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The Mitsubishi Montero / Pajero / Shogun turns 30 this spring!

I looked at a lot of trucks, from Land Cruisers to Land Rovers, before settling on my 1995 Montero LS. The combination of Japanese reliability, a well-designed, well-thought-out interior, and, what I thought were classic good looks, proved pretty appealing. Also, I was looking for something from the mid-90s. That era seems to be the sweet spot on the SUV development timeline in which trucks went from spartan and capable to soft and cushy. The fact that it was the only one from this era available in the US with a manual transmission, sealed the deal. I’ve been happy with it ever since.

True — they’re not available in the states anymore — but you can explore more of the model’s history on the Mitsubishi Australia site.


My Gen2 and Greg’s Gen1 on a recent trip.

Hat tip to Greg for the video link!