The Montero was totally redesigned in 1992, the last year received substantial interior improvements, including a standard driver?s airbag. This year, the base LS Montero receives a new, more powerful engine, while the top-of-the-line SR is unchanged.It seems surprising that the company would go to such lengths to maintain and improve the appeal of a vehicle that sells at a rate of fewer than 10,000 units per year in the United States. But the factors that keep Montero sales low have more to do with import quotas and a small dealer network than with the vehicle itself. Mitsubishi?s big bopper offers a lot to serious sport/utility buyers. Although aerodynamic design - sloping noses, sculptured sides and sharply raked windshields - has spread to the sport/utility class, it has hardly affected the Montero. Mitsubishi carried on with a traditional upright piano look in designing the latest Montero. From bluff front to slab sides the Montero resists contemporary style trends - a successful resistance in our opinion. There are practical aspects to this choice. The long wheelbase makes room for wider doors, to the benefit of entry and exit as well as riding comfort. And the Montero?s high ground clearance (7.5 in. for the LS, 7.1 in. for the SR) is good for travel over bad roads, or no roads.
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