The Mitsubishi Pajero is one of the last of its kind. It’s an ageing off-road full-size SUV that has served with distinction around the world for outdoor folk and country dwellers who needed a true four-wheel drive automotive leviathan.
It is huge. It has not changed much, just modernised itself, over the years since it was first introduce in 1982. The model featured in the images is a British version, known in the UK as Shogun. Depending where you are in the world it might also be found with the name Montero. Yet it does not matter what name it goes by, the Mitsubishi Pajero eschews trends and shrugs off swooping modern design; it remaining at heart a workhorse. It has all the aerodynamics of a house brick and is powered by a gruff 3.2L four-cylinder engine with 197bhp and a chunky 325lb/ft (441Nm) of torque.
Does The Pajero Still Merit Consideration?
Yes indeed. In terms of off-road ability it is up there with the best from the likes of Toyota or Land Rover. It is robust yet simply engineered with a full compliment of high and low range gears and lockable differentials.
When driving, it has some pace and will cruise at high speed all day. The current diesel engine, gruff at first, settles down to a quiet hum when on the go although there is a fair bit of wind noise from the big wing mirrors. The five speed automatic gearbox featured in our test car shifts smoothly enough but is crying out for another ratio. Some regions will offer a standard manual gearbox.
Driving around tortuous country routes, perhaps in poor conditions, is where the Mitsubishi Shogun excels. On good roads this SUV is able to maintain a consistently high pace through the twists and turns and, for such a behemoth, body control wasn’t bad at all. Sure, there’s a bit of sway but hey; it’s a big motor. It eats the miles.
It is not the greenest of vehicles but on more recent models Mitsubishi have at least been able to lower the CO² emissions a bit down to 245g/km on the car as featured here in the range-topping five-door model.
Inside
Passengers sit high and mighty in this car looking down on other road users. An interesting fact that make itself apparent was that there exist other people who feel the same way. Clearly this large SUV is never going to be a volume seller but, importantly, this tester began to notice them about, some new, some very old, so there are other owners who clearly understand that this big motor can go anywhere and do anything.
There’s a lever that sets the drive; 2WD on the rear wheels, 4WD and high and low range which are variable, depending upon region. Don’t expect the very latest in fancy dashboard frippery here; it is solid, functional and useable and offers, on more recent variants, a navigation, Bluetooth and all the usual technology and safety suspects plus a sprinkling of accessory sockets. The boot is, as you can see, a cavern of usefulness and the seats fold and adjust to suit with electric adjustment (model dependent) at the front.
The seats were shod in leather and crucially very comfortable. There’s plenty of room. The interior is nicely finished and robust with decent floor mats and a proper handbrake in the correct position.
The Perfect All-Rounder
Very probably. It is just so versatile. Mitsubishi are adding to and modernising their range but for now the Pajero continues. It lives and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future when it is possible we will see a hybrid version.
Here at MHH Japanese cars we have many variants of this SUV with different ages and prices to suit all budgets. Buyers can be sure that even older models will continue to provide good service because this is one tough car.
If you need a big, reliable family-sized off-roader that can deal with the muddy stuff while being perfectly usable on the metalled roads then look no further. The Mitsubishi Pajero makes a fine used car buy. High recommended.
Get in touch with us at MHH Japanese Cars for more details.
