Mitsubishi Pajero

Japanese car makers usually tend to do fairly well in India, Maruti and Toyota being the prime examples of it. And while Honda might be having a bit of a tough time lately, It definitely isn't tougher than what Mitsubishi faced in India. In fact the brand globally, too, hasn't been all that successful. However, it's now trying to turn its fortunes and has been making headlines with its newly revealed flagship, the new-generation Pajero.

It was the last Mitsubishi nameplate to be sold in India and despite not having many takers, it seems to have a cult-like following with plenty pop culture references, and also because of its outright capability amongst enthusiasts. The new model seems to take on the same recipe with a butch upright styling, an old-school ladder frame chassis, a diesel engine, and proper 4x4 mechanicals. Only now, the interior seems to be a lot more premium and feature-rich. 

There is no news of an India launch as of now, despite Mitsubishi targeting a rollout in more than 100 countries. But if it arrived in India, the new Pajero would be a rival to the Toyota Fortuner, MG Majestor, and Jeep Meridian.

Mitsubishi has done a great job of modernising the Pajero, but they still have kept the styling elements and cues that have always been true to the nameplate. While the new car looks properly modern, it has a dose of nostalgia as well. 

The nose is tall, flat, and butch, with a lot of cladding and thick LED DRLs that span the width of the bonnet and then cascade into the bumper with sleek horizontal slats towards the side. All the design elements are very horizontal, including the individual slats for the grille that dominate the nose, giving it a very strong look.

The theme of horizontal lines and butchness continues in profile with massive wheel arches and the C-pillar design that harks back to the Pajeros before it. It sits on massive dual-tone alloy wheels, which complement the size of the vehicle very well. For easy egress/ingress, there is also a side step. In case you can’t recognise the vehicle you're looking at, it has a fender garnish with the Pajero word mark to remind you. Mitsubishi says that a snorkel can be fitted without any need for body modifications. 

At the rear the styling matches the nose with T-shaped LED tail lights with a similar individual slat design towards the side. There is a properly chunky bumper with reflector lights on either side. There is also a rather sculpted roof-mounted spoiler, which also houses the stop light within it, and a shark fin antenna above it. 

Surprisingly there are only two colour options available for the new Mitsubishi Pajero: Armor Copper Metallic and Phantom Blue Metallic.

It definitely is not a soft-looking SUV by any means. In fact, it has all the characteristics that might possibly make it the favourite of people who are associated with power in India. 

Inside the new Mitsubishi Pajero, the overall cabin theme and the layout give a very Lexus vibe. The upper half of the dashboard is sleek and flat, finished in black, while the chunky lower half finished in caramel gives it a layered look. There has been a lot of leatherette material used on the seat and the dashboard to make the cabin feel rich but design-wise it feels a bit utilitarian. The four-spoke steering wheel definitely looks old-school with a thick horn pad and thick spokes as well. You'll also notice the grab handles on the passenger side of the dashboard, which adds to that functional attitude. 

In terms of seats, Mitsubishi is offering it with three rows. That means seven seats with a bench in the middle. All passengers get adjustable headrests while the first- and second-row passengers also get a central armrest. 

The second row features second-row sliding seats and also has a tumble mechanism, which allows for relatively easier ingress into the third row. 

In this new avatar, the Mitsubishi Pajero is a properly feature-loaded vehicle. It comes with two screens, both of which are 14.3-inches in size. The main entertainment system has wireless smartphone connectivity and even features the signature triple gauge layout, (Now referred to as the multi-meter). It is now in a digital form, part of the screen and the system relays a whole host of driving information, including the pitch, roll, and tyre angle, amongst other things too.

And who better to develop a sound system than a company that specialises in making musical instruments? As a result it gets a 12-speaker Yamaha sound system and let's just say Mitsubishi has high praises for it. 

Other features include a 14.3-inch digital driver's display, three-zone climate control, front and rear ventilated seats, connected car technology, and acoustic windows. 

The safety kit of the new Mitsubishi Pajero comes equipped with features like 8 airbags, front and rear parking sensors, electronic parking brake (EPB), electronic stability control (ESC) and hill hold assist (HHA).

The new Pajero also comes with a rather advanced set of Level 2 autonomous driving assistance systems, which includes features like front collision mitigation, front collision warning, lane keep assist, cross traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control.

The new Mitsubishi Pajero gets a single diesel engine option globally. It's a 2.4-litre four-cylinder unit with a proper four-wheel drivetrain and a ladder frame chassis. Here are the specifications:

Mitsubishi claims that the four-wheel drivetrain makes the Pajero a proper off-road-ready vehicle with individual two-high, four-high, and four-low modes and a centre differential lock as well. The figures are impressive too, with 230 mm of ground clearance and approach, ramp over, and departure angles of 30.4 degrees, 22.6 degrees and 25.8 degrees, respectively.

There are seven drive modes: Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand, and Rock.

This new-gen Pajero seems to be a proper modern rendition of everything that the nameplate stands for, but with slightly more premium interiors. It has the same rugged exterior, a functional interior, and some serious mechanicals that give it proper off-road chops (at least on paper ). We reckon if launched in India and priced relatively well, it could have more than a few takers, but its India launch still seems to be a big question mark as Mitsubishi's presence and operations are next to none in the country.