A true Toyota LandCruiser Prado fighter! How Australian-developed 2024 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport will take the fight to its off-road rivals

The clock is counting down to the official unveiling of the 2024 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, with the Triton-based SUV to be one of the brand’s most important new models.

It will enter into a booming off-road segment across several marques and segments, with the new Prado approaching, the LC300 doing big things, a Patrol Warrior around the corner, and even a Y63 Patrol waiting off in the middle distance.

And with its launch approaching, our online sleuths have pieced together these new renders based on the just-revealed Triton, with the diesel dual-cab also hinting at just what we can expect from the new Pajero Sport.

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That begins with a new(ish) engine, with Mitsubishi fitting bi-turbos to its existing 2.4-litre diesel engine, increasing the power from 133kW and 430Nm to 150kW and 470Nm — putting it near-enough to on-par with the new Prado, which carries over its 2.8-litre turbo-diesel, only now with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.

Importantly, the power increases and redesigned suspension have boosted to the Triton’s max braked towing capacity by 400kg to 3500kg — numbers we’d expect to carry over to the Pajero Sport, too.

Both will ride on Mitsubishi’s new ladder-frame platform, bringing with it a 130mm increase to the Triton’s wheelbase (now 3130mm), which should mean more room all three of the Pajero Sport’s seating rows, too.

The Pajero Sport is also expected to benefit from the Triton’s Australian development program, with the brand telling CarsGuide it upgraded key aspects of the drive experience to suit local tastes.

“Towing, straight-line ability, and on-centre handling was very important, and of course safety equipment” Chief Product Specialist for the Triton range, Yoshiki Masuda, told us.

“In order to get a higher level of steering feel, we had to tune in Australia.”

“We did many tests, we used test courses, we drove on-road, off-road, and combined with MMAL (Mitsubishi Australia) to discuss what was good [for Australia]. We dispatched many engineers [from Japan] over a long time for the ride and handling test

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is expected to be revealed this year ahead of a 2024 or 2025 launch date. The new Triton will begin arriving Australia early next year.