Mitsubishi Montero History
Catalog record
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History
The Montero — the North American name for the Mitsubishi Pajero — arrived in the US for 1983 initially as a two-door body-on-frame SUV; a four-door version joined for 1989 and quickly became the dominant seller. It competed in and won the Dakar Rally, lending real off-road credibility to its rugged image.
A second generation debuted for 1992 as a four-door-only design on a longer, wider platform. The third generation (2001) grew the Montero further and switched to a carlike unibody construction. US sales ended after the 2006 model year as buyers moved to car-based crossovers; the Outlander took its place in the lineup.
Generations
First generation · L040
Original US Montero — 2-door at launch, 4-door added 1989; body-on-frame, Dakar Rally heritage.
Second generation · V20/V40
Four-door only on a larger platform; refined the formula for the SUV boom.
1998 Photo: “1998 Mitsubishi Pajero Evo.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Third generation · V60/V70
Grew again; switched from body-on-frame to unibody — final US generation before discontinuation.
Body styles
- 2-door SUV
- 4-door SUV
Related models
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