The Mitsubishi Pajero has been around for 40 years!
It is one of the iconic and most loved SUVs in the world, city slick with true off-road capability. The 2021 Both the Mitsubishi Pajero LWB and Sport are true head-turners, solid cars for drivers who demand power, build quality and performance. We all know someone who drives a Pajero, and many of them have driven the same one for many years. The Pajero has been around for a while. Do you know how long exactly? When was the first Mitsubishi Pajero made?
First Generation
The cold war was in full swing. Maggie and Ronnie ruled the West, with Andropov head of the Soviet Union. The first CD players are sold, playing the new Police song Every Breath You take and MAW’s Land Down Under. That was back in 1983 when the first generation Pajero was launched. It featured all-wheel drive three and five-door early SUV bodies, as well as a few soft-top options. In some markets, they were called the Shogun or Montero. The engines ranged from inline-four petrol to a V6 and a couple of diesels as well.
The top of the range 3.0-litre V6 put out 103 kW and could go 0 to 100km/h in about 12 seconds, with a top speed close to 160km/h, rather hot for the day.
So popular was that first generation that it was built, with some facelifts, until 1991.
Generation Two
The next iteration of the Pajero was unleashed in 1992, also with inline-four or V6 motors in mid-sized 3- and 5-door versions. This was the generation that set the Pajero’s off-road credentials, competing in the most gruelling races like the Paris-Dakar Rally. In fact, the Pajero Evolution was built and sold to meet the Dakar homologation criteria.
Generation Three
Born in 2000, the 3rd generation had a new, larger body. It introduced torque vectoring technology that could detect the type of terrain and adjust the power and torque accordingly. It also featured a new 3.8-litre V6 and a 3.2-litre turbo diesel. The 3.8 engine gave 182 kW and could get a top speed of 200km/h.
The Current Generation
The Pajero was class-leading when it came out, and Mitsubishi kept it up to date with new tech, even though there were four generations in forty years. South Africans now have a choice of the large, capable Mitsubishi Pajero LWB or three trim levels of the luxury, 7-seater, super-capable Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.
The LWB comes with 4 WD, rear diff lock, electrically adjusted driver seat, six airbags, rearview camera and more. It has the 3.2-litre Direct Injection Diesel Engine that gives you 140kW and a massive 441 Nm of torque.
The Sport comes with a choice of 4×2 or 4×4, the very capable 2.4 MIVEC Turbo Diesel with 133 kW and 430 Nm. It has all the luxury and safety features you would expect and more and gives a smooth and superior ride in town while being able to take on the most challenging off-road conditions with ease.
After nearly 40 years of setting SUV standards, the Pajero is still the luxury go-anywhere choice for many South Africans and any car that keeps setting standards for so long is worth a second look.
