Dakar icon Hiroshi Masuoka (inset, top) is Mr. Cool behind the wheel. The Montero Sport, equipped with a Super Select 4WD, displayed its all-terrain capability when it navigated sequentially positioned metal ramps which simulated rugged, uneven off-road condition. Photos courtesy of Brent Co
After a month-long news embargo, the latest piece de resistance of Mitsubishi Motors will be unwrapped today. As Mitsubishi will try and whet up public interest, the crowd-drawing Mall of Asia offers the perfect venue for the coming-out party of the 2008 Montero Sport– the newest evolution of the most dominant vehicle in the Paris-Dakar rally.
The 2008 Montero Sport actually had a sneak preview in last week’s 2nd Philippine International Motorshow at the World Trade Center. In keeping with the global embargo, the Montero Sport was guised as a concept vehicle in all its gleaming, factory-fresh glory.
But before the Filipino public could catch a glimpse of the newest SUV in town, the Russians held their exhibit ahead of the rest of the world.
A burgeoning appetite for luxury cars ranked the Russians among the superstars of conspicuous consumption and earned for them the bragging rights to parade the Montero Sport before the rest of the world could view, touch and feel the newest SUV in town.
“Last year, the Russian market gobbled up around 40,000 units of Mitsubishi vehicles,” said Mel Dizon, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines. That figure was already half of the total sales of vehicles made by all car makers in the Philippines in 2007.
That should explain why Mitsubishi had to ask for a blackout of news and photos about the Montero test in Thailand to make way for the Russians. Arlan Reyes, the affable PR manager of Mitsubishi, made sure we kept our end of the bargain by persuading all of us including the mavericks in our midst to sign a waiver.
While Mitsubishi gave the VIP treatment to the fast-growing Russian market, it honored a Filipino contingent with the envious role of being among the first to find out how the Montero Sport would behave under punishing conditions.
Mitsubishi Thailand brought out five Montero Sport SUVs during that rubber-burning test-drive at the vast Bira racing circuit exactly a month ago today. And those were not just spanking new SUVs, but the ones that were barely touched by human hands. At Mitsubishi Thailand’s sprawling Laemchabang plant in Pattaya City, an automated assembly line produces Montero and other Mitsubishi vehicles, needing minimal work from humans. Incidentally, some parts are imported from the Philippines, a result of a special arrangement allowed under the Asean Industrial Complementation benefiting Mitsubishi’s Manila and Bangkok units, according to Reyes.
It was a twin treat for the Filipino journalists, who found themselves riding shotgun with Mr. Dakar himself, Hiroshi Masuoka. As back-to-back champion (2002-2003), Masuoka helped steer the Pajero/Montero team to seven straight victories in the world’s most grueling off-road race.
This time, there were neither camels nor sand dunes nor desert for the new Montero Sport to hurdle. The five Monteros that went through the torture test were all four-wheel drives, equipped with 3.2-liter, turbocharged, DOHC, 16-valve diesel engine. The four-speed automatic transmission boasts Mitsubishi’s breakthrough technology called INvecs II with sports mode, and a Super Select 4wd that enables all four wheels to tackle all kinds of navigable road surfaces. Two of the test units were top-of-the-line, made distinctive by their sun roof features among other visible accessories.
If plans push through in Manila, Mitsubishi will roll out the 3-liter, four-wheel drive Montero Sport before deciding to bring in the other variants, according to Dizon. The price tag is P1.5 million to P1.6 million, Dizon said.
It was a Wednesday and the sun was baking hot when Mitsubishi officials decided to let the Filipino motor heads do several laps around an especially designed track at Bira. The walk around the track that usually preceded any test run was dispensed with. The hosts probably thought that the Filipino journalists after long years of writing about cars had learned enough to know how to drive even under such unusual circumstances. A short briefing gave us a bird’s eye view of the track, just a faint idea of how to drive the Montero around the long and sometimes winding stretch of bitumen.
I enthusiastically took my turn at the wheel and did two laps, accompanied by a Thai marshal who hardly spoke. Strapped in the leather-wrapped captain’s seat and given the go-ahead, I floored the gas pedal. The Montero responded quickly and in no time breached 100 kph from zero. I was just beginning to enjoy the high-speed cruise and adrenalin rush when I noticed that the road was getting narrower. A semi-hairpin turn emerged a few meters ahead. Safety requires that you don’t tackle a sharp turn with the vehicle surging at 100 kph or more. Instinctively, I slammed the brake as I turned the wheel by about 180 degrees to the left. Man and machine were conspiring to defy the laws of physics and the forces of gravity. The tires screeched, all four wheels screaming defiance, while I held tight on the wheel, battling the G-forces that felt like some unseen hands were violently trying to throw me out of my seat and the Montero out of kilter. At that moment, I was scared of the thought the Montero was going to tumble and roll. But I and the Montero didn’t give up. Soon enough, the Montero Sport’s anti-brake lock and electronic brake force distribution systems went to work, keeping the SUV maneuverable and stable. Whew! I threw a glance at my passenger who could only flash the thumbs-up sign and grin, visibly relieved that by the skin of the teeth, I’ve avoided disaster.
That edge-of-the-seat incident came in sharp contrast with the refined, clockwork-precise driving style of Masuoka who gamely “chauffeured” the Filipino contingent around the track for several laps.
The demigod of Dakar drove as fast as he could, like a bat out of hell, yet consistent and steady. Masuoka tackled the twists and turns without hesitation. He cut the apex sharply and quickly, making much use of the allowable kerbs.
To his every whims and caprices, the Montero Sport responded like a loyal servant paying obeisance to his lord and master. Masuoka gave us a short but memorable lesson on razzle-dazzle driving. The Montero for its part lived up to its billing both as an offroader and a luxury ride. With its looks and all-road competence, the Montero is likely to become a status symbol in the affluent Russia in the same manner that its bigger sibling, Pajero, has turned out to be a measure of its owner’s wealth and social standing at least in the Philippines.
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