Mitsubishi Pajero Sport: The top gun

What is it?

Mitsubishi Pajero is a large vehicle that’s been a major player in the Australian 4WD / SUV field for many years.

It’s sold as a five-seat GLX, and seven-seat GLS, Exceed and GSR. Our test vehicle for the past week has been the GSR.

What’s it cost?

Pajero Sport has Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield styling.

The grille features a black honeycomb design with projector headlights positioned outside of the daytime running lights in a continuation of the grille.

Depending on the model there are up to seven body colour options while Black Mica and White Diamond are exclusive to the GSR.

Our test Pajero Sport had the White Diamond and it certainly looked great, particularly in the strong sunshine in the Gold Coast area where we live.

There are black exterior and interior accents, front and rear bumper garnish, on the radiator grille and roof rails.

The Black Mica GSR also gets a black roof.

All models have an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen. It is LCD in the Exceed and GSR.

The entry-level GLX comes with Bluetooth connectivity with voice control and audio streaming, digital radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

Exceed and GSR have an eight-speaker premium sound system.

A smartphone app which allows a range of features to be operated from outside the vehicle including tailgate opening, vehicle status check, fuel consumption check car finder function, set-up notification and Apple watch connectivity.

Standard safety features include seven airbags (front, side, curtain and driver’s knee); ABS brakes with emergency brake assist, electronic brakeforce distribution, brake override and emergency stop signal; stability, trailer and traction control; forward collision mitigation system; hill start assist and descent control, adaptive cruise control, reversing camera as well as rear parking sensors.

There are two ISOFix child seat anchors in the second row of seats.

Pajero Exceed and GSR also have blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, lane change assist, miss-acceleration mitigation system, an adjustable speed limiter and speed limit display.

There is multi around monitor and front parking sensors.

What’s it go like?

The Pajero’s seats are large and comfortable and the steering wheel is adjustable for both height and reach.

We found it easy to set everything up the way we like it. This adds to the safety of the vehicle because the driver never feels the need to fiddle with settings that never feel quite right.

The centre console has a modern shape. There are lower trays in the dashboard forward of the gear lever and more under the floor console, allowing access from both sides, giving improved utility and convenience.

There’s plenty of headroom in all seats and second row legroom is reasonable.

Unusually, the second-row seatback can also be tilted to give occupants the choice of which angle suits them best.

Third row seats are best suited for young children as there’s not enough space for adults (Besides, the kids prefer to be as far away from Mum and Dad as possible).

It’s hardly a surprise that rear storage space in the seven-seat Pajero Sport is minimal with the third-row seats in place.

The base can by folded back to make a floor that’s almost completely flat.

This expands the space up to 673 litres depending on the variant tested.

There’s also a shallow compartment in the floor at the back with a lid to hide smaller items from view.

All Pajero Sport models are powered by a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine with outputs of 133kW at 3500 rpm and 430Nm at 2500 revs.

The GLX and GLS come with the choice of two- or four-wheel drive; Exceed and GSR are 4WD only.

Transmission is through an eight-speed automatic.

All Pajero Sport 4WD models come with four drive modes: 2WD high range, full Time 4WD and high and low range 4WD with locked centre differential.

Off-Road modes include: gravel, mud/snow, sand or rock.

Pajero Sport is a large vehicle so getting into it can be a task for smaller occupants. However, the side steps and grab handles make it simpler.

Variants above the Pajero GLX come with a powered tailgate and kick-motion sensor.

I found the sensors worked most of the time — not always the case in some other vehicles we’ve tested.

Pajero Sport is not designed from the ground up as an SUV, rather it’s built on a Mitsubishi utility platform, in this case the Mitsubishi Triton.

There’s plenty of grunt when needed and semi-serious off-road credentials but still smooth and comfortable on the bitumen.

Towing capacity is very good, at 3100kg.

Around town it has a tight – for its class – turning circle of 11.0 metres.

Power assist has been calibrated to reduce steering effort when stationary or at low speeds while providing greater feedback at higher speeds.

Pajero Sport offers an easy, relatively refined drive with a nice blend of power and control.

Given its real off-road capability, it is not as compliant or gentle as those bitumen-only SUVs but it’s certainly comfortable enough.

Fuel consumption is listed at 8.0L/100km.

We averaged 9.3L on our usual test course which includes motorway, flat and hill country roads as well as boring driving around the suburbs.

What we like?

• Appearance
• Many features
• Easy setup
• Fuel economy
• Plenty of grunt when needed
• Big warranty
• Road manners
• Comfort
• Power tailgate with kick-motion sensor

What we don’t like?

• Getting in and out
• Rear storage minimal with the third-row in place
• Unfortunately maximum braked towing remains at 3100kg

The bottom line?

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is equally at home carrying out family duties in the urban environment where it’s likely to spend most of its time.

It also works well in harsh off-road situations that would stop most of its softer rivals.

Pajero is well-priced and comes with Mitsubishi’s very impressive 10-year warranty, provided that its always serviced at a dealership and doesn’t travel more than 200,000km in that period. Otherwise, it drops to five years and 100,000km.

Not so impressive when most five-year competitors provide unlimited distance.

 

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