Mitsubishi Pajero V20/V30 (1991–1999)

Pajero II: bigger body and three rows

The V20 is an all-new design, not a facelift of the L040, although it kept a separate ladder chassis and torsion-bar front suspension. Both wheelbases grew: the short car by 70 mm to 2,420 mm (95.3 in) and the long car by 30 mm to 2,725 mm (107.3 in). Mitsubishi highlights the arrival of a three-row seating model as one of the generation's main changes.

The range was broad. Short-wheelbase buyers chose between a Metal Top and a Canvas Top, while the long-wheelbase car came as a Semi-High Roof or High Roof wagon. A three-door convertible joined later; in Germany the last version, a 3.0 V6 GLX, was listed from February 1999 to May 2000.

Mitsubishi's Thai history notes that this Pajero became a cultural fixture in Japan during the 1990s ski boom. The overview of every Pajero generation puts the V20 in context with the cars before and after it.

How Super Select 4WD works

Super Select 4WD is the technical heart of the second generation. Mitsubishi describes it as the first system to combine part-time and full-time four-wheel drive in one transfer case, and it remained a Pajero feature until 2021.

The driver has four modes:

• 2H: rear-wheel drive for dry roads and better economy.
• 4H: full-time four-wheel drive through a centre differential with a viscous coupling, usable on tarmac.
• 4HLc: the centre differential locked for mud, sand or snow.
• 4LLc: low range, quoted at 1.9:1, with the centre differential locked.

Changes between 2H and 4H can be made while driving; sources differ on the speed limit, quoting 80 km/h or 100 km/h. A rear differential lock was optional. Multi-mode ABS was designed to work in every drive mode, and some markets sold the system under the name Active Trac.

V20 engines and gearboxes in Europe

European buyers had one four-cylinder petrol, four V6 versions and two turbo-diesels. The figures below are taken from German catalogue data; the 3.5 V6 changed from a DOHC to a SOHC design in 1997, losing power but gaining torque.

The convertible was also offered with a 1.8 GDI direct-injection petrol of 96 kW (131 PS) from 1998, and with a 130 kW (177 PS) version of the 3.0 V6. Mitsubishi's history credits the second generation with bringing its GDI technology to the Pajero range. Gearboxes were a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic, and a larger transmission and transfer case arrived in 1993.

Performance depends heavily on the engine. ADAC lists the short 3.5 V6 DOHC manual at 9.5 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, 185 km/h (115 mph) and 14.3 L/100 km (19.8 mpg UK). The long 2.8 TD manual needs 16.8 seconds, reaches 150 km/h (93 mph) and uses 12.4 L/100 km (22.8 mpg UK).

Pajero II dimensions: short and long

The table shows two German-market cars: a 3.5 V6 three-door (1994–1998) and a 2.8 TD GLX five-door (1997–2000). Both are narrow-body versions; wider bodies with flared wheel arches were sold in some export markets from 1997–1998.

Facelifts, safety kit and the 1996 recall

The V20 changed in stages. In mid-1994 the indicators moved into the headlamp units and turned white, and the rear lights were revised. For 1997–1998, export markets received wider "blister" wheel arches, new headlamps, grille and bumpers, while the narrow-body GLX stayed on as the base model.

Safety equipment improved during the run. German catalogue data lists driver and passenger airbags and ABS as standard on later cars, including the 3.5 V6 three-door from 1994 and the 2.8 TD GLX from 1997. Electronically adjustable dampers with three settings were a factory option in some markets. No Euro NCAP or ANCAP rating exists for this generation.

ADAC records one recall: in July 1996, front brake hoses that could leak, covering 45,172 Pajeros worldwide built between 1991 and 2000. Check that it was carried out on any car you consider.

Pajero Evolution and the Dakar years

The Pajero Evolution was built for one reason: homologation in the Dakar T2 class. Launched in October 1997, it used a 3.5-litre 24-valve MIVEC V6 with a revised intake and a new long-travel independent rear suspension, which later went into the third-generation road car. Production totalled 2,693 between 1997 and 1999; Mitsubishi rounds it to about 2,700. The same rally-led thinking produced the Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Makinen Edition.

Germany also received a Dakar Limited Edition of 50 three-door cars, converted by GeCo-Raid Sport under Sven Quandt with Recaro seats and 18-inch wheels.

During the V20's production years, Pajero-badged rally cars won the Dakar four times: Hubert Auriol and Philippe Monnet in 1992, Bruno Saby and Dominique Serieys in 1993, Kenjiro Shinozuka and Henri Magne in 1997, and Jean-Pierre Fontenay and Gilles Picard in 1998. These were competition prototypes rather than modified showroom cars.

Life after 1999: licence builds and the Pajero Classic

The V20 outlived its Japanese production by many years. Licensed assembly continued in the Philippines until 2008, in Colombia and India until 2012, and in China, where versions were built into 2021. Mitsubishi also used the second-generation chassis for the 1996 Challenger, sold as the Montero Sport and an ancestor of today's Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

In Europe, Mitsubishi revived the V20 in summer 2002 as the Pajero Classic, a cheaper alternative to the third generation. It had a 2.5 TD with 85 kW (115 PS) and part-time four-wheel drive only, without Super Select.

Choosing a second-generation Pajero

A V20 bought today is an older 4x4 that needs careful inspection, not a modern family car.

• For towing: a long-wheelbase 2.8 TD, with a 3,300 kg (7,275 lb) braked limit and simple mechanicals.
• For performance: the 3.5 V6 DOHC with 153 kW (208 PS), at the cost of heavy fuel use.
• For collectors: the Pajero Evolution or a Dakar Limited Edition, both rare and well documented.
• Check carefully: chassis and body corrosion, the Super Select transfer case in all four modes, and the 1996 brake hose recall.

For more recent alternatives, browse diesel SUVs or the current Mitsubishi line-up.