It can be argued that the 1990s were the heyday of the popularity of Toyota's off-roaders. On top of the iconic 4Runner, Toyota was also hard at work producing others, like the first-gen RAV4, and there were also famous classics such as the old full-size Toyota Land Cruiser - not the current mid-sized Land Cruiser that's still fresh on the roads. It seems the '90s were the epitome of simple off-roading with modern conveniences such as fuel injection, making them very reliable.

Mitsubishi is a Japanese automaker founded in 1870 and is part of the Mitsubishi Group and broader Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Mitsubishi Motors officially started producing passenger vehicles in 1917, the Mitsubishi Model-A, before building a legacy as the manufacturer of off-roaders like the Pajero. Mitsubishi established a strong presence in motorsport, with models like the Lancer Evolution competing in WRC and the Pajero Evolution taking multiple wins in the Dakar Rally. Its best-ever sales year in the USA was 2002, when it sold 345,915 cars.

1870

Yatarō Iwasaki

Tokyo, Japan

Mitsubishi Group

Takao Kato

But some of us like to be black sheep, and sometimes, we don't like to follow the status quo. So, let's say you really want some sort of 1990s-era off-roader, but you don't want to be like everyone else and buy a Toyota 4Runner. What are your options? What brand can you turn to in order to satiate your desire for some decades-old off-roading? It seems Mitsubishi may have the key to your wants, because the Mitsubishi Pajero, or Montero in the US, is another classic off-roader that offers great reliability at a reasonable price these days.