Mitsubishi has unveiled the all-new Pajero, reviving its flagship SUV nameplate with a three-row, seven-seat cabin, a ladder-frame chassis and a 2.4l turbodiesel engine.
Revealed in Tokyo on Wednesday, the fifth-generation Pajero will be built in Thailand. It will go on sale in Thailand first, followed by Japan and Australia before expanding to about 100 markets worldwide, including South Africa.
The model represents the first completely new Pajero since the fourth-generation model was introduced in 2006. Mitsubishi said it has retained the nameplate’s focus on off-road capability and reliability while placing greater emphasis on overall refinement and premium quality.
Dramatic new look
The new Pajero adopts an upright design with strong horizontal lines, powerful fenders and sculpted body surfaces. Mitsubishi said the styling draws on the first-generation Pajero while incorporating new details intended to give the SUV a more substantial appearance.
The front end is inspired by the Japanese martial art kendo, with two grille designs available: a horizontal-bar treatment and a honeycomb grille. The headlights feature a distinctive T-shaped design and are linked by an illuminated light bar.
At the rear, the C-pillar is said to draw inspiration from the roll bar of the first-generation Pajero, while the hexagonal rear design references the spare wheel treatment used by previous models.
Dimension-wise, the Pajero measures 4,920mm long, 1,925mm wide and 1,910mm high, with a 2,870mm wheelbase and 1,630mm front and rear tracks. Ground clearance is rated at 230mm, while the approach, breakover and departure angles are 30.4º, 22.6º and 25.8º, respectively, on models fitted with 20-inch wheels.
Standout exterior colours include Armor Copper Metallic and Phantom Blue Metallic.
Modern, well-appointed cabin
Inside, the Pajero gets a horizontally orientated dashboard inspired by the first-generation model. A monolithic display incorporates two 14.3-inch screens, though smaller 12.3-inch displays will be fitted to lower-tier derivatives.
The cabin uses soft-touch materials with stitching inspired by Kimekomi, a traditional Japanese craft. Mitsubishi has also worked to reduce noise, vibration and harshness levels, with acoustic glass used for the windscreen and front and rear door windows, alongside additional sound insulation throughout the vehicle.
The infotainment system includes wireless smartphone connectivity for applications such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while the instrument display offers 16 background themes that change according to the time of day.
The traditional Pajero triple-gauge cluster pack has been reinterpreted as a digital multimeter. It can display information, including altitude, compass heading, temperature, vehicle pitch and roll angles, and active yaw control status.
The three-row cabin seats seven, with the second row offering 150mm of sliding adjustment and a tumble mechanism to improve access to the third row. Mitsubishi said the rearmost seats provide sufficient headroom for adults, while the footwell has been designed to allow passengers to place their toes underneath the second-row seats.
Seat ventilation is available, while three-zone automatic climate control provides independent temperature settings for the cabin from the front seats through to the third row.
Safety equipment includes eight airbags, among them Mitsubishi’s first SRS centre airbag. Driver-assistance systems include forward collision mitigation with pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist detection and junction assist, predictive forward collision warning, emergency assist for pedal misapplication, emergency lane assist and front cross-traffic alert.
The Pajero is also equipped with Mi-Pilot, which combines adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist for fatigue-easing single-lane highway driving.
A 3D multi around monitor combines feeds from four cameras with a 3D model of the vehicle and processes about 30 frames per second. It includes a front under-floor view to help drivers see terrain that would otherwise be hidden beneath the vehicle. The under-floor view is automatically displayed when 4HLc or 4LLc is selected, and can be activated manually.
Mitsubishi Connect allows owners to operate the climate control and check the vehicle’s status remotely via a smartphone, while an SOS function can connect occupants with an emergency operation centre. A 12-speaker dynamic sound Yamaha Ultimate audio system with dual amplifiers is also available, incorporating noise compensation that adjusts the volume and tuning according to vehicle speed.
Chassis ready to rough it
Underneath the skin, the Pajero uses a rigid ladder-frame chassis with increased use of high-tensile steel to reduce weight. Mitsubishi has increased the frame’s cross-sectional area to improve torsional and bending rigidity, targeting a balance of handling stability, ride comfort and durability.
The suspension comprises an independent double-wishbone arrangement at the front and a newly developed five-link rigid axle at the rear. Long-travel suspension is used to maintain tyre contact over uneven terrain, while strengthened body mounts are intended to reduce vibrations on rough surfaces.
The Pajero combines Mitsubishi’s super-all-wheel control (S-AWC) system with super select 4WD-II (SS4-II).
SS4-II provides four selectable drivetrain modes: 2H rear-wheel drive, 4H full-time four-wheel drive, 4HLc with the centre differential locked and 4LLc with the centre differential locked and low-range gearing engaged.
S-AWC integrates active yaw control, active stability and traction control and ABS, allowing the vehicle to manage driving and braking forces at all four wheels according to road conditions and driver inputs.
Seven drive modes are available: Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand and Rock. The braking system uses 18-inch brake rotors and an electric brake booster.
The new Pajero has a claimed 52:48 front-to-rear weight distribution.
Turbodiesel torque
Power comes from a specially developed 2.4l four-cylinder clean diesel engine fitted with a wide-range single variable geometry turbocharger.
The engine produces 150kW and 480Nm of torque, though Mitsubishi said the figure dips slightly to 470Nm on some specifications. It is paired with a newly developed eight-speed automatic transmission featuring a sport mode.
Mitsubishi said the powertrain has been calibrated to provide responsive acceleration from standstill through to higher speeds, while also improving refinement and reducing noise.
SA-bound
The new Mitsubishi Pajero should reach our shores by the end of 2027, with pricing and specifications to be announced closer to the time.
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