CarBrandLogos archive · Mitsubishi · 1982

MitsubishiMitsubishi Pajero

Built to sell four-wheel drive to families, and proved in the desert every January.

Photo: DY5W-sport · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Mitsubishi history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Mitsubishi Pajero, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Mitsubishi had been building Jeeps under licence since 1953, so when it designed its own four-wheel drive in 1982 it knew exactly what it was replacing. The Pajero was harder to sell than to build, because the market for a comfortable off-roader barely existed yet. Mitsubishi created the demand the direct way, by entering the Paris-Dakar Rally.

1993 Mitsubishi Pajero 01 · Mytho88 · CC BY-SA 3.0

2000-2002 Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed wagon 04

Design and engineering

That decision defined the vehicle. The Pajero became the most successful car in the event's history, winning through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, including seven consecutive victories from 2001 to 2007, a run no rival has approached. Every generation of road car was sold on the back of it.

2000-2002 Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed wagon 04 · OSX · Public domain

In production

The road car grew accordingly. A body-on-frame ladder chassis at first, then from 1999 a monocoque with a ladder frame built into it, with independent front suspension, a full-time system called Super Select that could be shifted between two- and four-wheel drive on the move, and a cabin plush enough for the school run. It was a serious Land Cruiser rival in Australia, the Middle East and much of Asia, and in Britain it did as much as any single model to establish the large diesel 4x4 as family transport.

1989 Mitsubishi Pajero hardtop 01 · OSX · Public domain

Legacy

The name changes by market, to Montero in Spain and much of Latin America and Shogun in Britain, because pajero is vulgar Spanish slang. Production ended in 2021 as Mitsubishi retreated into crossovers, with a return announced for 2026.

At a glance