2015 all new mitsubishi pajero sport
What can I say. After getting mesmerised with the Mitsubishi Pajero Sports 3 years ago, I decided to take the plunge and purchase another Pajero Sports 2019 model. Why? I rack up a lot of KLMS for work as I do a fair bit of country driving as well as personal. I love the Pajero Sports for the price, features and off road ability. However as I’m not a die hard off roader, my version of off road is on a dusty gravel road. Yep. Not super exciting.
So my love hate experience started last year in December. So the air conditioning was blowing hot
. Read more air on a 38 degree day. Not a fun experience. My car has always been serviced according to the log book. Took it to a reputable authorised mechanic and basically told me I had a cracked condenser. He informed me that this is awkward and to take it back to Mitsubishi. So in summary, I paid a reputable Mitsubishi dealer in Paramatta to have a so called diagnostic test — a test which states the obvious. Result? Will have to have re gas the car and look at it further but its not a cracked condenser. Brought the car back to have it re-examined. Result. A cracked condenser. So as I believe this was a manufacturing defect and was not my fault, I complained to Mitsubishi Australia. They virtually gave me the middle finger and told me that as the car was out of warranty. ( was 3 years old and clocked 150000 kilometres). I was happy to go halves as I believed this was a supplier defect. But Nope, all my fault. After owning 2 Pajero Sports within the space of 4 years and looking forward to the new generation Mitsubishi Pajero Sports, I can sadly say this will not be the case. I am bitterly disappointed at my treatment and strongly advise others to look at other manufacturers. The Ford Everest or Prado now seems to be a worthy option even if I had to spend a little more. All I can say Buyer Beware when owning a Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2015 Review
Third-generation Challenger gets new name and new tech to take on Fortuner
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport
International Launch Review
Mt Fuji, Japan
Mitsubishi has high hopes for its newly named Pajero Sport, which arrives Down Under in December bringing vast improvements in design, refinement, efficiency, technology and off-road capability. Like the second-generation Challenger it replaces and the fifth-generation Triton 4×4 ute on which it’s based, it will be a competitively priced all-diesel affair. But unlike direct new rivals like the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest, it won’t come with seven seats.
Utility-based four-wheel drive wagons are flavour of the month Down Under, where SUV demand continues unabated and where the newest entries are Toyota’s HiLux-based Fortuner and Ford’s Ranger-based Everest.
Mitsubishi’s Triton-based Challenger has never been a big seller, however, and despite being 62 per cent up so far this year with just over 2000 registrations, sales still trail those of the rugged Holden Colorado 7 and Isuzu MU-X.
But the Japanese SUV specialist has plenty of reasons to be more bullish about its successor, and not just because of a new name that doesn’t suggest ‘underdog’ and trades off its more successful Pajero sister model.
First, the Pajero Sport is more distinctive and handsome, with a striking new face that’s echoed at the rear, where adventurous new cascading LED tail-lights cap off a longer rear overhand.
This doesn’t appear to come at the expense of the lineage’s proved off-road ability, aided by an unchanged ground clearance of 218mm and carryover approach, departure and ramp-over angles (30, 24 and 23 degrees respectively), which Mitsubishi claims are class-leading.
Indeed, a brief drive on a reasonably testing off-road course in Japan last week proved the Pajero Sport will go almost anywhere, thanks to generous underbody clearance and suspension articulation.
The revised, all-coil set-up — double-wishbone front and three-link live-axle at the rear – is impressively supple and compliant over the rough stuff and its wading depth increases by 100mm to 700mm – matching Fortuner but 100mm short of Everest. Brakes are also upgraded.
Like the latest Triton, braked towing capacity rises by 100kg to a competitive 3100kg, although kerb weight rises by 70kg to 2070kg in its heaviest form, which still undercuts the equivalent Fortuner (2135kg), Colorado 7 (2205kg) and Everest (2495kg).
Borrowed from the Mk5 Triton is Mitsubishi’s newest 4N15 2.4-litre MIVEC four-cylinder turbo-diesel, developing the same 133kW of power at 3500rpm and 430Nm of torque at 2500rpm, meaning there’s acres of refined, accessible grunt on tap at very low engine speeds.
Combined with the new eight-speed auto, however, Mitsubishi claims CO2 emissions of less than 200g/km and fuel consumption reduction of 17 per cent compared to the Challenger, which consumes 8.3L/100km (manual) and 9.8L/100km (five-speed auto).
That means the new auto-only Pajero Sport will consume around 8.0L/100km, undercutting the Fortuner.
Combined with a «further evolved» version of Mitsubishi’s Super-Select 4WD-II four-wheel drive system including super-low gear reduction ratios, the Pajero Sport offers convincing low-speed crawling ability over the loosest inclines.
It’s confidence-inspiring downhill, too, thanks to a new hill descent control system that defaults to a 2km/h crawl speed and can be modulated to speeds up to 20km/h via the accelerator.
A new Off-Road Mode for the Active Stability and Traction Control (ASTC) system also features Gravel, Sand, Mud/Snow and Rock settings, potentially making it more than a one-trick pony away from the blacktop.
The Super-Select 4WD system is operated by a rotary Drive Mode Selector on the centre console and unlike others offers a fuel-saving 2WD high-range (2H) mode, plus four-wheel drive high-range (4H), 4WD high-range with centre diff lock (4HLc) and 4WD low-range with centre diff lock (4LLc). As per Triton 4×4, there’s a separate electronic rear diff lock button.
Apart from the slick-shifting new eight-speed auto, which will be available with steering wheel paddle shifters, and ‘tube-style’ LED daytime running lights and tail-lights, other Mitsubishi firsts include an electronic park brake as standard.
There’s also an upgraded Electronic Time and Alarm Control System (ETACS) including welcome light, coming home light, emergency stop signal system, reverse-linked rear wiper and auto-folding side mirrors.
On-road handling dynamics have never been a Challenger strong point, but we can’t say how the Pajero Sport tackles bitumen because we weren’t allowed to drive it outside the off-road proving ground.
That said, its body certainly feels more rigid and stable, ride quality should improve and its vastly quieter cabin and suspension should easily make its more liveable day-to-day than the Colorado 7 and MU-X.
Like most of its rivals, elements of the Pajero Sport’s dashboard are carried over from the Triton – including instruments gauges – but its cabin is almost all-new, as in the Fortuner.
But we reckon the classy new interior is more differentiated from its utilitarian donor vehicle than any other model in this class, with an upmarket design that reflects the edgy exterior and a high level of material quality and finish, even if most surfaces remain hard.
The interior’s pretty big too, but not as big as a Toyota Prado, which Mitsubishi says competes with its Pajero. Mitsubishi claims a class-leading 2585mm of total legroom between the first and third rows, and more front-seat headroom and second-row head and shoulder room than before.
The front seats are large, soft and comfortable, the reach- and rake-adjustable four-spoke leather steering wheel feels classy, there’s a multitude of grab-rails on the A- and B-Pillars, overhead ventilation outlets for the second and third rows, and plenty of cargo space.
Mitsubishi hasn’t said exactly how much (although it’s likely to be class-leading, given the body is 90mm longer than before, on the same 2800mm wheelbase) and the only ergonomic shortfalls are a roof-mounted centre rear seatbelt and a cargo floor-mounted spare wheel release mechanism. Oh and the 68-litre fuel tank won’t be big enough for some.
But there is a more glaring omission for the Australian market, and we suspect it’s partly because the side curtain airbags don’t extend to third row of seats – the lack of a seven-seat option, which Mitsubishi says is unnecessary because the Outlander and Pajero both offer seven seats.
This is despite the fact the Pajero Sport will be available with seven seats in most of the 90 markets in which it will be sold, and that previous Challengers – including 1996 original and the second generation from 2008 — offered up to seven seats, until the MY14 PC-series became a five-seat-only model Down Under in 2013.
More importantly, as we outlined in our product news story it will be the only SUV in its class unavailable with seven seats and Mitsubishi that won’t change until a major model upgrade.
On the upside, we expect the Pajero Sport to be available in at least two well-specified model variants packed with standard equipment and new technology, and to be priced below its chief seven-seat rivals, which lack Mitsubishi’s five-year warranty and relatively cheap service costs.
The outgoing Challenger is priced between $42,490 (manual) and $49,990 (LS auto) plus on-road costs, while the all-diesel/4×4 Fortuner and Colorado 7 start at $47,990 and the Everest opens at $54,990. Only the MU-X is cheaper at $40,500 in 2WD form.
Therefore we expect the cheapest 4×4 diesel Pajero Sport auto – likely to be called the GT – to come with 18-inch alloy wheels and 265/60 R18 tyres, keyless entry and starting, auto headlights and wipers, and a well-presented and intuitive 7.0-inch colour touch-screen infotainment system with satellite-navigation, DAB digital radio, SD card input, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
The top-shelf Pajero Sport, meantime, could be called the GT-Premium and should undercut the Pajero at less than $50,000, despite being fitted as standard with LED headlights, dual-zone climate-control, leather upholstery, powered driver’s seat, paddle shifters and a rear entertainment system.
Naturally, there will be a range of accessories, including a tow kit, roof rails and side steps, and of course the standard safety armoury will extend to a five-star ANCAP safety rating, seven airbags, reversing camera, traction/stability control, anti-skid brakes and hill-start assist.
But it remains to be seen whether a number of Mitsubishi safety firsts — including low-speed Forward Collision Mitigation up to 30km/h, Blind-Spot Warning, Ultrasonic misacceleration Mitigation System (up to 10km/h) and ‘Multi-around Monitor’ 360-degree camera — will be standard or offered as part of an option pack.
So the Pajero Sport brings a whole new level of technology, sophistication, refinement, efficiency and comfort to the Challenger formula while also improving its off-road capability, which is a good thing since it’s likely to have to fill the role of the 16-year-old Pajero when it’s eventually killed off.
For now though, notwithstanding its lack of seven seats, we’ll have to reserve judgment on how it stacks up against the new Fortuner and Everest – at least until we’ve seen local pricing and specifications and driven it on the road in Australia.
2015 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport pricing and specifications:
Price: From under $45,000 (estimated)
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 133kW/430Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (estimated)
CO2: TBC
Safety rating: TBC
What we liked:
>> Off-road ability
>> Engine efficiency and refinement
>> Space, safety tech and potentially cheap price
Not so much:
>> No third row
>> Small fuel tank
>> We don’t know it handles on-road
Also consider:
>> Isuzu MU-X (from $40,500 plus ORCs)
>> Ford Everest (from $54,990 plus ORCs)
>> Holden Colorado 7 (from $47,990 plus ORCs)
>> Toyota Fortuner (from $47,790 plus ORCs)