Mitsubishi Pajero Reviews

This might sound a little mean, and I really don’t mean it to, but the new Mitsubishi Pajero is, quite literally, shockingly good when you meet it in person. Shocking because, on paper, it had begun to sound a little like another Mitsubishi roll-the-arm-over special. A platform borrowed from the Mitsubishi Triton, an engine borrowed from the same ute, which was itself borrowed from the previous Triton, such is its vintage. And all from a brand without a known passion for the latest in cabin materials and technology. So it’s a relief to finally encounter the Pajero in person and to discover that any misgivings are unwarranted. On first impressions, at least, this feels like a true return to form for Mitsubishi, and for the iconic Pajero nameplate. Granted, all of our time was spent in the top-spec GSR grade ($84,990), which sports the best stuff, including 20-inch black alloy wheels and the very nice two-tone camel-and-black leather trim, but even the cheapest GLS grade ($68,490) gets plenty of high-tech stuff, including twin 12.3-inch displays and a 12.3-inch driver display. All get an underbody-mounted spare wheel, too. On the price for a second, whether that's a bargain or not depends on how you see the Pajero. It's less than something like a Toyota Prado, but more than other ute-based SUVs like the Ford Everest or Isuzu MU-X. This isn’t an ASX time machine, and nor is it a warmed-over Triton with an SUV body. It feels genuinely fresh, new and modern, and it might just be the best vehicle the brand has launched in years. To know for sure, we’ll have to wait for the official launch later this year, but after our brief off-road sample, the signs are looking good. Mitsubishi made the deviously ingenious decision to have us lap the same off-road circuit twice – once behind the wheel of the old Pajero, and once driving the new one – and the difference was staggering. I liken it to a bit like mobile phones. The first Pajero is a clunky Blackberry, and the new one is an iPhone 18, both will perform the same basic tasks – calls, texts, emails – but the way they achieve those goals is starkly different.  The first Pajero remains capable, but it is a rough, rugged donkey ride up the side of a mountain. The new one, with its clever traction and off-road brain, feels massively more comfortable and luxurious, with the suspension able to soak up so much more punishment before bouncing its occupants around the cabin. The steering, too, feels far more switched-on and responsive, with fewer lock-to-lock turns and far more engagement. It’s as about as comfortable as it gets in the bone-punishing world of off-roading, and I would argue a damn site more pleasant than most dual-cab utes, including the Triton. Off-road purists might stare at you through their beards and tell you that there's something charming, romantic even, about a rough-and-ready analogue 4WD that's now missing from the modern Pajero. But these people like sleeping outside even after the invention of the flushing toilet, and so are not to be listened to. We know already that Mitsubishi has dodged electrification entirely for Pajero, and instead fitted a 2.4-litre single-turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine making 150kW and 480Nm. Despite calling it newly developed, the engine actually dates back to the Triton before the current Triton. There’s a new eight-speed automatic on board, too, and the prerequisite 3.5-tonne towing capacity, along with a fuel use promise of around 7.0 litres per hundred kays. Is that enough power to shift a vehicle this big on a freeway overtake? I have no idea, to be honest. I don’t think I cracked 20km/h on the off-road circuit. Still, the grunt didn’t underwhelm. The Pajero sports Mitsi’s off-road tech, like Super Select 4WD with 4 High and 4 Low with a centre diff lock, along with a separate switch for the rear diff lock, but the track we were on wasn’t challenging enough for us to use all of them. Still, there were places where Pajero old and new both struggled for grip, and the new one found traction sooner, and with less fuss in the cabin. At 4920mm long, 1925mm wide and 1910mm tall, it’s a big unit, and it feels it off-road, where obstacles feel close to the expensive bits of the metal. Helping mitigate that somewhat is the off-road camera that shows you what’s happening outside the car, but that seems to be the only piece of technology that’s been teleported from the past, with the image blurry and underwhelming. Like the mid-grade Exceed, our test GSR is a seven-seat only proposition (though you can opt for five seats in the entry-level GLS), and space in the second row is both ample and comfortable. The seatbacks of the two front seats are home to USB-C charging ports, and there’s a home-style power point between them, which is a great addition, and one you usually only find in electrified vehicles. There’s also rear seat heating in the window seats, and climate settings, too. See what I mean about this feeling more modern than most Mitsubishis? There is a bit of weirdness in the third row, though. Getting in is easy enough – you pull a level and the seat folds flat and forwards, making it easy for my 175cm frame to climb in. Once in though, there are raised portions on the floor of both sides of the cabin, making it impossible to sit with both feet flat and even on the floor, so you end up tilting towards the centre. Adults will hate it, though kids can sit back there easily enough. And kudos to Mitsubishi for blending old and new all over the cabin, and for displaying a real attention to detail, too. The big screens are joined by physical controls for the air-con and volume, for example, and I love the way 'Pajero' has been hot-stamped into the leather in places like on the grab handles. So yes, shockingly good so far. The real test still awaits, but this is looking good for Mitsubishi. Add a 10-year (conditional) warranty and 10 years of capped-price servicing, and the brand could be onto a winner.

There has never been a better time to buy a four-wheel drive, with buyers spoiled for choice. The new Mitsubishi Pajero will land in dealerships this December, and go up against the old brigade led by the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X. But the world has changed since the previous-generation Pajero ceased production in 2021. There is a new breed of rough-and-tumble 4WDs from China such as Denza’s B5, GWM’s Tank 300 and 500 and likely incoming Geely Galaxy 700, which pack hi-tech features, hybrid grunt and wear enticing price tags. This Pajero is more aligned with the old guard, but a new hope is dawning with the promise of hybrid and plug-in hybrid propulsion in the near future. For now it packs a 150kW/480Nm 2.4-litre turbocharged diesel engine, which is an evolution of the twin-turbo unit found in the Triton. Mitsubishi has also ditched the six-speed auto from the Triton in favour of an eight-speed automatic transmission, which will improve performance and help lower fuel use by giving the vehicle more control over the rev range. It shares its underpinnings with the current Triton ute, but Mitsubishi has done a lot of work to make the Pajero a more refined and accomplished daily driver. The chassis is stiffer with greater use of high-quality steel, which increases its stability during cornering but also improves its durability and reliability to better handle the rough stuff. The rear suspension from the Triton has been replaced with a sophisticated five-link set-up with coil springs to smooth out bumps and lumps. And the track has been widened to make it more stable. We headed to Mitsubishi’s proving ground in Okazaki, Japan, to be one of the first people to get behind the wheel of the new Pajero.  The giant Okazaki facility holds the company’s research and development centre, one of its vehicle proving grounds and car factory. Our short loop takes in several of the company’s test routes. The dynamic test mimics a twisting country road, the suspension test pairs together multiple broken and rough road surfaces and the high speed loop is a mind-bending road that has the vehicle pitched at 18-degrees as you whip through the big curve. Off-road testing will have to wait. The test, while short, showed some of the car's strengths and weaknesses. Mitsubishi’s switch to an eight-speed auto is a masterstroke. The new engine transmission combo elevates the drive experience with it smoother and more refined than the Triton. The wide ratios keep the engine humming in its sweet spot, with it doing it easily at 140km/h in eighth gear at about 2000rpm. It could do with a bit more torque, the Pajero not having the responsiveness and initial shove of its rivals back home. It isn’t a performance car but for its category it felt a tad sluggish and heavy. It is remarkably quiet at high speed, with minimal wind noise or tyre roar. There is a slight grumble of the engine permeating through the cabin, but nothing that would get in the way of comfortable conversation. This is paired with well balanced steering that provides decent feedback giving drivers a great idea of what is happening underneath them. It is surprisingly nimble for a circa 2500kg 4WD, with it handling quick changes of direction admirably.  It held its own through the quick corners, exerting solid body control with less lean through the bends than expected of a car this big. This is the result of the wider track, upgraded suspension and the rally-bred Active Yaw Control (AYC) that helps manage the torque delivery to left and right wheels to increase stability when cornering. The Pajero’s suspension treads a fine balance — not too soft, not too firm. On the broken road surfaces it soaked up the bumps and imperfections with ease, but it didn’t encounter anything to mimic the pockmarked roads we encounter at home. First impressions matter, and the Pajero has made a lasting one, but we’ll reserve judgement until we’ve had a proper drive on public roads in Australia. This is the plushest Mitsubishi interior to date. It is festooned with premium materials and high-tech features. The cascading leather covered dash is a design highlight and the dual screens paired with proper buttons and dial controls show it's a 4WD for the modern age. The seats a comfy and easily adjustable and the second row seats sit up higher giving a good view out the forward and side windows. The third row is accessed by a one touch tumbling seat that provides a big space to load passengers through. All rows get air conditioning vents and USB-C ports. The boot is mini with all seven seats in use. The last row seats easily fold down with just the pull of a cord, but they don't fold completely flat. Prices kick off at $68,490, before on-road costs, for the entry-level GLS with five seats, or $69,990 with seven seats. The mid-tier Exceed jumps up to $79,990 and the range-topping GSR starts at $84,990. Both variants are only available with seven seats. Mitsubishi will also back the Pajero with its conditional 10-year/200,000km warranty, which requires owners to complete all their scheduled workshop visits at a Mitsubishi dealership or it reverts to a five year/100,000km guarantee. Mitsubishi offers up to 10 years' of capped-price servicing with scheduled workshop visits required every 15,000km or 12 months.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is one of the Australian 4WD market's quiet achievers and yet it's a big seller. Now two-wheel-drive five- and seven-seater variants have been added to expand the SUV wagon range.So, is a 2WD Pajero Sport worth checking out? Or does the absence of Mitsubishi's Super Select II 4WD system rob this SUV of much of its appeal?

Mitsubishi's long-lived Pajero off-roader is one of the last, true, off-road specialist vehicles.

Mitsubishi's Pajero is a seven-seater 4WD wagon with a lot of substance and little in the way of pretence. It's functional without being at all flashy and that suits plenty of people - real people - but the Pajero's traditional styling and paucity of driver-assist tech, compared to some of its rivals, are factors enough when combined to keep its fanbase, only medium-sized but still very loyal.

It's not flashy or high-tech but does the Pajero, one of the last remaining old-school 4WDs, still deserve your attention?

The Mitsubishi Pajero is one of the company's longest serving and most faithful performers, and we're testing the 2018 update to see if it's still relevant in today's market.

When introduced to Australia in 1983, the Mitsubishi Pajero was arguably the first affordable 4WD that was a family wagon rather than a truck-based 4WD. However, this is a genuine SUV, not a passenger car with a tough looking body, Pajero is competent off-road, being able to handle most situations likely to be encountered by an adventurous family in the great Aussie countryside or on beaches. Though it began its life in downunder as a body-on-chassis 4WD, it became a monocoque for improved ride and comfort in 2000. Good engineering meant the post-2000 models retained similar strength to the chassis models. All have a low-range case for tough, slow conditions. While we are considering the monocoque models from the year 2000 in this feature you should be aware the older ones may be past their use-by date. Unless you can do a fair bit of your own mechanical work you're probably better off considering models from the new generation in December 2006. Mitsubishi’s sophisticated Super Select drivetrain permits the use of all-wheel-drive under any circumstance. For example, safe traction on wet sealed roads if you opt for AWD, or lower fuel consumption on dry dirt roads if you go for 2WD. AWD can be engaged or disengaged on the fly at any speed up to 100 km/h. Midway through 2013 Pajero was brought right up to date in its infotainment and safety equipment. These models are popular with buyers who can't come up with the dollars to buy a brand new one. Mitsubishi Pajero comes as a station wagon with either two or four passenger doors. The two-door was never particularly popular and imports stopped with the all-new model of 2000. They reappeared with the when the new model was launched at the start of end of 2006, then disappeared due to lack of buyer interest in 2010. All short-wheelbase Pajeros have five seats, the long-wheelbase models have either five or seven. The rearmost two seats in the seven-seat models are better suited to kids than adults but with a bit of squeezing up the Pajero can handle seven grown-ups. Though the first Pajeros had a petrol four-cylinder engine, all petrols under review here are V6s. This was a 3.5 twin-cam unit until September 2003 when it was uprated to a 3.8-litre. Diesel power is preferred by most buyers, the large four-cylinder units, 2.8 then 3.2 litres, have good torque and seem to enjoy hard work. Pajero is offered in manual and automatic transmissions, with the latter being almost universal in later years. The Australian Mitsubishi dealer network is long established and well-organised. Spare parts are generally available for all but the oldest models. Prices can be relatively high as 4WD bits are more rugged and can come as a surprise if you've only owned sedans in the past. Insurance premiums are about average for this class and there doesn’t seem to be much difference of opinion on the insurance risk amongst the major insurance companies. Note that the Pajero Sport launched at the end of 2015 is actually a replacement for the outgoing Challenger, not an additional version of the standard Pajero range. If you suspect a Pajero has been used off-road look for damage to door sills, door surfaces and bumper corners. Be very wary if the protection plates have been pushed up onto the mechanical items move them. Check out the interior carefully because carting bored kids about can be tough on any vehicle. Damage to the cargo area is another sign of hard use. Poor engine maintenance is hard on turbos and can lead to complete failure if the oil hasn't been changed on time. Check the service book. Be sure all gears in a manual box engage easily and that the clutch is light and quiet in its action. Automatic transmissions should go into Drive and Reverse promptly and easily. Listen for, and feel for, noises and roughness in the complete driveline. Make sure the brakes pull the Pajero up evenly, even on dirt.

Based on our experience, the best towing vehicle is either a full-size 4x4 ute or wagon with a turbo-diesel engine and automatic transmission.

Ewan Kennedy reviews the Mitsubishi Pajero from 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 as a used buy.