SUV Reviews

The all-new Seltos is a big deal for Kia, with this all-hybrid small SUV expected to be the brand's second-best seller in Australia. That's what they think, but what really matters is what you - the buyer - thinks. So should you choose this over a Toyota Corolla Cross or any of the other army of small SUVs on sale in Australia? We put the new Seltos to the test to find out.

The Suzuki Fronx has been on sale in Australia for almost 18 months and it hasn’t necessarily flown off the shelf. Until the end of September a total of 1186 examples of this Chery Tiggo 4, Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic and Mahindra XUV3XO-rivalling light SUV were sold. For reference, Suzuki sold almost five times as many Jimnys over the same period. However, Suzuki is still offering the Fronx in a single, range-topping trim for an appealing $29,990, drive-away. At this price point, the uber-popular Chery Tiggo 4, as well as versions of the GWM Haval Jolion are essentially lineball. The Indian-built Suzuki Fronx was hit with a one-star (from a possible five) ANCAP safety rating late in 2025, just months after it launched. The Australian independent vehicle crash-testing authority noted the Fronx performed poorly in adult and child occupant protection during testing. Additionally, the rear passenger seatbelt retractor failed during one of its tests, sparking a recall and Suzuki warning to not use the rear seats. This has thankfully been rectified and a modified component has been introduced at the production facility. While the Fronx’s physical crash-test safety performance isn’t high, it does have the standard fare of safety features. These include: Six airbags Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) Blind-spot monitoring Rear cross-traffic alert Lane-keep assist Adaptive cruise control Traffic sign recognition Surround-view camera Rear parking sensors Notably lacking is a driver attention monitoring system and intelligent speed limit assist. Both are usually culprits of annoying chimes in other vehicles. Annoyingly, Suzuki markets this car as the Fronx Hybrid, which isn’t technically correct as it's a 12V mild-hybrid, not a Toyota-style series-parallel hybrid. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine is augmented with a tiny electric motor for total system outputs of 75kW and 136Nm. There’s not enough oomph for electric-only driving and this renders the mild-hybrid bits as glorified engine idle stop-start. With the petrol engine there’s only just enough performance to keep up with urban traffic. Once out on the open road the transmission is always kicking back a gear to keep up pace. On the flipside, claimed fuel consumption is fantastic. It’s 4.9L/100km on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle, with its 37-litre fuel tank allowing for a theoretical total range of 755km. During my testing I saw an average of 5.7L/100km, which is higher than the claim, but considerably less than more powerful rivals. Proper series-parallel hybrids, like the Toyota Yaris Cross, use less though. Despite the lack of grunt, there’s a quaint charm to the Fronx, like many Suzukis. It’s humble and honest. Around town the car feels nimble thanks to its circa-1000kg kerb weight. It’s a joy to chuck around in the bends, though the steering does have a vague feeling off-centre. A bugbear with the mild-hybrid powertrain is the regenerative braking can engage with a shunt when easing off the accelerator. Then when coming to a complete stop the regen disengages at around 25km/h, requiring an alteration in brake pedal pressure. You get used to it but it takes a while to get your head around. The ride and comfort in such a small car defies its exterior dimensions. It’s settled even at higher speeds, though a considerable amount of road and tyre noise enters the cabin. In terms of equipment Suzuki has chucked everything it can at the Fronx to make it stand out from the crowd, including: 16-inch alloy wheels LED headlights 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Six-speaker sound system Head-up display Wireless charger Paddle shifters Electric park brake Climate control Keyless entry and push-button start Black and brown leather-accented upholstery Heated front seats Despite the generous list of included features, there’s no escaping how plasticky the interior is. It cheapens the feel, though having numerous physical buttons is a godsend. Space in the second row is decent for a light SUV, though there aren’t many amenities. There are two USB ports, as well as a cavity for storage. No air vents or fold-down armrest. With the rear seats upright there’s 304 litres of boot space, which isn’t outstanding, but this expands out to 1009 litres with the rear seats folded. Frustratingly there is no spare wheel due to the high-voltage battery components. There’s only a tyre repair kit. The Fronx is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is mediocre now, especially among mainstream brands. There’s also five years' of roadside assistance provided you service at Suzuki dealers when required. The first five services are capped-price and total $2005, or $401 on average per service. That's pretty pricey for a light SUV; almost double what you’d pay to service a Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid. Though the Toyota is more to buy initially.

Even though times are tougher now, economically, and people’s belts are a little tighter Genesis, Hyundai’s prestige spin-off, has released its GV80 line-up, which is headlined by the GV80 Black SUV and GV80 Black coupe.  These new range-toppers – based on the GV80 Signature 3.5-litre V6 turbo-petrol all-wheel drive – are aimed at setting the gold standard for plush vehicles.

Lepas is yet another brand from Chery that's launching in Australia and its first model is an electric mid-size SUV. Does it have what it takes to stand out from the crowd?

Look out Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7, XPeng has updated its G6 and we've tested what we think is the pick of the line-up - the Rear Wheel Drive Long Range.

I don’t think it’s unfair to say that, for many, the Toyota bZ4X was underwhelming when it launched.  It was fairly pricey, didn’t break ground in terms of range or features, and here in Australia we were so late to the party it had been updated overseas before it even landed. Toyota has some catching up to do, and the Touring variant of the bZ4X might be just what it needs to do that. Or at least it might be if it wasn’t $14,000 more expensive than the base 2WD bZ4X. Starting from $69,990 before on-road costs, the Touring with its larger body is the priciest of the three bZ4X grades, with the base starting at $55,990 and the standard AWD at $67,990. Admittedly, the Touring only being $2000 more expensive than the standard AWD is fair, it’s just a big jump up from the starting point for the 2WD. Also consider the bZ4X once started from $66,000 before on-roads for the 2WD and suddenly a sub-$70K top-spec seems okay, even if it’s not that competitive against the likes of the BYD Sealion 7 (tops out at $63,990) or the Mazda CX-6e ($56,990 for the highest spec). For the $70,000-plus price you’ll end up paying drive-away for the Toyota bZ4X Touring, you could probably get the same for less: Synthetic leather upholstery Heated and vented front seats Heated steering wheel Dual-zone climate control  Panoramic sunroof Two wireless phone chargers 14.0-inch multimedia touchscreen 7.0-inch digital driver display Four USB-C ports (2x front, 2x rear) Vehicle-to-load (V2L - 220V/1500W) Nine-speaker JBL sound system DAB radio Built-in sat-nav Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay Under all that there’s a 74.7kWh battery that powers two electric motors, one front and one rear, for an all-wheel-drive system that makes 280kW of power (each motor has a max 269Nm output) and feels pretty peppy - 0-100km/h arrives in just 4.4 seconds. Test that out too many times, though, and you’ll not get near Toyota’s claimed range of 488km, which can be topped up from 10 to 80 per cent in about 28 minutes thanks to its fairly standard 150kW DC fast-charging (as opposed to the also-decent 22kW AC charging speed). The Touring rides on 20-inch alloy wheels with aero inserts, weighs 2065kg and is 4830mm long - 140mm longer than the standard bZ4X. It’s 1860mm wide and 1675mm tall, and thanks to its stretched dimensions gets a 603-litre boot with the rear seats up. Given the bZ4X Touring rides on the same TNGA platform as the standard bZ4X, it should be no surprise the driving experience is similar. The Touring feels very sensible. Its steering is direct without being too sharp, and makes it easy to get into a nice flow on a winding road. The ride is compliant, though not wallowy, striking a nice balance of control and comfort - though something between the contact point and cabin is causing a bit of unnecessary road noise. Aside from the 4.4sec sprint to 100km/h, however, there’s something a bit frustrating about controlling the bZ4X’s speed, and that’s a lack of one-pedal driving. The option for stronger regen and a one-pedal driving mode would help recover more energy but also make those used to EV driving more comfortable behind the wheel. Ergonomically, the driver display will probably bother some drivers - it’s visible over the steering wheel rather than through it. Peugeot has done the same for some time and the lower wheel position is said to be less tiring for your arms, but people do not like change. I don’t mind it. Oh, and if anything goes awry there are eight airbags and a very well-tuned safety system that doesn’t interfere with your driving - trust Toyota to get stuff like this right, thankfully Toyota’s standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty covers the bZ4X Touring, of course, but the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years/160,000km, and two years of extra motor warranty can be added by servicing annually with Toyota dealers. Servicing is capped at $190 for the first five years with intervals every 12 months or 15,000km.

EVs have come a long way in a short time. Many electric cars have price parity with petrol cars, and now electric utes can go stride for stride with diesel workhorses… at least in some areas. MG’s new U9 electric ute is easily the most capable zero-emissions dual-cab on the market, and even goes toe-to-toe with some of Australia’s favourite machines. On paper it has the razzle to get your attention and on the showroom floor it has the dazzle to get you to sign on the dotted line. There is only one variant to choose from, priced at $78,990 (before-on road costs), which is about the same as the new electric Toyota HiLux BEV. The U9 EV sits on a rugged ladder-frame chassis, which is the same type of underpinnings used by the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and more. A max towing capacity of 3500kg is something no other electric ute can do and showcases its diesel-matching capability. The HiLux BEV can only muster 2000kg, and even the standard plug-in hybrid BYD Shark 6 can only pull up to 2500kg. Payload is underwhelming at just 685kg, which means there isn’t much load-lugging capacity if you have a full complement of passengers on board. At its heart is an enormous 102kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery that delivers a driving range of up to 430km, according to the benchmark WLTP test cycle. It can absorb up to 115kW via a DC connector, which isn’t express and will take 42 minutes to fill the battery from 20 to 80 per cent. It can suck up a max 11kW of AC juice, which will take about 12 hours to fully recharge. Four-wheel-drive grip comes from two electric motors that pump out a combined 325kW and 700Nm. This is good enough to propel it from 0-100km/h in 5.8 seconds, which puts it in Ranger Raptor territory. There are no diff locks, high and low gears and it can only wade up to just 550mm. It does have good ground clearance at 230mm, which can be increased via plush air suspension. Approach and departure angles are 29- and 25-degrees, which is ok. MG claims the U9 EV is a lifestyle vehicle, which is code for a vehicle that won’t tackle the harshest off-road tracks but feels more at home around town and on light adventure duties on weekends. So it fits the brief. On the road it is a capable performer, with a groundswell of torque delivering urgent shove when called upon. The U9 EV has ditched the leaf springs found in conventional load luggers for a more sophisticated multilink set-up that helps it feel more SUV like on the road. Steering is well weighted and direct, again it feels more like an SUV to steer than a ute. One thing the U9 EV can’t hide is its bulk. It feels enormous on the road, more so than even super-sized American utes. There is good seat and steering wheel adjustment to help you find a comfy driving position. Vision is compromised out the front, with it hard to see over the giant square bonnet. It made traversing bumpy ground and short descents difficult. Luckily it has an array of sensors and cameras to help you navigate tight spots and rough terrain. It barely cracked a sweat doing a short tow test with a light caravan weighing under a tonne. As with many Chinese electric cars, safety tech is overbearing with plenty of beeps and bongs. It isn’t the worst I’ve experienced but still not ideal. The U9 EV is plenty practical, with several 220-volt powerpoints in the tray to help you charge your tools, power appliances and campsite. A front cargo space (or frunk) under the bonnet holds up to 236L, which means ute owners finally have a spot to put their shopping that won’t scramble the eggs on the way home. And a full-size spare is standard. Step inside and the cabin is not too shabby, either. The first thing you notice is there are actually buttons and dials on the dashboard and steering wheel, giving you tactile control over climate, multimedia and driving assist functions, which is a welcome break from the minimalist interior craze of the past few years. Passengers are greeted by leather-wrapped seats up front that are power adjustable, heated, with the driver’s seat ventilated and offering a massage function. The steering wheel is heated and the rear seats are covered in synthetic leather. There's a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a driver display of the same size. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, sat-nav and an eight-speaker JBL stereo are all standard. There is LED lighting front and back, 64-colour ambient lighting inside, dual-zone air conditioning, wireless device charger, two USB-A and USB-C charging ports and over-the-air update capabilities. The U9 EV is a commercial vehicle so isn’t eligible for MG’s conditional 10-year warranty. Instead it can bump its standard five-year guarantee up to seven years/160,000km if serviced with an MG dealer every scheduled workshop visit. A service is due every 24 months/30,000km and the price for 10 years of logbook services is $2755. Safety is comprehensive with all the boxes ticked, including: Auto emergency braking Adaptive cruise control Lane keep assist Lane departure warning Blind spot warning Rear cross-traffic alert Rear collision warning Door opening warning Driver monitoring system 7 airbags 360 degree camera Front and rear parking sensors

Part of being a Polestar 3 owner is knowing that almost everyone you’ll meet will ask you what a Polestar 3 is. But the other part is knowing you have what I think is one of the most exceptional electric SUVs on the planet. Print this out on a piece of paper and hand it to people who ask: The Polestar 3 is the largest SUV in Polestar's line-up It’s called the 3 because it’s the third car from Polestar It takes close to 20 minutes to charge It has a bit more than 600km of range Goodbye now Stuff you don’t have to tell them is that this one, the one we’ve tested, is the cheapest Polestar 3 at $116,700, before on-road costs, and that’s because it’s the kind with just one motor (at the rear for rear-wheel drive) and the smaller battery at 92kWh. Still, that battery in this updated Polestar 3 is bigger than the 82kWh battery in the previous version and that price is less than you would have paid for this SUV last year ($118,420, BOC). This updated Polestar 3 brings some substantial changes and if you’re thinking about buying one your timing is good. Not only has the battery size gone up and the price down, the electric architecture has increased from 400V to 800V, which now allows it to charge at a super-fast 310kW for the Rear motor. Even higher spec Polestar 3s can charge at 350kW now. There aren’t a great deal of 350kW chargers around yet but the Polestar 3 is future-proofed against being outdated by new tech quickly. We only had the Polestar 3 Rear motor variant for a week and despite daily driving with plenty of urban roads and motorways the 604km range (WLPT) was way more than we needed and we handed the SUV back with 350km of range and 68 per cent charge left in the battery. That equates to an energy efficiency of 15.4kW/h/100km. I’ve become used to seeing 20kWh/100km for large SUVs, so this is outstanding. Polestar says you should see between 17.6-21.6kWh/100km, so we did well. The Rear motor variant might be the most affordable Polestar 3 but it has more range than the priciest Performance grade (593km) and a smidge less than the all-wheel drive Dual Motor (635km). This entry-grade Polestar 3 is good value considering it’s a prestige car and a rival to the closely related Volvo EX90 and Mercedes-Benz EQE.  The standout standard features include: 20-inch wheels Active LED headlights Power tailgate Panoramic glass roof Three-zone climate control 14.5-inch display (with Android Automotive operating system) Google connected services Apple CarPlay and Android Auto New-gen NVIDIA computer processor Head-up display 10-speaker audio Wireless charging Nappa leather trim (animal welfare secured) You’d be wise to also check out the Zeekr 7X because it's made by the same Chinese company that owns Polestar - Geely. Yes, Polestar is branded as a Swedish company and while its cars are designed in Sweden, many of Polestar's cars are made in China. However, the Australian-spec Polestar 3 is now sourced from the USA.  Geely owns Polestar, Volvo and Zeekr. The brands share the same tech, but with different designs although I think Polestars and Volvos look the most similar. You can see that especially in the front and rear lighting designs and also in the minimalist interior styling. Polestars are more avant garde than Volvos and nothing proves this more than the Polestar 3 which is this brand’s version of Volvo's tall, boxy and conservative looking EX90 SUV. There are elements to the Polestar 3’s design that make me go “ooohh” and other bits which make me go “huh?”. Things that make me go huh? The integrated spoiler on the bonnet is the biggest one, but so is the side profile and the rear quarter panel treatment. I don’t find it appealing and I think the sloping roofline reduces practicality and the boot’s cargo capacity. But there are lots of “ooohs” as well. I do love how futuristic and prestigious the Polestar looks and there’s also a beefy toughness to the exterior with the muscular rear haunches and the wide body look. That image here of the boot open from the rear shows off how wide this beast is.  That width isn’t an illusion - the Polestar 3 is 1968mm across and that’s not including the wing mirrors which when added bring the total to 2120mm. That's like Bentley-Bentayga SUV wide and the 2985mm wheelbase is also long and limo-like.  And that does equate to a roomy cabin, with enormous amounts of legroom and headroom in the second row even for me at 189cm tall. Boot space behind the second row is 575 litres which is about 100 litres less than the boxier EX90, but there is a 24-litre front boot, too. I love the interior. Not only is it practical with an excellent use of space for storage but the cabin is sumptuous, comfortable and modern. The quality feel is better than so many higher priced rivals. That comfort extends into the serene and effortless driving experience.  Yes, the 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds acceleration time of the Rear motor variant we tested isn’t as brutally quick as the Dual motor’s 4.7sec or the Performance’s 3.9, but it’s definitely not slow. That long wheelbase means ride comfort is lovely, and dynamically the Polestar 3 feels stable and planted thanks most likely to not being a tall top heavy traditionally shaped SUV and more station wagon with a bit of extra ground clearance. The Polestar 3 really benefits from its Volvo connection when it comes to safety, scoring the maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2025 with 94 percent for child occupant protection and 90 per cent for adult occupant protection.  There’s AEB (the forwards, rear and junction kind), lane keeping assistance and blind spot warning with steering assistance.   There are also nine airbags, five exterior cameras, one radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors. The Polestar 3 is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, while the battery has an eight-year/160,000km warranty. That isn’t outstanding compared to mainstream brands. The good news is servicing for the first five years or 100,000km is complimentary with five years' roadside assistance also free of charge. 

Toyota is the long-serving hybrid king, but its crown is slipping as a gaggle of new petrol-electric rivals from brands new and familiar line up to take their shot. The big Kluger family SUV is the prime example. It’s rare for a Toyota hybrid not to absolutely dominate its rivals in the sales charts, but the tastes of Australians on the look out for a big, comfy family SUV have changed. The current Kluger is more than five years old now, and not much has changed in that time except for a few nips and tucks. We’re piloting the top-of-the-range Grande grade, which starts at $85,065 (before on-road costs). That’s a pricey number, which is a cool $8000 more than the equivalent Hyundai Santa Fe, $10,500 more than the Kia Sorento and $15,000 more than the plug-in hybrid BYD Sealion 8. There are cheaper options in the range, the GX ($62,410) and GXL ($71,930). Toyota backs its vehicles with a five year/unlimited km warranty, which is the industry standard. It is starting to look underwhelming compared to seven years, and even 10-year terms offered by some rivals. Toyota’s servicing costs still beat the competition, with the first five scheduled log book visits costing $335 each, with intervals every 15,000km or 12 months. The Kluger has everything you need, if not necessarily everything you want. The Grande gets 20-inch wheels, up from 18-inch units on lesser grades, there is LED lighting front and back, roof rails, rear spoiler and chrome covered grille. Inside buyers can expect a 12.3-inch multimedia screen - up from eight inches in the GX - and a digital driver display of the same size. A head-up display, which projects vital information such as travelling speed, prevailing speed limit and safety warnings onto the windscreen in front of the driver, is standard. There is wireless Apple CarPlay, but you’ll need a cord to connect to Android Auto.  The Grande is the only grade to get a wireless device charger, but all get five USB-C charging ports. Sat-nav is standard and the Grande gets an 11-speaker JBL stereo, ambient lighting, driver’s seat memory and a panoramic sunroof. You’ll find more in competitors for less. The Kluger is like a big comfy couch. Its power-adjustable front seats are wrapped in good-quality synthetic leather and are heated and ventilated. The cabin is festooned with soft-touch materials, with supple coverings on the dash, door trims and most high-touch areas. Faux-wood inserts add to the cabin’s living-room feel. A high seating position and plenty of steering wheel adjustment give you great vision out the front and make it easy to find a comfy driving position for all shapes and sizes. The second row can easily accommodate taller teens and adults, but the third row is best left for smaller kids. I had two child seats - one forward and one rear facing - in the second row with room for a small adult to fit in between. There are Isofix points for the two window seats in the second row and each has a seat-back anchor point. There are none in the third row. One big fail is the second row has a 60:40 split, except the 60 is on the driver’s side. This means to load people through to the third row they either have to go through a narrow opening or do it from the road side. The boot is decent at 552 litres when five seats are deployed but it shrinks to 241L when all seven are in place, ballooning to 1150L with the second row folded down. There is a full size spare tyre. Under the bonnet is the Kluger’s crown jewel, Toyota’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with three electric motors and a small battery. All this adds up to 184kW of grunt sent to all four wheels and a combined fuel use of 5.6 litres per 100km. It does require pricier premium unleaded fuel. The Kluger’s American bent shines through the engine. It sounds gruff, with an uncanny rumble for a hybrid when you put your foot down, and it has plenty of oomph for a big rig. It is easy to see why Toyota’s tech is so popular, as the electric motors and petrol engine work seamlessly together blending petrol and electric grunt when needed. It isn’t as efficient as it reads on paper, with it nearly impossible to hit the 5.6-litre claim. The Kluger is built for comfort with softly sprung suspension that soaks up bumps and lumps of all sizes. The trade-off is there is more leaning and pitching through corners that you might like, but it is a fair compromise for a big rig made for moving people around, not for race tracks. It is quiet on the road, with the outside world kept at bay. As with most Toyotas it is an easy machine to pilot, with well-balanced steering that provides a good amount of feedback and inspires confidence in all conditions. Toyota has ticked all the Kluger’s safety boxes, as you’d expect for a vehicle pitched at growing families. It will automatically hit the brakes if it detects a potential collision with a car, pedestrian or cyclist. You’ll be warned if a car is in your blind spot and if one is approaching from the side as you reverse. A range of sensors will help keep you centred in your lane, and tug the steering wheel if it thinks you are drifting out of your lane. The beauty of this Toyota tech is it actually works as intended, when needed and isn’t constantly beeping and intruding when it is not welcome. There are also front and rear parking sensors, reversing and bird’s-eye view cameras to make parking the big rig as easy as possible.

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.