Mitsubishi Reveals New Pajero SUV In Japan

The Story

Mitsubishi has finally revealed the all-new Pajero SUV in Japan, which presumably foreshadows the North American Montero — a vehicle that has been absent from our market for two decades. The model mimics the styling of the brand’s Destinator SUV (which we don’t have access to) with touches of Nissan’s more recent designs. This makes sense, considering Mitsubishi and Nissan often share platforms. In fact, the rumor mill has it that a significant amount of the Pajero’s hardware will.

Report: GM Allegedly Pumping The Breaks On Full-Size EVs Connie Peters Drives The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor Chinese Vehicle Content Rules Forcing Polestar Out of U.S. Next Year See Edits News Blog Mitsubishi New Cars NEW!. Mitsubishi Reveals New Pajero SUV In Japan by Matt Posky (IC: employee) Published: September 2nd, 2026 Share Mitsubishi has finally revealed the all-new Pajero SUV in Japan, which presumably foreshadows the North American Montero — a vehicle that has been absent from our market for two decades.

The model mimics the styling of the brand’s Destinator SUV (which we don’t have access to) with touches of Nissan’s more recent designs. This makes sense, considering Mitsubishi and Nissan often share platforms. In fact, the rumor mill has it that a significant amount of the Pajero’s hardware will overlap with the forthcoming Nissan Xterra.

But the average person would also probably be hard pressed to distinguish between the Mitsubishi Pajero and Hyundai Palisade. While neither are bad looking vehicles, modern designs often feel more than a little derivative. Still, there are a few Pajero staples that have managed to stick around and this is indeed an evolution of the company’s preexisting styling.

The new Pajero is an extremely upright and boxy SUV, playing up its historic role as an off-roader. Its suspension is an independent double-wishbone setup in the front and a newly developed five-link rigid rear axle. Ground clearance is a very useful 9 inches and overhangs look to be extremely short. Mitsubishi claimed an approach angle of 30.4 degrees, a ramp breakover angle of 22.6 degrees and a departure angle of 25.8 degrees.

That’s competitive, albeit not class leading. While we haven’t measured every single SUV ourselves, we’d estimate that the Pajero’s departure and approach angles will still give rival utility vehicles a run for their money — at least until you start comparing it to competitors equipped with specialized off-road packages.

We imagine Mitsubishi will also offer enhanced versions of the Pajero/Montero eventually. However, the only conspicuous customization we’re presently aware of is the grille. The automaker previewed the SUV with both a slatted and honeycomb grille. Opinions will be divided on the matter but the former looks a tad more premium, whereas the latter feels a bit more sporting.

But the space also seems overwhelmingly dependent upon touch controls. Mitsubishi said the Pajero comes with dual 14.3-inch units placed right next to each other. Buttons are in short supply. Although it does appear that drivers will be issued a physical volume knob and what looks to be a set of scroll wheels for adjusting temperature and fan speed.

Mitsubishi has been pretty quiet on mechanical specifics. We only know of the 2.4-liter turbo diesel that’s been mated to a newly developed eight-speed automatic. The unit allegedly ballparks around 350 lb-ft of torque. But we likely won’t be getting it once the Pajero has been rebranded as the Montero for North America. Fortunately, our model will get the automaker’s latest and greatest all-wheel-drive (AWD) system — which it was pretty keen to hype.

The company is stressing that its flagship SUV will be quiet and comfortable around town, in addition to being capable when taken off-road. S-AWC integrates Active Yaw Control (AYC), which is a brake-biased torque vectoring system, and there’s a robust set of drive modes that modify how the active stability and traction control systems respond.

Eliminating road noise was allegedly given extra attention to ensure the Pajero felt more premium. Mitsubishi even said that great effort was made to guarantee all occupants enjoyed a comfortable ride and access to climate controls. This includes passengers in the third row, allowing the SUV to seat a total of seven people.

Why It Matters

But the big advantage is for those handful of times drivers take the Pajero into truly gnarly off-road environments.

CarMotion Daily’s Take

We imagine Mitsubishi will also offer enhanced versions of the Pajero/Montero eventually. Watch this space over the coming weeks. Electric momentum is uneven across the industry, and moves like this reshape how buyers compare EV lineups. Range, charging speed, and price still dominate EV shopping — every new entry forces competitors to either match or reposition. Watch for EPA range certifications and DC fast-charge benchmarks once independent tests land. Pricing tiers, software updates, and any regional trim adjustments will tell us how serious the launch intent is.