If you're Mitsubishi, a lot of goodwill, that's what. So when the time came to add a youth-oriented partner to their rugged Montero 4x4, they saved their name-research money and brought forth the Montero Sport.

    The Sport, new in 1997, is a little shorter and narrower than the Montero, although it seems much taller. It's about the size of a Blazer, and addresses the same market niche. Where many companies have brought out new, upmarket SUVs, Mitsubishi decided to make its new 4x4 the fun one, and move the existing Montero upmarket.
 
 
INSIDE & OUT

    Our red test Montero Sport bore grey lower body cladding and a tan and grey interior. As an LS model, it came with a 3-liter 24-valve V-6 and 4-speed automatic transmission. Unlike many SUVs, though, a 5-speed manual transmission is available; so are 2-wheel drive and a 4-cylinder engine. The automatic is accompanied by a separate lever for the transfer case.

    Seats are covered in a sturdy-looking velour that grips your britches. The rest of you is restrained by seat belts with adjustable height anchors, and grab handles in great profusion. They're on the B pillar for the driver and front passenger, and both rear seats have 45 degree handles ahead and regular horizontal ones above.

    For some reason, the smell of this brand new Montero Sport reminds us of a giant Band-Aid.

    Push on the little panel that says "push" just below the climate controls and out pop two claw-type cupholders. In the center console, a little flat tray holds little flat things, and two cutouts beg for your coins. The center armrest covers a tall, narrow bin. There's also a rubber-bottomed square hole in front of the transmission lever, and map pockets in the doors. 2 ½ Golden Cupholders. As is Mitsubishi's practice, where the lighter would normally be is a plug with the international symbol for "No Smoking" and "American Cancer Society" around it.
 

    Slim line air bags allow creativity; the 4-spoke steering wheel has a very small center hub. It's elegant, not big and square, yet carries an air bag (and there's one for the front passenger, too.) The power windows in the rear doors of the Montero Sport go all the way down. Hurrah!

    On the instrument panel, clear white-on-black instruments with orange needles display fuel level, speed, RPMs, and water temperature. The odometer is a liquid crystal unit inset in the speedometer, with two trip meters. As in other Mitsubishis we've seen, the instrument panel seems almost backlit at night. It's fluorescent, very pale white, and keen.

    Release a lever on the bottom of the steering column, and the whole column adjusts through an arc. The commendably large side mirrors are squarish and tall rather than wide. Very good, for example, for seeing whether a DC-3 is about to land on you.

    We like that the climate control system allows a blend between positions; it's not just all up top or split, but variable. Mitsubishi's cruise controls are still our favorite. And this Montero Sport bore an easy-to-use sun roof.

    There is a lot of room in the back of this thing, and the rear seat folds in a 70/30 split, yielding a big flat floor with cargo net. Wheel wells intrude a bit. Underneath the floor are compartments for hidden storage, flat trays with hinged covers. The spare tire hangs under the truck and is full size.

    The Montero Sport is supposed to be a high-style vehicle, but we found it a bit slab-sided for our tastes. Paint it yellow and kids would ride it to school. Aside from the Brobdingnagian wheels and tires, it's not as aggressive as the competing Toyota 4Runner, although more studly than the current Nissan Pathfinder.
 

ON THE ROAD

    Underway, the Montero Sport immediately displays a character different from most of its current competition. This is not one of your gentle, cosseting sport utility vehicles. In cushier 4x4s, rough roads don't intrude much, because they're set for long wheel travel and lots of damping. They're set up, in short, for a road ride. The Montero Sport wants to play in the dirt. It rides more stiffly, so you notice more of the irregularities of pavement, but gives more confidence in genuine off-road situations.

    That message is reinforced by the gigantic Yokohama Super Digger 815B tires in 265/70R15, and the dashboard button that puts the automatic transmission into hold mode to negotiate rough off-road obstacles. Gearing, too, seems optimized for the rough stuff rather than merging onto highways and the like.

    The Montero Sport's 3-liter engine, one of those 6-cylinders that Mitsubishi does so well, is quiet, smooth, and goes about its 173-hp business without really telling you that it's there. While lesser models can be had with a 4-cylinder, this seems like a whole lot of vehicle for that.

    Under way, the big Mitsubishi seems tall and skinny. One is very aware of sitting way up, especially with those long-sidewall tires. As you might expect from something this tall and slab-sided, the Montero Sport gets moved around a good bit by crosswinds and passing trucks.

    One odd sensation amid all this brawn: over bumps and irregularities, the suspension feels curiously unconnected. It's as if the wheels aren't damped for the first half inch of travel or so. You hear and feel the wheel moving around, but don't feel the shock up in the steering. A bug or a feature? You decide. To us, it distracted from the feeling of a solid vehicle.

    In mixed highway and local driving, the Montero Sport returned 19.4 mpg, in line with the EPA's 18 city, 21highway.
 

SUMMING UP

    The Montero Sport is a modern 4x4 for those who keep the candle burning for what SUVs are supposed to be about. It's an off-roader first, a PTA hauler second. If you like them tough, you'll like the Montero Sport.
 

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