Mitsubishi Pajero (2012)

When a car becomes an inspiration for filmy songs then you can imagine its popularity. Here, we are talking about Mitsubishi Pajero which has been a hit in India ever since its launch and so is the Bollywood song featuring its name. What has kept this second generation of Pajero alive in our market, let’s check out.

Exterior

Pajero SFX looks very unique in its segment. The design of this car is a decade old but people still love it. Its robust and masculine looks are capable to hold your attention. The new Pajero SFX features chromed door handles and side view mirrors with new boxy headlamp cluster. The wider foot board along with unique Pajero graphics on its side doors and six spoke alloy wheels makes it one of the best looking SUVs. Despite its simple design and style, it marks its presence in style. It has a prominent air cooler vent on its wide bonnet. It’s a full size SUV which always looks ready to go on almost every terrain.

Interior

Similar to its exterior styling, its interiors are also a decade old and needs an up gradation. Most of the plastic bits are very hard and old .The brown color interiors with beige colored seats remains intact inside. The car uses wood print panels and leather wrapped gear level and steering wheel which are nice to hold. Pajero comes with a maximum seating of 6 people. Seats are comfortable and offer enough support, We wish if it had more space at the back for passengers in its 3rd row.

Comfort and Convenience

First and second row has ample amount of legroom but shoulder room for its rear passengers could have been better. Pajero SFX offers front and rear centre armrest. It has a powerful AC with AC ducts for its 2nd and 3rd row. It has all four power windows, tilt adjustable power steering and electrically adjustable outside mirrors. The car also features lumber support in its front seat, an expandable sun visor and rear parking camera with sensor.

Dashboard and Storage

Its dashboard looks very aged with typical Pajero multi meter in its centre. The plastic quality is also a matter of concern. It has a big glove box, rear cup holders, back pockets on front seats and leather door pads for more storage.

Music system

Mitsubishi offers 2DIN audio system in Pajero which is a radio, CD, MP3 player. There is no Bluetooth connectivity and steering mounted controls in this car.

Engine and Gearbox

Mitsubishi Pajero SFX uses a 2.8L turbocharged inter-cooled diesel engine. This engine churns out a maximum power of 117 bhp at 4000 rpm with utmost torque output of 292 Nm coming at 2000 rpm. This engine is mated with a five-speed manual gearbox.

Acceleration and Performance

As the numbers suggests, this car is not an enthusiast and is less powerful than many of its competitors. The car takes nearly 17 seconds to reach 0-100km/hour with a top speed of 152km/hr. Its heavy weight also contributes to its slow performance as it weighs around 2.2tonnes. Step down from road with Pajero and then you will know what this car is capable of. Pajero is famous for it’s off road performance and for many it’s the best 4x4 available in our Indian car market. The car comes with super select 4x4 drive wheel system which allows you to shift from rear wheel drive to all wheel drive and vice-versa. Mitsubishi has prepared this car to rule on every terrain. Turbo pulling of this car at low rpms with four wheel drive system is simply incredible. No matter where you want to take this car, it will perform the best. This car can climb anywhere with no signs of turbo lag. Even its rear wheel drive is capable enough to pull this car from worse situations. Despite its big size, the car never feels thirsty for power and it continuously prompts you to go off road with it.

Mileage

Pajero can give you a mileage of around 8km/ltr in city conditions while on highways you can expect a fuel efficiency of around 11km/l.

Safety Features

Mitsubishi offers dual front airbags in Pajero with side impact bars and strong low body construction which confirms you safe off roading.

Suspension and Brakes

Suspension of Pajero is a major contributor to its brilliant off road performance. For a vehicle of this size, you need a strong but not rigid suspension and that’s what Mitsubishi offers in Pajero. On road also it feels quite settle. Braking system features ventilated disk brakes at its front with drum in disc at the back. For accurate braking it has ABS with EBD.

Ride and Handling

The car has a very light handling which impresses you especially off road. It’s also effective while you drive this car in city conditions. Its handling is one of the biggest factors why people opt for this car despite its heavy size. It is perfectly mated suspension and fatty tyres give you a comfortable ride. The high ground clearance (205mm) confirms you a ride with no obstruction in your way.

Variants and Warranty

There is only one variant of Pajero SFX which is available in seven different shades. Pajero comes with a warranty of 2 years/40000 kilometres.

Shades

Mitsubishi Pajero is available in seven shades: Pearl White, Deep Purple, Granite, Navy, Yellow, Blaze and Carbon.

Verdict

At this price it has a competition with Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and Chevy Captiva. All of these cars look much modern from outside and inside, they are also more powerful and responsive than it then you must be wondering that what’s the point of buying it? It’s off road capability, out-dated yet appealing appearance and popular brand image makes it a value for money car. Despite poor resale value and high maintenance of Mitsubishi, Pajero has somehow gained the confidence of Indian buyers in it and created a separate class for itself. So if you like off roading and want an exclusive SUV then Pajero is a perfect option for you.