Mitsubishi has revealed a fully redesigned Pajero with a ladder frame, a 2.4-litre diesel and low-range 4WD, launching first in Thailand before Japan, Australia and about 100 other countries.
The Pajero is back, and Mitsubishi is aiming well above nostalgia. At a world premiere in Tokyo, the company revealed a fully redesigned Pajero and named the ladder-frame SUV its new flagship.
The Pajero will be built in Thailand, which is also where it goes on sale first. Japan and Australia follow during fiscal 2026. From fiscal 2027, Mitsubishi plans to take it to about 100 countries, including markets in ASEAN, Latin America and the Middle East.
A Big Name to Live Up To
That flagship role matters because of the Pajero’s history. The original arrived in 1982 and combined genuine off-road ability with car-like comfort. It helped drive Japan’s RV boom in the 1990s. Across four generations, Mitsubishi built more than 3.29 million, and the model found buyers in over 170 countries and regions.
Mitsubishi says the new car keeps the familiar “Confidence” and “Comfort” formula and adds “Prestige”. Put simply, it wants the Pajero to feel properly premium. President and COO Keisuke Kishiura describes it as the first model to deliver the company’s vision for the 2030s. He also says it will lead the entire Mitsubishi line-up.
Heritage Cues, Inside and Out
The design follows a concept Mitsubishi calls “Grand Charisma”. It borrows upright proportions and horizontal lines from the first generation. The C-pillar is modelled on the original’s roll bar, and a hexagonal rear motif recalls the spare wheel older Pajeros carried on the tailgate.
Buyers can choose a horizontal-bar grille or a honeycomb grille, and both come with T-shaped headlights. Inside, two 14.3-inch screens sit together in one wide display. Its Multi-Meter screen updates the classic three-gauge cluster and shows altitude, compass heading, temperature, and pitch and roll angles.
Acoustic glass is fitted to the windscreen and to the front and rear door windows. Mitsubishi says the aim is easy conversation in every row, even at motorway speeds.
Proper Hardware Underneath
Now we’re talking. The Pajero keeps a ladder frame, which is now stiffer thanks to larger frame sections and more high-tensile steel. It has double-wishbone suspension up front and a new five-link rigid axle at the rear.
A new 2.4-litre diesel with a variable geometry turbo makes 480Nm of torque, and the release gives no power figure. It drives through a new eight-speed automatic.
The Super Select 4WD-II system has four settings: 2H, full-time 4H, 4HLc with a locked centre differential, and 4LLc with low range. Super-All Wheel Control sits on top and coordinates yaw control, traction control and ABS. There are also seven drive modes, including Gravel, Snow, Mud and Sand.
What It Means for Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi set itself a development target of “off-road comfort”. That’s the company’s own benchmark, and buyers will want to see it proven on rough gravel. Still, the basic hardware is credible: a ladder frame, a real low-range gearbox and a lockable centre differential are not features you add for show.
The bigger picture is strategic. Mitsubishi says the Pajero is the template for its 2030s range, so the rest of its line-up is likely to take cues from this car.
