THE Mitsubishi Pajero is about to return to Malaysia under the auspices of Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia, which invited a group of motoring journalists for a short trip to beautiful Hokkaido, Japan, to test this SUV.
The Pajero I am talking about is not to be confused with the Pajero Sport, which is a relatively smaller vehicle that shares the same base platform as the Mitsubishi Triton. This is the flagship model of the Mitsubishi SUV range.
The earlier models of Pajero were sold here in Malaysia in huge numbers back in the 1980s and 1990s, but save for a handful that are privately imported, we hardly see any new ones here – which is why Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia wants to do something about it.
Many Japanese automakers do winter testing in Hokkaido, and Mitsubishi has the largest test track there – the 10.2 million square metres Tokachi Proving Grounds with a total test course distance of 23 kilometres.
It includes a high speed test course with up to 45° banked turns to allow for constant high test speeds of more than 300kph, a high speed brake test circuit, a cross-country circuit, and different surfaces for all kinds of road conditions in the world.
In addition, there is a gravel circuit designed by Mitsubishi's very own Dakar Rally champion Hiroshi Masuoka, who won the Dakar Rally twice in 2002 and 2003, for testing off-road vehicles. For winter testing, there is a packed snow and ice track, and a packed snow circuit.
The Pajero will be brought in as a fully imported CBU unit direct from the Mitsubishi plant in Japan, and will serve as the flagship model for Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia. Fitted with a 3.8-litre 24-valve V6 Mivec engine, the Pajero will have 262PS of power and 338Nm of torque at its disposal.
It will feature a part-time 4WD, with the option to run full-time on all road conditions, and a centre differential lock to provide better traction in off-road conditions. The transmission also has a low range ratio with the centre differential lock for picking its way through extremely slushy conditions if necessary.
In short, the Pajero not only can be great on the road, but also function as a full-fledged off-road vehicle when push comes to shove.
In terms of body construction, the Pajero is no longer a body-on-frame, but of monococque construction now.
Interior specifications are still unclear but being the flagship model, it will come to our shores fully-loaded with leather seats, traction control, ABS, and many luxury features as befits such a vehicle.
We were given a chance to try out the Pajero – the model with a 3.0-litre engine – on the high speed circuit.
In terms of handling, the Pajero leaves nothing much to be desired as the ride was very compliant and it seemed more like a luxury SUV than a 4WD machine.
At high speeds, it is extremely stable and most members of the media hit speeds in excess of 180kph without any problems.
After the drive, we were treated to what I would term as a 'hell ride' through the off-road course by Masuoka. The ground conditions were wet and slippery, but that did not stop Masuoka from having fun.
He threw the Pajero round the circuit, going through bumps and jumps with ease, and negotiating corners that one would never have imagined possible to negotiate.
The great thing was, he used the standard tyres on the vehicle, which are basically meant for highway use; I would have expected that he would at least have got them changed to MT (mud terrain) tyres.
The highlight of the ride was a 35-or-so-degree slope, down which he careened with his foot on the accelerator, and back up a 30° slope at full throttle.
I have done this before, but for those who have never been down such a steep slope before, it must have been quite scary (some screamed) because at the top of the slope, you actually see nothing but sky in front of you before you take the plunge.
At the end of countless rides, the Pajero came out impressively unscathed.
The Pajero in the hands of its expected buyers will never be subjected to the type of punishment that Masuoka dished out to the test unit – needless to say, it will take like a duck to water whatever conditions the average buyer will subject it to, and still come up tops.
Prices are not announced as yet, but we expect that it would be selling here at around the RM300,000 mark, plus or minus a little.
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