous posts, we in San Salvador have a healthy amount of used American cars brought in as gray imports. So I wonder, where the two Monteros in this post come from? Both could be from the US, or not. I suspect the 5-door is from the US, and the early 3-door may be from a neighboring nation (I seriously doubt it came new to El Salvador during the 1980s civil war).
Regardless, Monteros may have not sold greatly over here or in the US when new, but like many early SUVs they have a devoted following. As such, an unlikely number of them still roam the roads in this nation. And judging by the healthy looks of these two survivors, these boxy remnants of an earlier SUV age will keep rolling on local roads for quite some time to come.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1989 Mitsubishi Montero – An Off-Roader In A Grocery-Getter World
As I’ve noted before re. Monteros, maybe they weren’t so common in Latin America, or arguably North America (where I still see them somewhat regularly), but they were commonplace in the Caribbean. I think there they were considered both affordable and rugged. Not as rugged as a Land Cruiser, but Land Cruisers are frankly too big to drive regularly on twisty mountain roads and enormously expensive relative to what more average folks can afford. I think that they were also perceived of as being sturdier than Isuzus (Isuzu also had a good dealership presence at least in PR and the USVI). Having been an Isuzu owner, and a frequent Montero driver in the past, I’d agree that the Mitsubishi was a stronger vehicle.
I really love boxy SUVs from this period (equivalent to how much I dislike modern SUVs).
“Sanyo Tape Deck” styling is a perfect term, Rich! Perfect in more ways than one. Sanyo was never a top tier audio choice (I still have my Yamaha and Sansui tape decks, the Sanyos came and went quickly), but it would get the job done for the price…and often that’s just right.
Was just at the Toyota dealership and the new and very boxy Land Cruiser was on display. Talk about a very expensive box on wheels.
Also, I understand the Hyundai Santa Fe has adopted the boxy approach.
Now, if they could do something with the current Ford Escape…looks awful. I had a 2005 & 2012 which were boxy as well, but had gobs of interior room. I guess you would need to move to the Bronco Sport to get the boxy interior room.
Not to be a contrarian, but I always thought this generation of Pajaro/Montero was positively sleek compared to the contemporary Isuzu Trooper. Now the Isuzu was really a box; the Mitsubishi does have some non-perpendicular angles and even a few small curves stamped into the body sides. And while neither car would be purchased for its styling, the Mitsubishi’s proportions are very nice compared to the equivalent wheelbase Isuzu. By comparison, in reference to 3SpeedAutomatic’s comment above, I find the new Land Cruiser very appealing but the new Santa Fe is just too boxy, again marred by awkward proportions.