2027 Mitsubishi Pajero shows strong off-road form in first Australian drive ahead of December launch

First local drive, off-road only

Mitsubishi has given Australian motoring media their first taste of the fifth-generation Pajero on home soil, hosting a brief off-road preview at the Eagle View 4WD Park outside Adelaide. Only two Pajero GSR flagships were available to drive, according to CarExpert, supported by a pair of Triton utes and a previous-generation Pajero as reference points. The vehicles on hand remain pre-production units, and media are not permitted to drive them on public roads, so no on-road impressions exist yet. ¹

4X4 Australia's Toby Hagon drove the same pre-production cars at the South Australian four-wheel drive park without turning a wheel on bitumen and rarely exceeding 25-30km/h, cautioning that it was hardly a thorough evaluation. He nevertheless called it the most convincing Mitsubishi in more than a decade and "a giant leap for the Pajero nameplate", with a genuine step forward in off-road ability and an even bigger one in comfort and refinement. ²

This follows earlier quick drives in Japan the day after the global reveal in early September, where CarExpert sampled the new SUV only briefly on-road at Mitsubishi's Okazaki proving ground. CarExpert notes the official Australian launch is still expected "just in time for Christmas", with 4X4 Australia reporting first showroom arrivals in December 2026. ¹²³

Off-road performance: strong, with one caveat

On the loose, rocky trails at Eagle View, CarExpert found the Pajero never out of its comfort zone, with steady throttle openings and traction control that managed wheel slip effectively even on highway tyres. Compared with the old Pajero, the publication judged the new car's traction control smoother, power delivery more effortless and brake pedal pressure easier to gauge, while the longer wheelbase added stability on steep inclines — though at some cost to the old car's engagement. ¹

4X4 Australia reported improved articulation, with the rear axle in particular drooping and compressing far more than the outgoing Pajero's, keeping tyres planted where the old car would lift a wheel. There was one blemish: on a single cross-axle climb, traction control could not sort out the situation in the automatic mode, but engaging the centre and rear differential locks saw the Pajero walk through without fuss. ²

Quibbles recorded by CarExpert include a poor-resolution camera feed that made precise placement difficult — which the publication hopes is a pre-production issue — occasional scraping from the side steps, and the time sometimes taken to engage or disengage low range. 4X4 Australia added that the bulky clamshell bonnet makes it harder to place the front wheels, though the 360-degree camera and see-through bonnet system provide digital assistance. ¹²

Chassis, powertrain and specification

The new Pajero returns to body-on-frame construction after two generations of ladder-frame-reinforced monocoque, using a heavily modified version of the Triton's ladder chassis that Mitsubishi says was chosen to balance off-road capability with on-road comfort. All grades get Super Select II 4WD with 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc settings, a locking rear differential and 3500kg braked towing capacity, so the core off-road hardware does not require stepping up the range, as 4X4 Australia notes. ¹²

Power comes from an updated single-turbo version of the Triton's 2.4-litre diesel producing 150kW and 480Nm — 10Nm more than the bi-turbo Triton application — driving through an eight-speed automatic, up from the Triton's six. Per 4X4 Australia, the 4N16-series engine uses a water-cooled intercooler, dual-loop EGR and AdBlue to meet Euro 6d emissions standards. Claimed fuel economy is 7.1L/100km for the GLS and 7.2L/100km for Exceed and GSR grades, per CarExpert. ¹²

Kerb weight spans 2397kg for the five-seat GLS to 2513kg for the GSR, with payloads of 818kg to 702kg respectively, an 80-litre fuel tank, 3215kg gross vehicle mass and 6340kg gross combination mass, according to CarExpert's specification listing. Headline dimensions for the GSR are 4920mm long, 1925mm wide, a 2870mm wheelbase, 228mm of ground clearance, a 30.4-degree approach angle and a 25.8-degree departure angle; wading depth remains listed as to be confirmed. ¹

CarExpert was impressed by the cabin, describing it as a huge step forward for Mitsubishi with strong build quality, plentiful storage, a 14.3-inch touchscreen and instrument display on higher grades, physical controls retained for climate and drive modes, and generous second- and third-row space aided by 150mm of second-row seat travel. 4X4 Australia separately highlighted a 150-watt household outlet in the second row and the survival of the Mitsubishi multimeter in digital form. ¹²

Price and where it sits in the segment

Australian pricing starts at $68,490 before on-road costs for the five-seat GLS, rising to $69,990 for the seven-seat GLS, $79,990 for the Exceed and $84,990 for the GSR flagship. CarExpert's comparison places the base GLS above the cheapest full-time four-wheel-drive Ford Everest and well above the entry four-wheel-drive Isuzu MU-X, but below the base Toyota Prado; at the top, the GSR undercuts nothing in the segment except being dearer than the Everest Platinum ($82,917 plus ORCs) and the MU-X X-Terrain ($77,100 plus ORCs), while the Prado Kakadu sits above $100,000. ¹⁵

For context, CarExpert notes the final top-spec previous-generation Pajero Exceed Final Edition was $63,490 before on-road costs in 2021, roughly $76,000 in today's money adjusted for inflation, and it also flags the diesel GWM Tank 500 topping out at $71,990 drive-away. Mitsubishi Australia has yet to announce service pricing for the new Pajero, though it has confirmed the model is covered by the brand's conditional 10-year/200,000km warranty program, per CarExpert's comparison. ¹⁵

What remains unknown before launch

Both publications stress significant limits on this first assessment. On-road performance in Australia remains untested, with 4X4 Australia promising a full on- and off-road review at launch, and CarExpert observing that on-road behaviour is a key unknown. The incoming Pajero is also the only one of the four rival large off-road SUVs in CarExpert's comparison yet to hold a five-star ANCAP safety rating, which is yet to be assessed. ¹²⁵

No representative real-world fuel economy figure exists yet from the local drives; CarExpert saw around 14.0L/100km on the trip computer after roughly 30 minutes of low-speed off-roading, while CarSauce's September quick drive in Japan recorded indicated figures of 13.3-14.7L/100km on a test track — conditions very different from the official combined cycle claims. Whether the camera resolution and any pre-production niggles carry through to customer cars will only become clear at launch, with Mitsubishi still expecting the new Pajero to arrive in Australian showrooms in December 2026. ¹⁴