Watch out, Isuzu MU-X! Why the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport should be on your new 4WD shopping list | Opinion

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport has never quite hit the sales heights that it probably should.

And that's a bloody shame because its sales figures aren’t a true indication of the Pajero Sport’s real-world worth or its value-for-money appeal.

This is an impressive quiet achiever and I’m about to tell you why you shouldn’t ignore this 4WD.

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Read on.

Why you should buy a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

For this yarn, I’ll use the top-spec GSR variant for reference.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GSR* has a manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of $62,440 (excluding on-road costs), but the vehicle I most recently tested was fitted with several accessories including a Redarc Electric brake controller with harness ($689), a towbar kit with 12-pin plug ($1555), a carpet mat set ($236), a 50mm chrome towball ($41), so if it were a MY23 vehicle, its total MSRP would be $64,961. (* The GSR cited in this yarn is a MY22 vehicle; the prices (listed here, including accessories) are applicable to a MY23 vehicle.)

Standard features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), paddle-shifters on the steering wheel, leather-appointed seats, power-adjustable and heated front seats, LED daytime running lights, Multi Around Monitor, dual zone climate control, 18-inch black alloy wheels and a power tailgate.

The Pajero Sport has a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine, which produces 133kW at 3500rpm and 430Nm at 2500rpm, and it has an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Standard features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system. (Image: Glen Sullivan)

This is a well-proven and respectable combination, and it gets the job done.

One of the biggest drawcards in the GSR’s make-up is the fact that it’s equipped with Mitsubishi’s Super Select II 4WD system. There’s a Super Select II 4WD dial to the rear of the shifter, which enables the driver to switch from 2H (two-wheel drive), 4H (4WD high range), 4HLc (4WD High Range with locked centre diff) and 4LLC (4WD Low Range with locked centre diff). The driver is able to safely switch between 2WD (2H) and 4WD (4H, 4HLc) at speeds up to 100km/h.

The GSR has a button-operated off-road mode system – with Gravel, Mud/Snow, Sand or Rock settings, each of which tweaks engine output, transmission settings and traction control to best suit the terrain – and hill-descent control.

It has selectable off-road modes, including Gravel, Sand, Mud/Snow (when in high-range 4WD) and Rock (when in low-range 4WD). All of those adjust engine output, transmission settings and braking, the aim being to produce superior traction to suit those specific conditions and terrains.

The Pajero Sport has a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine. (Image: Glen Sullivan)

The GSR has decent high- and low-range gearing and a very effective Super Select II 4WD system. You can switch, via a dial near the shifter, from 2H into 4H (four-wheel drive high-range), if you're not already driving with 4H engaged, and that gives you the best traction possible in traction-compromised conditions, which you may face on country roads and dirt tracks.

There's no risk of transmission wind-up because the centre diff is open when 4H is engaged in the Pajero Sport – adding an extra element of safety and sure-footedness to your driving experience. Then turn the dial to 4HLc (four-wheel drive high-range locked centre diff) and you're ready to take on more difficult terrain but at lower speeds, because the centre diff is no longer open.

For even harder stuff, turn the dial to 4LLc (four-wheel drive low-range locked centre diff) and the Pajero Sport has a real opportunity to excel in low-speed, low-range four-wheel driving.

Finally, as well as its centre diff-lock – which is activated when 4HLc or 4LLc (4WD low-range, locked centre diff) is selected – the Pajero Sport has a rear diff lock, which is engaged/disengaged via a button in front of the shifter and this further helps you to easily maintain a safe forward momentum.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GSR* has a manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of ,440 (excluding on-road costs).

Hill-descent control works well, sustaining a controlled low speed of 2-3km/h all the way down even steep hills.

Wheel travel is good, ground clearance (218mm) is okay, although you still have to mind your driving line through rough terrain and be mindful of approach, departure and ramp-over angles.

Official fuel consumption for the Pajero Sport GSR is 8.0L/100km on a combined cycle.

My last real-world fuel figure, from pump to pump, was 9.4L/100km.

The Pajero Sport gets paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. (Image: Glen Sullivan)

The Pajero Sport has a 68-litre tank, so, with that real-world fuel-consumption figure, you can reasonably expect a driving range of approximately 690km from a full tank, but that’s after having already factored in a safe-distance buffer of 30km.

The MY22 Pajero Sport that I most recently drove has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2015. The MY23 Pajero Sport has not yet been ANCAP tested or rated.

Safety gear includes seven airbags (driver’s knee, driver and passenger front, driver and passenger front sides, and curtains) and this Pajero Sport’s suite of active safety and driver-assist tech includes AEB, adaptive cruise control, trailer stability assist, rear-view camera and rear parking sensors, blind-spot warning with lane change assist, and rear cross-traffic alert.

The Pajero Sport is covered by a 10-year/200,000-kilometre new car warranty, (whichever occurs first and when all scheduled services are completed at a Mitsubishi Dealership), 10 years of capped-price servicing, and four years of roadside assistance.

The Pajero Sport has a 68-litre tank. (Image: Glen Sullivan)

Service intervals are set for 12 months or 15,000km, and capped-price servicing covers the first 10 regular services at those scheduled 15,000km/12 month intervals.The average cost per service (over 10 years) is $599.

Why you shouldn’t buy a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

The current-generation Pajero Sport is feeling a bit dated – with an uninspiring interior – and its 8.0-inch touchscreen is woefully inadequate. That'll all be supposedly rectified in the next generation, so maybe wait...

It’s riding on Toyo Open Country A32 all-terrain tyres (265/60R18 110H) and, while they’re preferable, in off-road terms, to the 20-inch wheel-and-tyre packages of some of its rivals, it would perform even better when 4WDing with more aggressive rubber.

What I reckon

The Pajero Sport is a very capable off-road vehicle, it has plenty of standard features onboard and it also functions well as a daily driver.

And, in GSR spec, there is even more to like about it – especially as it's equipped with Super Select II 4WD.

This wagon is rarely stressed when tackling even the most serious of 4WD challenges and, even though it’s all packaged on an ageing platform, the Pajero Sport continues to represent good value for money in an increasingly expensive new car market.