As you'd expect, the Sport's long suit is space. Lots of it, including
more headroom than the low roof would suggest. Materials used for upholstery,
carpet and other surfaces are attractive and appear to be long-wearing.
All Sports save the XLS (which gets leather) have good-looking cloth coverings
on their comfortable seats; the front seats' range of adjustment is sufficient
to give any reasonably sized person enough legroom without cramping those
in back. A height-adjustable steering column is standard, though its locked
positions are far enough apart that some drivers may not find exactly the
wheel angle they want.
Visually, the Sport cabin tends more toward truck than car, with a large,
blocky dashboard holding essential gauges in front of the driver--the usual
speedometer, tachometer, fuel level and water temperature gauges--and,
if chosen from the options list, a Multi-Meter with compass, outside temperature,
voltage and oil pressure readouts. Heat/vent/air conditioning and audio
controls are centered in the dash, within easy reach of driver and passenger.
Each of the outboard seating positions also has a hefty grab-handle, a
feature much appreciated on- road or off.
It's a bit of a reach down to the 4WD transfer case shift lever, which
sits next to the shift handle on the center tunnel. No pushbutton or rotating-switch
controls for this part-time system; a tug of the lever allows the driver
to shift between 2WD and 4WD while the Sport is underway. A shift to low-range
4WD can only be made at rest.
In daily to-and-fro use, the Sport is remarkably comfortable. Soft,
though well-controlled suspension, power steering and lots of sound-deadening
materials throughout the body see to that. Most of the noise comes from
the engine (our tester, a well-equipped LS, had the V6/automatic combination)
and tires; wind noise is almost nonexistent. Maneuverability is about average
for the class.
Still, that high seating position does count for something; if you can't
get past obstacles, at least you can see over them.
On the highway, the Sport does just fine, as long as you don't mind
noise levels that are somewhat above passenger-car standards. At 65 mph,
the most obtrusive noises come from the tire treads. The seats are supportive
enough to be good for all-day drives, and you can take plenty of luggage
along; even with four or five people on board, there's more than 40 cubic
feet of load space available.
In straight-ahead performance, the Sport is so-so. Even 173 horses are
somewhat hard-pressed to cope with more than two tons of mass, so acceleration
tends to be leisurely.
To be fair, though, that's true of most sport-utilities. Blazing acceleration
just isn't part of the deal in this realm.
But the Sport really comes to life when taken off the pavement. Its
Montero heritage has left it with a rugged box-section steel frame and
suspension components hefty enough to withstand enormous amounts of abuse.
In low range, the Sport has the power to go almost anywhere, with enough
ground clearance--8.5 inches--to tackle moderate log- and rock-hopping.
And when for this kind of action, the Sport is a better bet than the senior
Montero, since there's less front and rear overhang. If you're considering
off-road use, we strongly recommend the optional limited-slip rear differential.