In the face of the red-hot advance of electric power, one internal combustion engine vehicle is moving at glacial pace to extend the Ice age.
The Pajero Sport landed Down Under more than a decade ago and, with its long-standing diesel motor, is sticking steadfastly to the fossil-fuelled task.
The MY24 large seven-seat family SUV is betting on competitive pricing and the slow-to-thaw roll-out of public fast charging infrastructure for the EV upstarts, leading to a pandemic of ‘range anxiety’ among owners.
The ladder-frame Pajero Sport competes with other rugged pickup-based SUVs such as the Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X and Toyota Fortuner and Prado.
The five-seat Pajero Sport GLX comes in all-wheel drive only these days and costs $51,540, plus on-road costs. The GLS, adds a third row of seats, plus power tailgate, satellite navigation and six-speaker audio, and is from $56,890.
The latter carries the option of a $2250 Deluxe pack, which includes leather seats (a mix of real and synthetic), powered front seats and surround-view camera, while the range is topped off with the Exceed 4×4 at $60,690 and GSR 4×4 ($64,840).
The Pajero Sport GLS is about $6000 cheaper than a mid-range Isuzu MU-X LS-U and about $10,000 cheaper than a mid-range Ford Everest Trend.
Mitsubishi leads the segment with its 10-year warranty and capped price servicing, which carries a distance limit of 200,000km. All Mitsubishis are sold with 12 months of roadside assist for up to four years if the vehicle is serviced on schedule at an authorised Mitsubishi dealer.
STYLING
With a premium leather three-spoke steering wheel, equipped with intuitive paddle shifters for seamless 4WD mode transitions, Mitsubishi says the MY24 Pajero is designed with functionality and elegance equally in mind.
With latest enhancements such as new 18-inch wheels, grilles, bumper garnishes and black headlamp extensions there’s no shortage of street presence or off-road vs versatility.
INTERIOR
For a seven-seater the GLS does not have the roomiest cabin, nor does it lack in rather dated surroundings. However, it does have its compensation. The driver can enjoy longer drives courtesy a seat lumber power adjustment.
Both front seats add the luxury of heating, while the revised interior, including a three-spoke leather steering wheel, has things covered with superior support for the long haul.
Convenience starts with the Pajero Sport’s advanced power tailgate. Go hands-free by simply waving a foot under the rear bumper, or use the intuitive smartphone app. The automatic tailgate is put into operation on approaching or leaving the vehicle.
In five or seven-seat configurations there’s no excuse for leaving anything behind. packed to the rafters for a weekend escape or looking to load up the boot with work gear, Pajero Sport cargo capacity has it all covered.
Cargo space is 131 litres, and with the second row in place expands to 502 litres for the GLS, Exceed and GSR. With all seats folded, it amounts to 1488 litres for all seven-seat versions.
There’s a 12V power socket, a small underfloor compartment, a full-sized spare wheel, and Exceed and GSR boast an automatic power tailgate.
INFOTAINMENT
The 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, with its pixelated graphics and basic set of features supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the interface feels dated. Also, a little old fashioned are the navigation system, DAB radio, plus a choice of audio outputs.
ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS
This Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is powered by a 2.4 litre turbodiesel engine producing 133kW of power at 3500rpm and 430Nm of torque at 2500rpm delivered to the front or all wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
According to maker Mitsubishi, expect the Pajero Sport GLS 4WD seven-seat vehicle to go through eight litres of diesel per 100 kilometres in the combined city and highway cycle while putting out 212g of CO2 every kilometre.
SAFETY
The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport received a five-star rating from ANCAP in 2015, which means it has lapsed due to dated construction.
However, all models include forward autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, a speed limiter, reversing sensors, and trailer stability control, as are dual front, front-side and curtain airbags and driver’s knee.
For example, forward collision mitigation detects obstructions ahead and issues a visual and audible alert when there is a danger of collision and automatically applies the brakes to avoid collision or reduce impact speed and severity.
Blind spot warning and lane change assist helps lane changing with confidence, the lane change assist sounding an alert and displaying a blinking warning in the door mirrors when the system detects a vehicle moving in the same direction within 3.4m.
Adaptive cruise control uses radar technology to detect any cars ahead in the same lane and adjusts the speed of your car while maintaining a safe distance set by you.
Rear cross traffic alert uses the rear side radar sensors to detect another vehicle approaching from the side when reversing. The system operates when the vehicle is in reverse at speeds below 8km/h.
Mitsubishi Motors’ Multi Around Monitor provides a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of the car.
DRIVING
While the Pajero Sport’s 2.4-litre MiVEC diesel engine, with an all-aluminium alloy block and a sophisticated common-rail direct injection system, delivers marked fuel efficiency and minimal CO2 emissions, the word ‘Sport’ in terms of on-road performance is sadly misplaced.
The car is no race circuit record breaker. The test GLS was hesitant off the mark and slow to get into its stride. Once there, however, the eight-speed auto shifted intelligently under varying loads and road conditions.
Off-road is a different matter: designed for versatility, the Super Select 4WD II features four off-road modes – Gravel, Mud/Snow, Sand and Rock – each calibrated for complete driver confidence.
SUMMARY
A cool reception for the ‘prehistoric’ Pajero Sport. Best to wait for the next Triton-like Pajero round the corner.
RATINGS
Looks: 8/10
Performance: 7/10
Safety: 7/10
Thirst: 7/10
Practicality: 7/10
Comfort: 6/10
Tech: 7/10
Value: 8/10
