Pajero will have, according to Mitsubishi, "outstanding off-road capability".
Full-size Pajero will make its return later this year. Picture: Mitsubishi
Exactly a month after confirming the return of the Pajero, Mitsubishi has released another teaser image, this time of a long-time trademark feature of the interior.
Known so far
Seemingly set to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in October, the Pajero will make its return after five years based on the same ladder-frame platform as the Triton bakkie.
Set to have what Mitsubishi calls “outstanding off-road capability”, it will have a unique suspension design not related or derived from any other model, and have a model specific interior design.
Digitised iconic readouts
As part of the latter, the newly released teaser image confirms the presence of an inclinometer, outside temperature display, roll angle and pitch angle.
Famously situated on the dashboard in a separate binnacle on the first two generations, the layout, which Mitsubishi calls Multi Meter, now becomes a digital affair instead of the previous analogue.
Similar to the previous teaser, no details were provided as to whether the Multi Meter would be integrated into the infotainment display, within the instrument cluster or part of a display of its own.
As such, no information about the Pajero’s interior is yet known.
Power conundrum
Moreover, no powertrain details are known. However, the Pajero sharing the Triton’s platform has suggested it will use the twin-turbo version of the 2.4-litre 4N16 turbodiesel engine that develops 150kW/470Nm.
Unlike the last Pajero that exited production in 2021, the 3.2-litre turbodiesel and 3.8-litre V6 petrol engines won’t feature.
Instead, the 2.4-litre plug-in hybrid option from the Outlander PHEV has been mentioned as an alternative to the diesel in markets where petrol is preferred, such as North America and the Middle East.
End of Pajero Sport?
Already spied undergoing testing, the Pajero won’t be related to Nissan’s Patrol, nor will it have any input from Renault as per the three brands that make up the alliance.
Its arrival, though, will seemingly impact on that of the next generation Pajero Sport, which had been expected to take place this year.
As such, it remains to be seen whether the decision has been taken to revive the Pajero as not only a new generation, but also the Sport’s direct successor.
More soon
Expected to rival the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and possibly the Land Cruiser 300, the Patrol and higher-end versions of the Ford Everest when it goes on-sale, the Pajero will also bring back the Montero name in markets where ‘pajero’ previously wasn’t used due to its well-known meaning in Spanish slang.
Mitsubishi hasn’t, however, confirmed whether it will bring back the Shogun name used only on versions sold in the United Kingdom.
Similarly, Mitsubishi Motors South Africa has remained mum on the chances of the Pajero coming back in 2027.
