Mitsubishi Pajero vs BMW 218i
What's the difference?

Mitsubishi Pajero

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2022 price

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BMW 218i

$46,900 - $69,900

2025 price

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Summary

2022 Mitsubishi Pajero

2025 BMW 218i

By Marcus Craft

By Byron Mathioudakis

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Diesel Turbo 4, 2.4L

Turbo 4, 2.0L

Fuel Type

Diesel

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

8.0L/100km (combined)

7.7L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Price-tag
Decent all-rounder
Seven seats

Great to drive
Brilliant multimedia system
Surprisingly practical

Dislikes

No Super Select II
Not as refined as rivals
Lacks some safety tech

Expensive
Firm ride on larger wheels
No spare wheel

2022 Mitsubishi Pajero Summary

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is one of the quiet-achieving top-sellers in the Australian 4WD market and now 2WD five- and seven-seater variants have been added to further expand the popular SUV wagon line-up.

With sub-$50,000 price-tags being touted, is a 2WD Pajero Sport worth your consideration?

We had a seven-seater variant for a week to see how it stacks up against its 2WD rivals and its own 4WD stablemates.

Read on.

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2025 BMW 218i Summary

Sometimes a name change can make all the difference.

Google used to be called “Back Rub”. The Spice Girls started off as “Touch”. And – particularly in Germany – some premium sedans became known as “coupes”, as they struggled to stay popular against SUVs.

Case in point: what is essentially a 1 Series hatchback with a boot has been more glamorously badged the “2 Series Gran Coupe” since 2020.

Still following the sedan script with four doors, it’s BMW’s tilt at Mercedes’ booted A-Class hatch, the rakish CLA, unveiled early last decade as the Concept Style Coupe and now in its third series-production iteration – though since 2019 a more conservatively styled A-Class Sedan has also existed, that goes up against Audi’s A3 Sedan.

But we digress. Now there’s a “new” 2 Gran Coupe, coded F74, though it’s really a heavy facelift of the superseded F44. Oh, and the ‘i’ no longer exists in the badge, so (M-enhanced models aside) it’s just numbers from here on in. 218. 220. M235.

Regardless of names, does it live up to the BMW promise?

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Deep dive comparison

2022 Mitsubishi Pajero 2025 BMW 218i

Verdict

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GLS 2WD seven-seater is a well-built and well-priced family-friendly wagon.

It's nice to drive, has a rather comfortable interior and – bonus – the vehicle on which it's based has proven credibility as a no-nonsense and highly functional touring vehicle.

But in 2WD guise it's missing something: namely Super Select II, which accounts for a considerable chunk of the 4WD Pajero Sport’s appeal – so the absence of that in this 2WD version is a significant negative, in my books.

The not-so-subtle point I’m trying to make? Sure, the 2WD Pajero Sport is a few grand cheaper than its 4WD stablemate and it's a solid value-for-money buy as is, but I reckon paying the extra cash to get your hands on a Pajero Sport that's equipped with Super-Select II is the better bet.

Verdict

The badge might say one thing, but the 2 Series Gran Coupe sticks to the time-honoured template of being a compact yet comparatively practical three-box, four-door sedan, complete with a big boot.

More importantly, it drives and behaves like a BMW – which means sufficient-to-strident performance depending on grade, athletic dynamics and pleasing refinement on one hand, as well as a stiff price and a hard ride on the other.

A true BMW in name and nature, then..

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Mitsubishi Pajero vs BMW 218i What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Mitsubishi Pajero vs BMW 218i
What's the difference?