Review 2020 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is as much a capable offroader as it is the perfect family car. With a new front and back, it now looks sharper than ever, resembling the rest of the family and true Mitsi style.

INITIAL IMPRESSION

On or offroad, five or seven seat, basic or luxurious - the options are many for the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.  To make it better fit in with the Mitsubishi family styling, the new Triton and ASX already have adopted Mitsubishi's new front and back look, plus a few upgrades inside. Under the hood, they've kept everything the same, as with the gearbox - as they were a smashing combination already that didn't need any improvements.  It now looks sharper and more streamlined, plus it has a few new technology features that make it modern as well. Time to take a closer look.

DRIVEABILITY

With the same 2.4-litre turbo-diesel underneath the hood that you’d find in the previous model, the Pajero Sport moves along at a good pace. With 133kW of power and 430Nm of torque, the Pajero Sport is marginally less powerful on paper than its direct rivals, but in the real world is helped along by the eight-speed auto changing the gears.

Out on the streets, the Pajero Sport is nimble, hiding its two tonne weight well. There’s no pitch and roll when you’re trying to move at speed, and the retuned suspension behind the 18” alloy wheels is well tuned to soak up anything smaller than a boulder. Off-road, the Pajero Sport is well-prepared with a version of the proven SuperSelect II 4WD system, that can split torque between the wheels.

The eight-speed auto mentioned before is a first in a vehicle stamped with triple diamonds, and it is well suited to the Pajero Sport. The ratios are perfect for the power delivery; it never feels as though the engine is strained by a lack of forward gears. Stamping your foot down, though, won’t win you any drag races – rather, the turbo-diesels relatively short first gear is there to give you a smooth power curve instead of the usual ‘nothing-then-everything’ delivery found in diesel SUVs.​

LIVEABILITY

The Pajero Sport sits in a segment that is a cutthroat battleground for families shopping for their next vehicle. Mitsubishi responded to the diverse tastes of SUV buyers by offering a five seat and seven seat option.

While you do sacrifice the third-row seating in entry GLX models, the payoff for cargo space is immense. At one square metre between the wheel arches with the back seat in use, and close to two metres of length with the second row folded down, the Pajero Sport is built to carry anything you need. Even with the third row in use, the under floor storage tray increases the Pajero Sports practicality immensely.

In the Exceed, you can see that the Sport is built for comfort, and not just up front. The top-line model gets the addition of Mitsubishi's Remote Smartphone App standard, which allows you to control certain electronic features in the car like the tailgate without touching the car. Along with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility and digital radio standard throughout the range on the Pajero Sport.

Around town, the Mitsi is easy to manoeuvre – though in Exceed trim, it is helped out immensely by driver assist features like Multi Around Monitor, which uses the cameras surrounding the Pajero Sport to give you a bird’s eye view of what’s happening. Indeed, the Sport is so dedicated to safety that the regular Mitsubishi emblem that sits on the grille doubles as a sensor.​

The Exceed is the pick for buyers wanting the edge in safety, several class leading technologies are available in the Pajero Sport, but some – like the Ultrasonic Misacceleration Mitigation System (UMS) (which stops you from accelerating too quickly if there’s an object in front of you), as well as forward crash mitigation, blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning.

The Pajero Sport is the perfect family buy then, especially if you’ve got three kids or less – because there are no compromises in terms of luggage space or drive. The Sport is setup to work smarter, rather than harder – able to offer a comfortable ride during times when you want a SUV, before switching the SuperSelect system on to get stuck into it on your holidays.

COST

The Pajero Sport range comes in entry level GLX around mid-$40k, mid-range GLS for just over $50k, and the top level Exceed, as tested, for just under $55k

There are also a range of Genuine Accessories for the Pajero Sport, from floor mats to towbars and under body protection.

All Pajero Sports are covered by Mitsubishi’s Diamond Advantage, which provides for 5 years or 100,000km & 3 Years Capped Price Servicing.

CONCLUSION

On or offroad, five or seven seat, basic or luxurious - the options are plenty full with the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. To make it better fit in with the family styling the new Triton and ASX already have adopted Mitsubishi fitted it with a new front and back, plus a few upgrades inside. Under the hood, they've kept everything the same, as with the gearbox, but they were a smashing combination already that didn't need any improvements. It now looks sharper and more streamlined, plus it has a few new technology features that make it modern as well.