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

[alainroyce]

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

[niky]

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]

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

[niky]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[niky]

The Santa Fe is the best diesel SUV in the segment because it is the best on the road.

It has the most refinement, the best engine (small, yet powerful), the best ride and the most comfortable interior (honestly... I'm a FordClubber, and I will readily admit the Everest isn't for everyone).

The advantage of the Montero, Everest, Fortuner et al is the off-road capability... but if you're not climbing Mount Pinatubo any time soon... (and where you'll get clean diesel there to feed the finicky common rail engines in all of these cars... I don't know)... the Santa Fe is the best choice. For off-roading, I'd say it's a toss-up between the Fort and the Everest... I like the Eve's drivetrain and engine better, especially as it has an LSD, but the Fort is a very capable vehicle that sees a lot of off-road action.

I'd say the Captiva and Sorento would come next, but the Sorento's ride is too wallowy for me (see? I don't like all Koreans... ) and the Captiva's handling is just so-so.

Another interesting entry in this market? The Ssangyong Kyron. ( http://bigbigcar.com/ReviewArticle.aspx?id=31 ) It's a Mercedes-based engine and Chassis... comes with ABS, EBD, SRS Airbags and an interior that makes the Japanese (Montero, Everest, Fortuner... the Everest is based on the Mazda B-pickup) ladder-frames look like crap.





The ride isn't half-bad (I'd say it's comparable to the Pajero Fieldmaster, but a little better, with more body control) and the engine is good, though not as powerful as the Toyota 3.0 D4D or the Ford 3.0 TDCi. Still, this car has more refinement than most ladder-frame trucks, a true low-range 4WD option, a punchy engine and a great interior.

Okay... so it looks funny... but so what? You're going to be sitting inside it, anyway...

[alainroyce]

I started this thread to give an advise regarding the performance of this 3 SUV. i will not use this for off road just for family use only .. Before i was so much incline to Fort but with the bad review on the suspension and my personal test drive with my friend i will say (matagtag talaga sya) but they say the new version of the fort was good. i hope that the shock will improve. the 2nd is Sta.Fe, for me it's a great medium SUV for family with 2.2 engine with superb horse power with 5 years warranty but with the new arrival of MS i must say i will wait for more review of this to decide (the problem here is i must say that the inside cabin is look like my strada) but, MS is the cheapest for this 3 SUV.. All of this 3 SUV has a different characteristic.

[ryan]

Santa Fe is probably the most practical among the three due to its refinement, long warranty, and good resale. Despite being very stylish, I dunno why but I'm already tired of it even if its relatively new in the market.

As for the Fortuner and Montero Sport, cuz of its roughness and simplicity, (to lower their prices), makes them quite attractive to me and reminds me of older Pajeros and Land Cruisers.

So at the moment, while not perfect, I would go for the Montero Sport if only because its supposed to ride better than the Fortuner (based on reviews) and has fold flat 3rd row seats.

Ssangyong Kyron? Sorry but I think its like throwing away money with it.

[leonleon]

Ssangyong Kyron? Sorry but I think its like throwing away money with it.

Agree. Ssangyong's current designs seems like an acquired taste.

Totoo, di mo naman nakikita yung exterior while you're driving,
but once you get off the car (in the garage or in a parking space),
makikita mo na yun for sure and and you'll be left with the thought:
"What was I thinking when I bought this?"

I see very few of it on the road, and for sure if sales don't improve, you'll
be left with a zero value car 5 or 10 years down the road. Rememer the MB 100 Van (aka Ssangyong) almost 10 years back? So pass muna
ako sa Ssangyong for now....

[Gen. Miting]

better, with more body control) and the engine is good, though not as powerful as the Toyota 3.0 D4D or the Ford 3.0 TDCi. Still, this car has more refinement than most ladder-frame trucks, a true low-range 4WD option, a punchy engine and a great interior.

Okay... so it looks funny... but so what? You're going to be sitting inside it, anyway...

is this available here already? meron pa other pics. baka lang pangit tong angle na'to

[mazdamazda]

is this available here already? meron pa other pics. baka lang pangit tong angle na'to

General... please click the link below for the full review & more pictures:

http://www.bigbigcar.com/ReviewArticle.aspx?id=31


Looks ok to me... but my wife hates it.

[alainroyce]

My cousin own a sta.fe 4x4. she told me that its hard to get 8 to 10 km/liter on city driving no heavy traffic., i wondering why, the displacement of sta.fe is only 2.2 high hP and high torque but the fuel consumption are not good..

This mean that the engine displacement is not a factor for fuel consumption when the horse power is greater.?

[zaza.altis]

my point actually. some friends say na nakaka average sila na 10-12km/l s 2.5L diesel fort on mixed driving . e sta fe lower displacement higher torque and power dami complain na malakas consumption ave of 6km/l to as -high of 8km/l in city.para bang higher hp and torque equals higher fuel consumption.

i have my altis also baba ng hp and torque rating but so far happy ako sa consumption around 9-10 city 12-14 hi way decent power and acceleration.

and lets face it sooner or later you will need to sell the suv how many would you think are willing to buy a 3-6y/o hyundai suv? maybe if you lower the price low enough. reliability and if the resale value will hold is yet to be seen if it will compare to starex okay na sana if same depreciation lang ng starex acceptable na. but looking sa buy and sell re tucson, matrix, elantra masyadong mababa nila binebenta and parang hindi ganon kadami ang mga interested to buy. just my 2 cents.. no offense to sta fe owners.

[Gen. Miting]

General... please click the link below for the full review & more pictures:

http://www.bigbigcar.com/ReviewArticle.aspx?id=31


Looks ok to me... but my wife hates it.

thanks for the link

omg! this is the rear?
[img]http://www.bigbigcar.com/uploads/gal...008kyron07.jpg
[/img]

well, parang bagay i-drive palabas ng buckingham palace

[markcastro]

to be honest with you guys, i do have my mitsubishi montero for two months now.. all i can say is that it was the best suv i've seen because of its handsome look and the performance was incredible in my part..