2005 Mitsubishi Montero Limited Road Test

The electronically controlled system, called ActiveTrac, allows the driver to select from one of four modes by pressing down on the lever and moving it up and down in increments. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

While the Montero may not be built with speed in mind, it requires strong brakes to cope with its heavy weight. Four-wheel discs with two-piston front calipers, electronic brake force distribution and Multimode, which proportions the braking force between each wheel, provide decent stopping power with good pedal feel; although dive is fairly pronounced, particularly during panic stops.

As you would expect with an off-road king, the Montero offers a transfer case that's controlled through a junior-sized lever to the right of the autobox, meaning the hardcore SUV look is present without engaging into full-on war with a stiff lever and a metal gate. The electronically controlled system, called ActiveTrac, allows the driver to select from one of four modes by pressing down on the lever and moving it up and down in increments. In dry weather, most people will leave the Montero in fuel-saving 2WD, although if added traction is needed in the wet or snow, 4Hi is your best bet. Power is sent via a limited-slip differential to the front wheels in a 37/57 bias rather than a perfect 50/50 split, to enhance overall feel. For more serious terrain, such as mud-plugging or boulder-climbing, the centre differential can be locked, or low-range 4WD can be selected.

Your choice is then displayed in one of the four circular pods in the instrument panel, lit up on a scaled-down drivetrain cutaway. Though it's electronically controlled, using the same technology that's found in a

it's the manner in which all of the requisite SUV bits and pieces are presented that makes all the difference. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

push-button or knob-style electronic transfer case, the use of a secondary gear lever gives the Montero an authentic off-roader feel. Though I did not have the opportunity to take this beast off paved roads, those who have rate the Montero as one of the more capable sport 'utes sold in Canada.

Despite its 265/75 Dunlop mud and snow SUV tires, traction control and aforementioned smart four-wheel drive system, the Montero's long wheelbase, protruding running boards and 220 mm (8.6 inches) of ground clearance will probably get hung up in a rut or crag before the SUV runs out of traction. The five-speed Sportronic also has its advantages off-road, holding a given gear and thus preventing the autobox from bogging down while inching over the crest of a rain-slicked hill.