Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (2021) Roadtrip Review

Styling

The Pajero Sport is certainly no wallflower. Its striking "face" with aggressive grille lines and lashings of chrome looks like it belongs on the set of a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie, instead of on the green hills at the start of the Soetmuisberg where we were headed. The rear LED light signature is equally futuristic while skid plates at the front and back are not just there to look rugged and imposing, they serve an actual purpose of protecting the Pajero Sport's underside which is built to take on a variety of obstacles.

Other exterior features on all models include LED Headlights, LED fog lamps, cornering lights, electrically adjustable (and foldable) side mirrors and 18-inch alloys.

 

Interior, space, comfort, and convenience

We desperately needed a weekend away, and my aunt, who agreed to take care of the kids for the weekend, lives just 10 kilometres away from the secluded chalet on a working dairy farm where we were headed. After we had picked the children up from school on Friday, we made our way to Napier with a full tank of diesel and a boot full of supplies for a self-catering weekend. In the Exceed model, the tailgate is automatic and hands-free, with two kick sensors underneath the bottom of the vehicle's backside that are activated by a swinging your foot.

We hadn't even left town and already the kids' phones were plugged in for the trip to Napier. Mitsubishi fitted two USB ports as well as an HDMI port for the front occupants, and two additional USB ports for the passengers in row two. There's also a two-point plug if a bigger device needs power. 

The rear central armrest with pop-out cupholders housed the kids' cool drinks while their attention was fixed on Roblox and Tiktok for the duration of the one-hour trip. Not ideal, I know, but let's be honest, sometimes a bit of peace is worth its weight in gold. My husband and I could then listen to our 80s and 90s playlist on Spotify without any comments from the peanut gallery.

Every Pajero Sport comes with full leather seats, and the driver's seat is electrically adjustable. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity are standard standard features on all models, and rightfully so, because the Pajero Sport isn't so good at understanding natural speech via the standard voice control. Siri (or Google) have a better "ear" for languages and there is no need to fiddle about on the screen while you drive. 

Unlike the Fortuner, the third row of seats fold flat when not in use, allowing for a practical loading area capable of swallowing camping gear or large amounts of holiday luggage. The second row has a reclining function and can also be tumbled forward if you need to transport awkardly-shaped items.The Pajero Sport also offers handy underfloor storage compartments for stowing smaller items.

For the entire, very generous list of specifications,

 

Drive, power, and fuel efficiency

The Pajero Sport's ride quality is akin to what Aladdin's carpet must feel like. Whether you're out on the R44 to Bredasdorp or traversing the worst washed-away dirt roads, the ride is superbly comfortable. Where the Fortuner's steering warranted regular input in town, I didn't feel like I had to make corrections while piloting the Pajero Sport at lower speeds. I should add that the Fortuner felt a little less hefty overall and had less body-roll than the Pajero Sport, and the Fortuner's 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine is somewhat cleaner and quieter than the 2.4 in the Pajero Sport as well. The Pajero Sport may have  a lower output, but it doesn't feel slower or less torquey than the Fortuner, though, and performs better in the efficiency stakes — we managed to bring our consumption down to 8.9 litres per 100 km - but it doesn't smell quite as sweet as the Fortuner's Euro 6-compliant engine, however. The 8-speed Aisin gearbox in the Pajero Sport is excellent and keeps the revs low at higher speeds.

As for 4x4 capabilities, both the Fortuner and the Pajero are known for being highly adept at crawling up and down rocks and scaling never-ending sand dunes. The Pajero Sport has a trump card though — hill-descent control that works in reverse! Unfortunately, the nature of our weekend away didn't allow the Pajero any off-road action that required much use of the Super Select II 4W system, except for switching to 4H for the smooth gravel road into town and the cow-dung-strewn farm road full of potholes and puddles. The 4x2-version would probably have served us just as well.

 

Safety

All models are equipped with the usual safety acronyms as well as 7 airbags, traction and stability control, hill-start assist, dusk-sensing headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, rear-parking sensors and a rearview camera, a chromatic (anti-glare) rearview mirror, as well as Mitsubishi's Reinforced Safety Evolution body construction that protects against the severity of an impact by channeling energy away from the cabin.

There's no semi-autonomous safety tech such as adaptive cruise control and lane keep assistance (as is available on the flagship Fortuner), but the Pajero Sport Exceed variant is much more affordable, and maybe it's just me, but I still prefer to rely on my own senses when driving this kind of vehicle. (Unless I'm in a Volvo, of course, then bring on the Pilot Assist!) 

 

Pricing

The Pajero Sport Exceed I tested is closer in price to the Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 4x4 at R635 300 which also comes very well-specified, and is only a smidgen more expensive than the rear-wheel-driven Pajero Sport. The top-of-the-range Fortuner 2.8GD06 4x4 VX, doesn't come cheap at R806 300.

For the amount of off-road kit and luxury features, the Pajero Sport 2.4 DI-DC 8-speed A/T 4x4 Exceed is well-priced at R704 995, but why not opt for the less expensive four-wheel-drive version at R674 995? You'll only be missing out on the sunroof, the electronic hands-free tailgate and Mitsubishi's Remote Control Connectivity which works via an app on your phone. Not really a must-have in my books, as it's just more on-screen admin to deal with.

Better yet, if you're not going to do heavy bundu-bashing, opt for the 4x2 version at R624 995. 

The new Ford Everest will also be launching in April 2021 — and it will be interesting to see what the new model offers in terms of specs and price.

 

Verdict

The Pajero Sport performs well on every conceivable surface, is easy to drive, comfortable, and convenient to live with on a daily basis. It's also practical, good-looking, different, and surprisingly light on diesel. If you're keen on a rugged, yet luxurious family vehicle, the multi-talented Pajero Sport will be a much-loved, trusty companion on every adventure you can throw at it.

 

ENDS