New Montero Sport 4x4, Fortuner 3.0 4x4 or Sta. Fe 4x4.

**alainroyce** · September 1st, 2008 02:04 PM

Best buy for this 3 SUV and performance wise for this. Comment on this.

**niky** · September 1st, 2008 04:09 PM

Won't know till I test drive the Montero Sport, but from reports, it's somewhat better than the Fort. Don't know how it compares to the Santa Fe, but the Santa Fe is a pure soft-roader, not an off-roader like the MS or the Fortuner.

**Gen. Miting** · September 2nd, 2008 04:56 AM

you cant take a Sta Fe for off-roading I guess.

**niky** · September 2nd, 2008 11:28 AM

While you can take it off-road, that's not its main purpose. The Santa Fe is a crossover designed as a comfortable on-road vehicle with good ground clearance and 4WD to help in low traction conditions.

But it has lower height, road-biased tires and a relatively tame electronic full-time 4WD mode... much like the CR-V, which isn't that great off-road.

The Fortuner and the Montero Sport, on the other hand, are built on pickup-truck ladder frames, have heavy duty truck suspension, a higher ride height, all-terrain tires and a switchable part-time 4WD system with low ratios for off-roading. While the extra weight of the hardware and truck-based construction make them less refined than the Santa Fe (though the Montero Sport should be very good if it drives anything like the Strada), they allow them to go further off-road than the Santa Fe can.

But if off-roading for the thread-starter means nothing more than a muddy track or a few potholes, the Santa Fe is the better choice, with the smaller and more fuel efficient engine and the nicer cabin.

**Horsepower** · September 2nd, 2008 12:15 PM

Unfortunately, the KIA Sorento VGT (2.5L 175hp/400Nm) is not yet being sold here. It would have been a nice contender being another body-on-ladder SUV.

The 2010 Sorento not be having the ladder chassis anymore and will be sharing the platform with Hyundai Veracruz.

**niky** · September 2nd, 2008 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Horsepower

Unfortunately, the KIA Sorento VGT (2.5L 175hp/400Nm) is not yet being sold here. It would have been a nice contender being another body-on-ladder SUV.

The 2010 Sorento not be having the ladder chassis anymore and will be sharing the platform with Hyundai Veracruz.

The local Sorento seems somewhat more road-biased than the Fort and MS, but it has great axle articulation and would make a great off-roader... even without VGT, it's pretty powerful.

**aeis** · August 7th, 2012 03:52 PM

Sir Niky,

I am a proud and very satisfied owner of a 2.2 L 2008 Vanilla White Sta fe and i am planning to change car or should i say upgrade my ride. The ALL new sta fe i have read will be available in the showroom this September and although i know that buying this new model would be an upgrade from my ride now i am inclined to get the new Mitsubishi Pajero BK or even the old 2008 Nissan Super Safari ( Nissan is still selling this brand new ) or the Land Cruiser Prado. Is it worth my money buying these either of these SUV's or would you still recommend the ALL New Sta fe.

Sorry for deviating from the comparisons between Fortuner - Montero - Sta fe but i need advise regarding the aforementioned choices.

Thank you very much.

**renzo_d10** · August 7th, 2012 03:56 PM

Definitely the newer Prado's, Safari's and the BK. Not only they have better flood fording/offroad capabilities but also they offer better luxuries and image than the Santa Fe.

**niky** · August 7th, 2012 07:32 PM

Safari... no. It's a truck. It rides like a truck, it feels like a truck. You'll be surprised how little space there is inside for the heft of the vehicle.

Prado and Pajero, a bit more civil. Definitely better than a Santa Fe.

All three are better off-road than the Santa Fe, though there are those who complain about the off-roading ability of the Pajero compared to the older one. The only reason I'd ever buy the Patrol Safari is if I needed an off-road rig that could carry a lot of people.

But you're buying diesels secondhand, and it's unknown how the previous owner treated them. A new Santa Fe would give you similar or better on-road performance, better fuel economy and cheaper maintenance.

The Prado, however, is tempting.

**GTi** · August 10th, 2012 03:21 AM

Originally Posted by aeis

Sir Niky,

I am a proud and very satisfied owner of a 2.2 L 2008 Vanilla White Sta fe and i am planning to change car or should i say upgrade my ride. The ALL new sta fe i have read will be available in the showroom this September and although i know that buying this new model would be an upgrade from my ride now i am inclined to get the new Mitsubishi Pajero BK or even the old 2008 Nissan Super Safari ( Nissan is still selling this brand new ) or the Land Cruiser Prado. Is it worth my money buying these either of these SUV's or would you still recommend the ALL New Sta fe.

Sorry for deviating from the comparisons between Fortuner - Montero - Sta fe but i need advise regarding the aforementioned choices.

Thank you very much.

What do you look for in your car? You probably know very well that the Santa Fe is significantly more fuel efficient, faster, and has better handling as compared to the BK Pajero, Super Safari and LC150.

But if you want an off roading rig, the Santa Fe would not be the one for you. If you have the budget, I'd suggest you get the LC150, mod it for better performance and perhaps change to bigger tires for higher ride height.