Volvo EX30 vs Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

What's the difference?

There’s a lot to like about the Volvo EX30 Cross Country. It’s an impressive AWD EV. Nice to drive, comfortable and offering the extra driver confidence an AWD system brings.

It also looks good, has a decent stack of features onboard and has plenty of appeal for owners, especially in terms of servicing costs.

As an EV tourer, it has a reasonable driving range and offers enough in terms of AWD flexibility to appeal to those people who may like the idea of an all-electric adventure machine.

But it is small, has a limited scope of off-road capability and pricing is ranging upward for what it offers.

The Pajero Sport is reasonable on-road, more than satisfactory as a daily driver and it’s still a very effective 4WD.

This is a proven touring vehicle and while this update treatment doesn’t add a whole lot to the Pajero Sport package – and nothing in terms of power, torque or performance in general – it’s easily enough to tempt those who aren’t patient enough to wait for the next-generation version to arrive here.

This Cross Country is 4233mm long (with a 2650mm wheelbase) 1850mm wide, and 1567mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 1910kg.

It’s a slick-looking compact SUV with more than its fair share of hints at its off-road aspirations including raised suspension so it perches higher off the deck than its regular EX30 stablemates (190mm of ground clearance). It has dark coloured front and rear body panelling, dark wheel-arch extensions (built to cop any loose gravel or dirt while all-wheel driving on well-maintained bush tracks), and if you get on the ground to check, front and rear skid-plates.

Quirky touches include an impression on the front bumper section of a topographical map depicting the highest mountain range in Sweden (as well as the apparent co-ordinates to that location), and interesting doodles under the lid of the front boot (what I like to call the 'froot' whereas as you might call it the frunk for front trunk).

Overall, the Cross Country has a spartan-style cabin. No, I don’t mean there are swords and shields and oiled-up blokes in loin cloths here – just that there’s a clear, basic layout that leans more towards functional than flashy.

It also has a fixed-in-place panoramic glass roof that has no sliding cover built into the ceiling and I’m not a big fan of having my noggin exposed all of the time.

Most of the Pajero Sport’s latest round of upgrades is focused on styling refreshes, inside and out.

The upgraded interior in the GSR includes quilted two-tone burgundy and black synthetic leather upholstery.

This adds a welcome touch of understated class to an interior which is otherwise looking and feeling old.

The Pajero Sport now also has a three-spoke leather steering wheel and revised digital instrument display graphics, which may be difficult to discern for those unfamiliar with the previous renderings.

Outside, the GSR retains the distinctive Pajero Sport shape, albeit now with updated upper and lower grilles, front and rear bumper enhancements and black headlamp extensions (those are range-wide inclusions), as well as black door mirrors, door handles and tailgate handle.

Inside, the driver misses out on a digital instrument display but the centrally-located, vertically-mounted 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as pretty much every control and gauge you could wish for and, as driver, you quickly get used to checking that screen for your current speed etc.

It also offers a way to open the glove box (that sits below the screen) and quick ways to switch off driver-assist aids, such as 'Lane Departure Warning' and the 'Driver Alert System', which could otherwise be a bit annoying. Unfortunately, you have to switch off those systems every time you get back in the car.

The screen is where you’re also able to cycle through drive modes, vehicle settings and the like. The front seats are power-adjustable set-ups and they are heated but not ventilated. There is plenty of durable plastic inside the cabin as well as a denim-like 'tailored wool blend' seat upholstery and soft-touch surfaces.

In terms of space, well, as befitting a compact SUV, there’s not a lot of it for gear or people. The aforementioned glove box is small, there’s no centre console (only sliding cupholders above, and a narrow receptacle below with a wireless charging pad) plus the door pockets are thin and shallow.

And second-row passengers don’t fare too well, either. It’s squeezy back there – even for a Hobbit-sized bloke like me – and there are few amenities.

No fold-down armrest with cupholders, no directional air vents and that panoramic glass roof doesn’t have a sliding cover so those in the front and back cop the full brunt of the summer sun. I can vouch for the ouch too because I had this Cross Country during record-high summer temps in NSW and my gigantic forehead (due to a hairline that keeps creeping rearward) suffered a roasting. That’s about the only circumstance – no sunroof cover and extreme heat – in which it’s okay for someone to wear a hat while driving.

In terms of storage, with both rows in use, there’s a listed 318L of volume in the rear cargo area and 1000L when the second row is stowed away. The rear cargo area has a light and bag hooks and there’s a charging cable and tyre-repair kit in the shallow underfloor storage space.

It’s well worth noting that this vehicle, despite being marketed as an all-wheel drive vehicle with adventure potential, doesn’t have any spare tyre onboard.

At the front of the Cross Country, there is seven litres of cargo volume in what I call the 'Froot' (front boot) rather than the 'Frunk' (front trunk).

The Pajero Sport cabin is practical, but now, as a result of the upgrade, it has more of a premium look and feel. Sure, it’s still on the wrong side of aged and it’s cramped, but at least it has a layer of gloss to it.

From front to back, it’s a well set-up space. The driver and front passenger seats (both power-adjustable) are very supportive, with a nice wrap-around feel to them. The other seats are also fine.

The reach- and height-adjustable steering wheel has paddle shifters for energetic shifting if you get the urge.

The dash and touchscreen media unit are nicely integrated, but that 8.0-inch screen is too small – and thankfully the likely introduction of a 9.0-inch screen in the 2025 Pajero Sport will sort out that issue.

The cabin’s familiar feel includes the fact that all buttons and dials are easy to locate and operate, even when you're bouncing around off-road.

The second row is comfortable and roomy enough, though the entire cabin tends towards the squeezy end of the spacious spectrum. Having said that, I slotted in behind my driving position and I had plenty of head, knee and foot room. 

There are three top tether points, two ISOFIX anchors and a fold-down armrest with cupholders in the second row. There are USB charge points and a power socket in the back of the centre console bin.

Third-row seating is a bit of a straight-up-and-down affair with a flat seat base, but passengers back there – god bless ’em – have access to cupholders and air vents.

In terms of packability, the Pajero Sport’s cabin, as mentioned, is quite narrow compared to most of its rivals and there are plenty of other SUVs and 4WD wagons around that offer more room inside for people, gear and dogs.

With the third-row seats in use, boot space is listed as 131L. There are power sockets and tie-down points in that rear cargo area. 

With the third row stowed away, there’s a claimed 502L of cargo space, which is pretty handy. With the second and third rows stowed, there’s a claimed 1488L.

As mentioned, the test vehicle is a GSR spec Pajero Sport, a seven-seat 4WD wagon with a price-tag of $64,840, before on-road costs.

But this test example has a bunch of accessories onboard – including a towbar kit ($1546), snorkel ($1103), electric brake controller ($710), roof rack/cross bars ($604), carpet mats ($249) and a towball ($42), pushing its price-tag up to the $69,094 mark, excluding on-road costs.

Standard features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), digital radio, as well as three-zone climate-control, front and rear parking sensors and a power-operated tailgate.

The Pajero Sport packs a whole lot more, of course, and it compares evenly with most other similarly priced seven-seat 4WDs on the market.

Exterior paint choices include 'White Diamond', 'Terra Rossa', 'Graphite Grey' and 'Black Mica', but you can also choose from White Diamond with black roof, Terra Rossa with black roof, and the new Graphite Grey with black roof. 

The EX30 Cross Country has a twin-motor electric set-up, producing a combined 315kW and 543Nm. It has a single-speed transmission and a 69kWh battery.

Drive modes include 'Standard', 'Performance' (taps into all-wheel drive and is the preferred mode for light off-roading) and 'Range' (defaults to rear-wheel drive to get most out of battery).

It does not have any off-road driving modes (like Sand, Mud or Snow) but it does have 'Hill Descent Control'.

Claimed 0-100km/h time is just 3.7 seconds.

The Pajero Sport has a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine producing 133kW at 3500rpm and 430Nm at 2500rpm – and that’s matched to a eight-speed automatic transmission.

This is a solid but lacklustre combination – it’s agricultural, truck-like and it takes a heavy right foot to punch it off the mark. But overall, I don’t mind the driving experience.

This is a respectable and well-proven combination, more than a bit sluggish and far from dynamic, but it does the job. 

The GSR has Mitsubishi’s 'Super Select II' 4WD (a full-time 4WD system), selectable off-road modes and a rear diff lock.

The Super Select dial is positioned at the rear of the shifter and 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 of 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. It also features hill descent control. 

The 2025 Pajero Sport will have the new Triton’s twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine (producing 150kW and 470Nm) and it’ll be paired with an eight-speed auto.

Official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) energy consumption is listed as 19.1kWh/100km. On this test, I recorded 18.4kWh/100km, which is impressive, especially considering I took this Volvo on some tracks that pushed the limit of its capabilities.

For reference, the 2026 Subaru Solterra AWD Touring has claimed energy use of 16.0kWh/100km, but I've yet to test it to gauge its real-world energy consumption, under pressure in tough (for an AWD) conditions.

The EX30 Cross Country has a 69kWh battery and according to Volvo can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 30 minutes on a fast 175kW DC charger.

It took me about 18 hours to get it from 20 to 80 per cent on a household socket (16 amp/3.6kW).

It has a listed driving range of 417km (WLTP) on a full charge. Official driving range is “up to 417km (WLTP)”.

The Pajero Sport has an official fuel consumption figure of 8.0L/100km on a combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle.

I recorded 9.8L/100km on this test. I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing and the Pajero Sport was never working hard.

The Pajero Sport has a 68L fuel tank, so, going by my on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 694km from a full tank. 

This compact, all electric SUV has a ton of power and torque from the get-go. It’s impressive on almost all surfaces and it really is fast.

It has listed kerb weight of 1910kg and a turning circle of 11m, and this is a highly manoeuvrable vehicle.

The driving position is at best low and sporty, and there’s adequate visibility, even though it is pinched in places, especially looking back towards the rear of the vehicle.

This is a smooth and refined compact SUV that's nice to drive on- and off-road.

The Cross Country punches well above its weight in terms of power and torque and throttle response is great. It even errs on the side of too energetic, but steering is precise, the transmission is slick and the brakes have plenty of bite.

You’re able to change driving characteristics on the main screen by cycling through the drive modes (Standard, Range and Performance). Performance is a key mode when you hit the dirt because that fully engages and optimises the all-wheel drive system to give you that sure-footedness on looser surfaces.

Range is aimed at optimising the vehicle’s energy efficiency and Standard is not too bad for general day-to-day driving conditions.

When you do get off road, it handles minor corrugations well. It also deals with deeper, more severe potholes reasonably well. It’s pleasantly surprising that it stays so settled and composed while you're going through some lumpy and bumpy stuff.

The Cross Country is not an off-road animal as such, it can handle things when the road surface becomes more traction-compromised than you may normally face. But with limited ground clearance (even if it’s 19mm higher off the ground than the regular EX30 for a total of 190mm) the Cross Country is not a rock-crawling beast.

It doesn't have any off-road driving modes, however it does have hill descent control. But that's really for mild inclines and downhills where it has to hold a safer speed than it may otherwise achieve.

In terms of dimensions, it's not that well set up for off-roading. You don't want to take this anywhere near four-wheel drive only terrain. But having said that, it is more than capable of handling light to moderate off-road conditions – mild corrugations, some deeper potholes here and there, loose gravel, loose stones, those sorts of things.

In fact, there's no reason why you can't drive this vehicle on well-maintained tracks in dry conditions to your favourite campsite in a national park, even if it's a bit slippery.

The suspension set-up – Macpherson strut front, multi-link rear – is well suited to on-road driving. And while the Cross Country tends to feel a bit firm in places, it remains composed and settled when things become lumpier and bumpier, say, for instance on dirt tracks and gravel roads.

Its raised suspension (compared to the regular EX30) is on the firm side of things and it become a little jittery when the road becomes more corrugated and less well-maintained. But otherwise it is mostly well settled, well composed and ride and handling is nicely controlled.

This Volvo’s towing capacity is 1600kg.

Its all-season tyres – Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance SUV (235/50R19) – are on 19 inch rims and that’s not a package well suited to off-roading of any kind, really. There’s always the option of swapping them for some all terrain tyres on an 18-inch rim and that combination would instantly make this Cross Country even better for mild to moderate off-roading.

There have been no power, torque or driver-assist tech changes to this upgraded Pajero Sport – you’ll have to wait for the next-gen version for those – so no surprises lay in wait when driving.

But that’s okay, because the Pajero Sport in its current guise is a solid daily driver – not spectacular, but far from atrocious.

The Pajero Sport is 4840mm long (with a 2800mm wheelbase), 1815mm wide, 1835mm high and has a kerb weight of 2130kg.

Compared to other similarly-sized 4WD wagons, the Pajero Sport is narrower and has a higher centre of gravity, so it’s nimble – the turning circle is a respectable 11.2m – but it also feels a bit floaty on roads and tracks, but not despicably so.

The Pajero Sport is reasonable on sealed surfaces, although it is sluggish, noisy and there’s quite a lot of body-roll through sharp turns, especially compared to some of its more refined rivals, such as the Ford Everest.

But it is a very capable off-roader, mostly because the driver has access to a raft of technical advantages engineered into the Pajero Sport aimed at making 4WDing a safer challenge.

One of the major points of difference it has with its rivals is Super Select II 4WD. You can switch, via a dial to the rear of the auto 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 low-grip conditions, which you may face on rough back-roads and dirt tracks peppered with loose rocks and potholes.

There's no risk of transmission wind-up because the centre diff is open when 4H is engaged in the Pajero Sport, so Super Select II 4WD adds 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.

If you want to tackle even harder stuff than high-range territory, turn the dial to 4LLc (four-wheel drive, low-range, locked centre diff) and the Pajero Sport has an opportunity to excel in low-speed, low-range four-wheel driving.

Turn the dial to 4HLc and you're ready to take on more difficult terrain but at lower speeds.

So, along with decent high- and low-range gearing and a centre diff-lock – activated when 4HLc (4WD high-range, locked centre diff) 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 help you to easily maintain safe forward momentum.

Hill descent control sustains a controlled low speed of 3.0-4.0km/h all the way down steeper, longer hills.

The GSR also has selectable off-road modes, including Gravel, Sand, Mud/Snow (when in high-range 4WD) and Rock (when in low-range 4WD).

Each of these modes adjusts engine output, transmission settings and braking, the aim being the acquisition of superior traction to suit specific conditions and terrains. 

The Pajero Sport is riding on Toyo Open Country A32 all-terrains (265/60R18 110H), which are decent tyres, but it would perform even better with more aggressive rubber.

Wheel travel is adequate, ground clearance (218mm) is reasonable, although you still have to mind your driving line through rough terrain and be mindful of this 4WD’s approach (30 degrees), departure (24.2) and ramp-over (23.1) angles. Wading depth is listed as 700mm.

While it’s never been regarded as a tow rig in the same vein as something like the Toyota LandCruiser or the Nissan Patrol, the Pajero Sport offers sensible claimed towing capacities of 750kg (unbraked) and 3100kg (braked).

Payload is listed as 645kg (so about standard for this size 4WD wagon), gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 2775kg and gross combined mass (GCM) is 5565kg.

The Pajero Sport range did have the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, but that expired in January 2023.

As standard it has dual front airbags, driver knee, front-side and curtain airbags, as well as two ISOFIX points and three top tether points for child seats/baby capsules in the second row.

Driver-assist tech includes AEB, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning/intervention, hill descent control, trailer stability assist and more.

The Volvo EX30 Cross Country is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty (with roadside assistance included) and an eight-year/160,000km warranty applies to the battery set-up.

A five-year/150,000km servicing plan applies and is free – and that is well worth noting here. While free/complimentary servicing is not unheard of in the EV space – it's offered with Audi e-tron, Polestar 4 (Long Range AWD), Genesis (GV70), BYD (Sealion 7) and more – the fact Volvo offers it on a variant that may spend at least some time on unsealed roads is commendable.

Servicing appointments are set for every 24 months/30,000km, whichever occurs soonest.

Volvo Group Australia has more than 40 dealerships as well as numerous Volvo-approved workshops across the country.

The Pajero Sport has a 10-year/200,000km manufacturer’s warranty as long as you get it serviced as per the schedule at an authorised Mitsubishi dealer.

Mitsubishi’s 10-year capped price servicing applies – with prices ranging from $399 to $999 – and servicing is scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km whichever occurs first. Check with your dealership for up-to-date servicing costs.

All Pajero Sports come with 12-months roadside assistance, but that can be extended to four years if the vehicle is serviced at an authorised Mitsubishi dealer in line with the official service schedule.