Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

The automotive market today is setting its own rules and requires continuous development of automotive companies in order not to lose its fans. This also applies to the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport SUV. The company is not retreating, and recently released a new 3rd generation, which was expected by many. The whole model range is Mitsubishi.

Car history

Padjero Sport got his position in the Mitsubishi model list between Padjero and Padjero Pinin. The name “Sport” indicates that the car was designed with the use of significant experience gained by the company “Mitsubishi in rallying events.

The model was more oriented towards people who lead an active lifestyle. This 5-door SUV with all-wheel drive system is perfectly adapted to off-road conditions and is distinguished by its excellent cross-country ability. Appearance eloquently testifies to the sporting nature of the Japanese. The front end has dynamic characteristics: aggressive bumper, radiator grille and front “foggers”.

All this makes it clear that the model is really prestigious. On a body it is appreciable easy curves of lines which underline a flat surface of Paggiero Sports and allow to create feeling of harmony of the off-road vehicle with the nature. Just like this should be a real classic jeep.

Looking at the car, there is confidence: there is a high ground clearance, male appearance and a simple, but pleasant bodywork. The article describes Mitsubishi Pajero Sports price, provides a photo and description of the features of all 3 families of famous jeeps.

1 generation (1996-2010)

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 1 SUV of the family was shown not so long ago – in 1997, as a public alternative to the Pajero model. The car was also called Challenger, Montero Sport, Nativa and Shogun Sport. The vehicle was created on the reduced platform L200. The Easy Select gearbox has a rigid front axle connection. In the United States and Japan, the Super Select models were sold, with a permanent all-wheel drive system.

The first family SUV has undergone several improvements and restylings. After 2000, instead of the rear suspension on the springs, began to use a spring suspension. The suspension is really not killable, which always inspires respect. Confidence was given by the Easy Select all-wheel drive system.

In addition, the vehicle had 3.5 litres of gasoline “sixes” under the hood, as well as 2.8/3.2 litres of turbodiesel. They were synchronized with a manual gearbox. Maximum speed was 150 km/h. After restyling, the jeep was accelerated up to 175 kilometers per hour.

In addition to the 5-speed ICPC, a 4-speed automatic box was installed. Sell model 1 of the family to Japanese consumers finished with the beginning of 2003. North America stopped selling in 2004, and in other markets the jeep was sold until 2008. A total of 630,000 vehicles were produced.

The first restyling was decided because of the rear suspension, which has its flaws, and too ascetic exterior Pajero Sport.

The debut “Sport” has hardly got attractive appearance and style. Beautiful appearance appeared years later, during the first restyling. At that time, buyers liked this rough off-road car, which gave no reason to doubt their abilities.

The first family of jeeps had a bodywork that allowed to create a spacious enough interior of the car, while providing the necessary space for the luggage compartment. The wheelbase was 2,725 millimeters and the ground clearance height was 215 mm. It is clear that the Japanese vehicle was not light – 1,825 kg. In addition, the top-end equipment weighed 70 kg more.

It is clear that inside the comfort level on the first “Sport” is far from ideal. The salon did not surprise and did not impress. The interior is outdated, everything is made extremely simple, but convenient. Even then, the employees of the company equipped the driver and passengers with sufficient care.

The interior is equipped with 3-point seat belts with pretensioners even in the standard version, airbags, a pleasant acoustic installation with four or six speakers, air conditioning and front seat heating, as well as a block of additional devices found place over the torpedo.

2 generation (2008-2015)

The second version of the jeep appeared in 2008. If we compare Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2 with the previous generation, the SUV has become larger, more comfortable and expensive. The vehicle was not sold in the United States, Europe and Japan.

The company’s main off-road vehicle factory was the Thai company, which assembled jeeps in four countries: Brazil, Venezuela, India and Bangladesh. From 2013 to 2015, cars for Russian customers were assembled in Kaluga, and frames were made by GAZ.

The second family was created on the frame base of the Mitsubishi L200 pickup truck of the 4th unit. The customer received a permanent all-wheel drive system Super Select, which disengaged the transfer of torque to the front axle and locked the inter-axle and rear interwheel differential.

The Russian car market had as standard a 2.5-liter turbodiesel 4D56U, which developed 178 horsepower and worked together with a manual gearbox or “automatic”. In addition, a V-shaped six-cylinder three-liter gasoline engine was installed under the hood, which produced 220-222 “horses”.

Synchronized it with an automatic gearbox. In 2011, the company stopped selling the version with a 3.2-liter diesel engine with 200 horsepower. It was paired with a 5-speed mechanical or 4-speed automatic box. Experts note the mechanical variation as more reliable.

The clutch comes out more than 100,000 kilometers of mileage, provided that the vehicle is used correctly. All the vehicles that were supplied to the Russian Federation had a 5-seater interior and all-wheel drive system, but some markets offered a 7-seater version of the interior and a rear-wheel drive version.

Two 2.4 4M41 and V6 3.5 6B31 gasoline engines with 160 and 210 “horses” capacity, respectively, as well as one 2.5-liter turbocharged diesel engine with 136 horsepower capacity did not enter the Russian market. Turbo diesel 4M41 was named by many experts as a rather reliable power plant.

Instead of the belt of the gas distribution mechanism, installed a good old chain, which quietly works out the 200-thousandth mileage. Reading Mitsubishi Pajero Sport reviews, you understand that the jeep has served and continues to serve many drivers faithfully, so it is worth paying tribute to the Japanese specialists for their work.

The disadvantages of the second family include difficulties with the turbine, which “eats” a lot of oil and noise after 10000 – 20000 kilometers. But all these defects were eliminated by the manufacturer himself under warranty. The defects include the separation of the rubber element of the crankshaft pulley.

This is not essential if the defect opens initially in the early stages, but in cars with high mileage you can see a large backlash pulley, which entails problems with the engine. No matter how much the experts praised the diesel installation, the gasoline six-cylinder engine looks more reliable.

The weak points of such engines are the rattling of the inlet manifold at low and medium revolutions. The design of the gas distribution mechanism of the gas motor has been improved – instead of the chain a belt has been installed.

Since the beginning of 2013, the model has been slightly modified, in particular, its exterior, and the next year (2014) the car had an improved front panel inside and a new audio system. The production of 2nd generation jeep stopped in 2016, and a total of about 400,000 copies were produced.

3 generation (2015-ongoing)

The latest issue for today is the 3rd Mitsubishi Pajero Sport family, presented in the middle of 2015. The jeep is well implemented, and the production is mostly done in Thailand.

Exterior

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2017 is a stylish, daring and more representative vehicle than earlier models. In part, this was achieved with the help of the arrow-shaped head optics, which is available for the first time on the Japanese in the LED layout and X-shape, a more massive rear overhang and a waist line that rises closer to the rear of the car.

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2017 was blown in the wind tunnel, resulting in a 15 percent improvement in its own data. In general, looking at the front of the car, it can be confused with Outlander, which also received “X-face”.

It should be admitted that there was a lot of talk about this stylistic decision, even rumors that there was “inspiration” from Steve Mattin’s work. Though it is possible to distinguish a car: the “lip” installed at the bottom of the “lip” is more massive, fog lamps of other appearance, even the “grill” is different – everything turned out to be big and evil.

The novelty has “swinging” arches of wheels, relief sides, bold sill line, as well as original lighting equipment. The appearance of the new product is characterized by the advanced concept of Dynamic Shield. You understand that the designer’s salon is not stingy with unique solutions.

In order to increase the perception of the exterior of the jeep, the designers’ composition is abundantly crowned with chrome bodywork. But an experienced look will notice that the vehicle has saved frame construction. The height level is impressive, but access to the car is simplified by the steps, which are securely fixed. They are a little narrow, but do not interfere with the cross-country ability.

The back part, as many believe, looks quite controversial. There is a feeling that the designers have invited “guys” who have been creating Citroen since the beginning of the two-thousand years. Three quarters of the stern part is occupied by “flowing” lanterns, very similar to the eccentric French business sedan C6. It looks a little strange, but this design attracts.

Lamps placed on the stern, which flow down to the bumper, in the evening look very interesting, as they have LED handles. Bumpers have facet eyes of ultrasonic radars. Two of them, installed on the sides of the rear bumper, carry out scanning of blind areas – a function that appeared for the first time on the car Mitsubishi. The other 4 perform obstacle tracking during reverse maneuvers.

Interior

Previously, the owners of Paggiero Sport of past generations and car reporters repeatedly complained about the alleged poor salon, which was even compared with the mournful cabin of a devastated samurai. Such unpleasant adjectives as: hard, unpleasant, squeaky and boring were applied to the salon.

However, now the salon has turned out to be a new, supplemented with useful innovations and improved on many factors. To get in a jeep helps a conveniently located footrest. Driving a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2017, you can feel yourself in a normal modern vehicle.

Many people will like the colorful two-color finish that creates a coziness. Seats began to be covered with quality leather and were able to assemble it in an interesting way. Everybody noticed that the quality of plastic used and the level of fit of details has improved significantly.

The steering wheel is now adjustable by departure. The Super Select transmission is adjusted with the help of a washer, not a lever, as it was in previous versions. At the same time, the mechanical drive has disappeared from the handbrake. Instead, the pads block the miniature lever.

The seven-inch display does not have flawless graphics, and at extreme brightness the driver can not always see everything he needs. However, you shouldn’t demand perfection from the novelty right away. Speaking in general, the interior design is strikingly different from the samples of 2008.

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport has steep bends of the central console and door handles. There are charismatic lines of the multifunctional steering wheel, a small wheel to adjust the modes of transmission, as well as a nice handle of the last 8-speed automatic transmission.

The top-of-the-range package contains a colour screen that supports touch input. It refers to the Mitsubishi Connect system, which now works with voice control, navigation system. It is nice that you can also synchronize your smartphone with a useful system. Unusually, but the colour display is an interesting extension. Some at first thought they would see a CD-drive behind it, but there they found their seats for SD-cards, which once again proves the modernity of the Japanese SUV.

The instrument panel is informative and has a white scale. The screen set between the engine speed dial and the speed sensor displays information about the all-wheel drive mode used. The list of functions has been extended – now the car comes with a circular view system, electric parking brake, separate climate control, heating of the steering wheel and a second row of seats.

Rear passengers can get a color display of the DVD player, designed for 9 inches and installed in the ceiling panel. The seats are well profiled, but the side support rollers on the front seats are wide. Unfortunately, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2016 is not more spacious than its predecessor. Still, there is a bit of a lack of space above the head, the backrest of the rear seats is only slightly higher.

But do not forget that the “frame” body stiffness has a disadvantage – a high floor. But the legs have plenty of free space, and the backrest can be adjusted to the angle of inclination. Three adults can easily sit down and feel comfortable. Moreover, because of the “flat” profile of the rear sofa during turns three passengers will even be better – thanks to the shoulders of neighbors no one will slide aside.

In the case when there are a couple of people sitting in the back, that is, the option to tilt the armrest and use it as a “stop”. It should not be underestimated, because during the active drive and off-road movement it helps to hold on perfectly. The improved noise isolation made us happy. All body panels are finished with absorbent materials, so you can have a conversation in half voice.

The luggage compartment at Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2017 has been given a flat floor. If you look at it quickly, it feels like a giant space. In fact, it is so – 700 liters with a tail, fit almost 2 baths. Of course, the luggage compartment is not the same as in Ford Edge, but it will be enough for a trip.

If necessary, it is possible to remove the back rows and increase the capacity of the boot by two and a half times. If you don’t want to clean the passenger seats, you can buy a trailer and forget about a small trunk.

By the way, the maximum permissible weight of a towed trailer of the third generation of Japanese SUV is 3.1 tons. The company is proud of it, because its direct competitors Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (which does not pull more than two and a half tons) and Kia Sorento Prime (up to 2,000 kg) lose on these indicators. But the trailer can carry not only a couple of motorcycles or ATVs, but a real buggy, boat. In addition, it is possible to travel with a motor home on wheels.

Specifications

Powertrain

There are two engines on the Russian market. This is a 6-cylinder V-shaped “atmospheric” engine with a volume of 3.0 liters and running on gasoline. Its return is an impressive 209 horsepower, capable of accelerating the two-ton jeep to the first hundred kilometers in 11.7 seconds.

The maximum speed is 182 km/h. It also consumes a lot of power unit – when driving in the city it will have an appetite of about 14.5 liters for every 100 km of the road. Going out of town you can achieve the consumption of 8.9 liters per 100 kilometers. According to the company, the mixed mode is 10.9 liters.

In addition to it, a new diesel-powered engine is planned. Previously the unit had a volume of 2.5 liters and developed 178 “horses”, but now the unit has a volume of 2.4 liters and develops 181 horsepower.

The diesel has a turbine with variable geometry and variable phase change mechanism. The engine torque has increased by 30 Nm, and fuel economy has increased by 15% – the increase is felt. Unfortunately, there is no engine and cabin preheater.

Transmission

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport received a Super Select II all-wheel drive system and an eight-range automatic transmission Aisin. In 4H mode, the transmission starts splitting the torque at a ratio of 60/40. Instead, the clutch, which itself is locked in the central differential, began to use a differential Torsen.

As before, the owner has the right to set the modes of the drive system: 2H (torque is transmitted only to the rear wheels), 4H (all-wheel drive system with a free differential), 4HLC (central differential is blocked) and 4LLc (locking and lowering the range of speeds).

Interestingly, the decreasing coefficient was increased from 1.4 to 2.5 in the direction of improving the cross-country ability. Buyers will be pleasantly surprised that the Japanese company Mitsubishi has finally installed a system of choice of driving mode (“mud/snow”, “gravel” or “sand”), as well as a system of descent assistance from the mountain. All this has made it easier and more comfortable to drive, mainly for drivers who do not have experience in off-road driving.

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2016 development department for the first time applied 8-speed automatic transmission.

Suspension

Serious work was done on the suspension settings. The usual suspension with double transverse levers is left in front, and behind there is a continuous bridge with double longitudinal levers. It is important that the elastic parts have been adjusted softer (which is very well felt), the frame has been strengthened.

The suspension is not too soft, which is very good, because many cars are sick on the road “sea disease”. The Japanese managed to find the right middle by setting the suspension so that the driver and passengers wouldn’t swing to nausea, but they didn’t feel like firewood in the cart.

Rail steering

The steering mechanism has a rack and pinion design and hydraulic booster. It has been designed, so the car became more responsive to the turns of the steering wheel. Now the steering wheel has 3.8 turns from stop to stop.

The steering has become simpler and more interesting. The steering unit has a damper, so there are almost no shocks or vibrations transmitted to the steering wheel.

Brake system

As before, all wheels are equipped with ventilated disc brakes. The brake system works with various electronic assistants, such as ABS and EBD.

Safety

The ultrasonic sensor system mentioned above emits a buzzer sound and can interfere with the driver’s actions! The option is called UMS and its job is to prevent a collision if the driver forgets to switch the selector from “R” to “D” area. This happens very often.

In the hustle and bustle of the city, when the driver wants to clear the road as quickly as possible for other cars, he can push the accelerator pedal and the car instead of moving forward, drives back sharply. In order to avoid such problems, the system monitors all the disturbances within a radius of 1.5 meters, and if it finds them, it starts to emit its own signal, thus preventing the SUV from driving back sharply.

The new model has 7 airbags. Two of them have been placed in front, opposite the driver and passenger, to provide protection against upper body damage. To protect the driver’s head and all passengers sitting next to the windows, engineers have equipped the jeep with side cushions.

Several cushions were installed near the driver’s seat to protect the knees and legs. An electronic traction control system was provided to monitor stability. It makes it easy to operate the SUV, even when the machine is on a slippery road. The jeep is equipped with an active safety system in the form of automatic braking, dead zone monitoring and all-round vision cameras.

Crash test

Price and equipment

The basic equipment of Mitsubishi Pajero Sport of the 3rd generation Intense is estimated from $38651,05. He has:

• Conditioner;
• Aluminum wheels;
• Fog lights;
• Audio recorder MP3 Mitsubishi;
• Board computer;
• Two airbags;
• Heating function and height adjustment for front seats;
• Rear mirror heating and electrical adjustment;
• Window lifts for all doors.

For an additional payment of 100 thousand rubles you will be installed 8-speed automatic box with a turbocharged diesel engine. Auto with a gasoline V-shaped six-cylinder unit with a capacity of 3.0 liters and a capacity of 209 “horses” will cost from $41017,46.

The Instyle package received only an automatic box. The cost of this model from $41017,46. It is possible to install a gasoline engine, but the price will increase by $157,76. In addition to the above mentioned characteristics, Instyle received leather trim, climate control, external camera for convenient parking, xenon, cruise control and 6 airbags.

The list of equipment is completed by the top version of Ultimate. Start with the price of $44961,46. For an additional fee of $1419,84 will install a turbocharged diesel engine. In addition, the equipment has a road navigation system in Russia, audio-cassette Power Sound System, which has 8 speakers, as well as a light and rain sensor. The gasoline version of Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2016-2017 costs from $44172,66. The level of equipment does not differ from that of the diesel version.

Pluses and minuses

We sum up

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport model differs from the very first generation to the present day very much. Of course, the unusual appearance of the Japanese SUV is immediately striking, but not only that has changed. Employees of the company have increased cross-country ability, quality of assembly, quality of applied elements, ergonomics.

In other words, the first and third generations are the sky and the Earth. Literally everything has been redesigned and improved. It is clear that the company’s management is striving not to lose its fans. On the contrary, they are looking for ways to win the respect and love of new motorists.

The question of whether the appearance of the jeep turned out to be successful, can be left for later, because there are always connoisseurs and critics. As they say: “for the taste and color of comrades no. But one thing is for sure, the designers tried to distinguish their “child” from the flow of cars on the road.

It is worth noting that they managed to do it. Yes, perhaps, the model is still far from ideal, but the company takes the right and decisive steps in the right direction. But lovers of this brand are enough, and, moreover, use cars of the 3rd and 2nd, and 1st generation.

If you look at Mitsubishi Padjero Sports reviews, the model is called reliable and passable to a greater extent, and the pendant is said to be “almost unkillable”. But it was necessary to earn such an assessment. I hope that the company will not stop at its development and will continue to produce and update its “real” all-wheel drive vehicles.

We advise you to read the article: Mitsubishi Motors, advanced Japanese cars

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 3 photo

Test drive

Video overview