2016 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GLX REVIEW | Mitsubishi Back From The Stone Age
FOR MITSUBISHI DEALERS, THE ARRIVAL OF THE ALL-NEW PAJERO SPORT – SPRUNG FROM THE BONES OF THE STRONG-SELLING TRITON UTE – HAS PROVIDED A RED BULL/DOUBLE ESPRESSO SORT OF JOLT.
It joins the venerable full-size Pajero (which has been around since Fred and Wilma were driving the streets of Bedrock), and is a capable addition to Mitsubishi’s tough off-road SUV range.
Yes, with vehicles like the Pajero Sport, Ford Everest and Toyota Fortuner, our burgeoning SUV market segment has some real choice when it comes to hard-working tow vehicles with real 4X4 capability.
For Mitsubishi, it has hatched the right vehicle at the right time.
Extra good news comes from the Mitsubishi bean-counters with the industrial-strength calculators – they’ve done a great job with the new car’s pricing; the Pajero Sport starts at just $45,000 (plus on-road costs) which undercuts one major rival by a staggering $9,900.
Vehicle Style: Large SUV
Price: $45,000 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 133kW/430Nm 2.4 litre 4cyl turbo-diesel | 8sp automatic
Fuel Economy claimed: 8.0 l/100km | tested: 9.1 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Mitsubishi’s all-new Pajero Sport rides on the Triton pickup platform. It’s a hard-working 4X4 wagon and perhaps biased towards recreational users and trailer towing, rather than for school mums.
It’s currently only sold as a five-seater (in a category of mostly seven-seaters) but the cavernous cargo space does point to a future model with a couple of extra seats.
At $45,000 (plus on-road costs), our Pajero Sport GLX looks sharp when shopped against its chief rivals – the somewhat 'bare' Toyota Fortuner GX ($49,990 plus on-road costs) and Ford Everest Ambiente ($54,990 plus on-road costs).