What's the difference?
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.
The Mahindra Scorpio is back – but now it has upgraded safety tech (including AEB) and it’s only available in one variant: the Z8L+.
This is a 4WD wagon with a fair bit of appeal: seven seats, a stack of standard features, a low-range transfer case, an automatic rear diff lock and its price-tag – at just under $50 grand – won’t kick you in the space near the pocket where you keep your wallet.
It hasn’t undergone any mechanical changes so is the Scorpio any good off-road?
Read on.
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.
It may seem like I've been harsh on this Mahindra but I reckon the Scorpio Z8L+ is a positive product for the company.
It’s nice enough to drive on-road – reasonably refined and comfortable – and it’s also a capable 4WD, with some trade-offs.
But this seven-seat wagon remains a good value-for-money prospect with the addition of more driver-assist tech onboard boosting its safety and adding to its overall appeal.