Mitsubishi’s New MY20 Pajero

Mitsubishi has announced the Australian arrival of its 2020 Pajero. The updated builds on Pajero’s legacy of ambitious off-road capability and on-road performance to deliver a great travelling experience for active families, grey nomads and 4WD enthusiasts.

The Pajero has the durability, spaciousness and high-quality features developed from years of experience and testing. Its latent 4WD ability is enhanced by the proprietary Super Select II technology, which combined with a suite of safety technology gives drivers the confidence to explore.

“The authenticity and capability of the Pajero is what our customers like the most,” said John Signoriello, Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO. “Pajero drivers know they can depend on it when they take on their next challenge – whether that means heading out to the outback or towing. It’s an iconic part of our Australian product line-up.”

Mitsubishi’s Deputy Director of Marketing, Derek McIlroy, explained the revisions to the range; “We’ve refocused the Pajero range this year by reducing the number of variants, and adding equipment previously only available on the Exceed variant.”

The 2020 Pajero will start sales in Australia from July 2019.

 Safety

As with all Mitsubishi vehicles, safety comes first. Pajero is built on Mitsubishi’s proprietary Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE) body system, and has a number of MiTEC features.

• Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE)

The Pajero features Mitsubishi’s Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE) body system, a comprehensive passive safety architecture that combines an energy absorbing section with a strong, rigid occupant cell that protects the passengers in the event of an accident. Crushable zones, teamed with a straight frame chassis and octagonal section frames are designed to absorb and dissipate the energy from the passenger compartment.
Other features include:

• Multi-mode ABS with EBD and EBA

Pajero’s anti-lock braking system (ABS) is fitted with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and emergency break assist (EBA) ensuring even, efficient distribution of braking power to each wheel, regardless of cargo or passenger load and road surface.

The 4-sensor, 4-channel system is matched to each Super Select II mode to ensure optimum braking performance regardless of surface conditions.

• Active Stability and Traction Control

Active Stability and Traction Control (ASTC) helps maintain traction on slippery or rugged surfaces, automatically controlling the engine’s output so wheel spin is reduced. It utilises a network of control units and sensors to monitor the vehicle status as well as driver steering inputs. As conditions change, ASTC calculates real-time vehicle status via sensor data, determines the correct yaw, and manages the forces on all wheels by sending torque or braking force to where it’s needed.

• Brake Override System (BOS)

The brake override system recognises that drivers do not intend to press both the accelerator and brake at the same time, and so if both are pressed at the same time the brake will be given precedence and engine power will be reduced. 

• Airbags

Pajero is fitted with six airbags, including driver and front passenger SRS airbags, driver and front passenger side airbags and curtain airbags. To increase safety, the on-board computer measures the force of impact and adjusts airbag deployment speed to mitigate the chance of injury to occupants.

• Auto high-beam function added (std across the range)

The in-vehicle camera sensor continuously monitors headlamps and taillights of oncoming and preceding vehicles. If a nearing vehicle is detected by the camera sensor, the automatic high beam system will switch to low beam. Once there are no oncoming or preceding vehicles with headlamps or taillights turned on in close proximity, the system immediately reverts back to high beam.

• Automatic dusk sensing headlights (GLS only)

Dusk sensing headlights automatically illuminate in fading light, and can be adjusted to increase or decrease the sensitivity of operation.

• Automatic rain sensing wipers in  GLS model, and speed-sensitive intermittent windscreen wipers in all models

Automatic rain sensing wipers automatically activate when moisture is detected. Wipers in all models will also adjust their wiping speed according to vehicle speed, allowing the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and focus on the road ahead.

• Smartphone link display audio (SDA)

The car integrates Apple Play and Android (refer to audio description below)

Powertrain

The Pajero is fitted with Mitsubishi’s proven 3.2L 4-cylinder 16 valve intercooled turbo common rail turbo diesel engine. The engine reaches 147kW of power at 3800 rpm and 441Nm peak torque at 2000 rpm, which allows the driver to tackle on and off-road challenges with confidence.

Fuel Economy

The official ADR 81/02 combined fuel consumption figure for the Pajero range is 9.1L/100km. Note: The fuel consumption data is based on laboratory testing in controlled conditions and should be used for comparative purposes only. Your on-road fuel consumption will depend on the circumstances in which you operate your vehicle. Modifications and/or large loads can increase the fuel consumption of your vehicle.

4WD Capability

The Pajero has built its reputation on delivering great performance in some of the most challenging driving conditions.

Super Select II

Pajero is equipped with the Super Select II 4WD system, which is operated via a selector lever in the centre console.  Super Select II allows the driver to switch between two-wheel drive and three four-wheel drive modes.
The system’s operating modes – 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc – and the driver can change between 2H and 4H at speeds up to 100km/h.

• 2H reduces unnecessary mechanical friction on dry tarmac to enable the best fuel economy
• 4H (full time 4WD) offers increased safety and confidence, allowing the driver to move between surfaces on which they would traditionally use 2H and more hazardous or low-grip surfaces such as dirt and road conditions including rain and snow
• 4HLc locks the centre differential to provide optimum traction on slippery roads including high drag conditions such as sand
• 4LLc uses low gears and also locks the centre differential when more torque is required for steep hills, difficult terrain and surfaces such as thick mud, snow-covered or rocky ground

Super Select II has a torque split of 33:67 front to rear when the centre differential is ‘open’ (4H), providing optimum traction at each wheel across a range of road conditions and improved handling.