Exclusive: New Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 4WD due in 2025, after Triton ute

EXCLUSIVE

The next generation of the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport four-wheel-drive wagon is due in local showrooms in 2025 – about 12 months after its new Mitsubishi Triton ute sibling, according to production forecast data unearthed by Drive.

Documents seen by Drive indicate the next Mitsubishi Pajero Sport – the first new model in eight years – is due to arrive in overseas Mitsubishi showrooms by the end of 2024 or from early 2025, pending any delays.

This means the next-generation Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is due to follow about 12 months after its sibling under the skin, the next-generation Mitsubishi Triton ute – which is due to be unveiled this year ahead of Australian showroom arrivals in late 2023 or early 2024.

This timing – based on production forecasts unearthed by Drive – would correlate to Australian showroom arrivals for the next-generation Mitsubishi Pajero Sport in 2025.

Few details of the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport are known, however – as with the vehicle in showrooms today – the new model is expected to borrow heavily from the Triton ute with which it shares much of its underpinnings and mechanical hardware.

Spy photos of the new Mitsubishi Triton show it is expected to adopt a bolder exterior design, sitting on a longer wheelbase that should deliver more interior space.

Styling differences between the current Triton ute and Pajero Sport wagon – aside from the unique body styles – are limited to discreet front bumper changes and bespoke wheel designs.

Questions remain over the mechanical elements of the next Triton – and therefore the Pajero Sport – including its engine, four-wheel-drive system, brakes, suspension, and turning circle.

As reported previously, the new Mitsubishi Triton is being developed alongside the next-generation Nissan Navara, which Drive has reported is due in Australian showrooms in early 2025, pending any delays.

A wagon derivative of the Nissan Navara – known as the Terra – is sold in parts of Asia and South America, but has never been offered in Australia because it has not been designed to earn a five-star safety rating.

However, the move to twin Mitsubishi and Nissan utes could spawn a similar joint-development program for the Pajero Sport and the next Nissan Terra.

It remains to be seen if the next Mitsubishi Triton and Pajero Sport retain the 2.4-litre single-turbo diesel four-cylinder in today’s model, the 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel in the current Nissan Navara, or a brand-new engine.

While Mitsubishi is yet to announce plans, the new Triton is widely tipped to offer the option of plug-in hybrid technology at some point in its life cycle – which would open the door for the Pajero Sport to follow, given the synergies between the two vehicles.

However, the option of turbo-diesel V6 power to fight the new-generation Ford Everest seems less likely, given earlier comments from executives pouring cold water on such plans.

The current Mitsubishi Pajero Sport will be the second-oldest vehicle in the ute-based four-wheel-drive wagon class by the time it is replaced – along with the Toyota Fortuner which arrived in 2015 and is not due for replacement until 2025.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport's two main competitors – the Isuzu MU-X and Ford Everest – have introduced new-generation models in the past 18 months, while Australia’s top-selling four-wheel-drive wagon, the Toyota Prado, is due to be replaced by a new model this year, according to Japanese reports.