New Mitsubishi Pajero Sport: first images

The official premiere of the new Mitsubishi L200/Triton pickup truck has recently taken place, which means that the change of generation built on its base SUV Pajero Sport. We decided to imagine what it would look like.

The Pajero Sport mid-size SUV appeared in the range of the Japanese automaker in 1996. The first generation was made on the platform of the Pajero model and lasted on the assembly line until 2010. Starting from the second generation, the car shares a platform with the L200 pickup. Most likely, the new generation of Pajero Sport will not be an exception, which will replace the third generation, produced since 2015 and restyled in the summer of 2019.

New Pajero Sport render

There are no spy photos of the future novelty yet, but we can assume that it will be made in the style of a new pickup truck. It is likely that they will have a common front end and other body elements up to the B-pillar. The wheelbase will certainly be significantly reduced compared to a pickup truck, as well as the rear overhang. At the same time, the distance between the axles will still remain large enough to accommodate three rows of seats, like the current model (for reference, its wheelbase is 2800 mm). One can only guess about the design of the rear, but for sure it will become much more strict compared to the current Pajero Sport. We also depicted a version inspired by the first generation SUV: the lamp clusters are located high, and there is a wide black decorative insert between them.

>Render of the new Pajero Sport

There is no reliable information about the features of the future SUV yet, we can assume that there will be a lot in common with the L200/Triton. Introduced last month, the pickup truck received an all-new steel frame with a 65% larger cross-sectional area. Frame bending stiffness increased by 40%, torsional stiffness — by 60%. It has only one engine so far, it is a 4-cylinder turbodiesel 4N16 with a volume of 2.3 liters, which offers three output options — 150 hp. (330 Nm), 184 hp (430 Nm) and 204 hp (470 Nm). The motor can be aggregated with a 6-speed «mechanics» or a 6-speed automatic transmission. The drive can also be selected, it can be rear or full. The latter, in turn, exists in two versions: the classic part-time with Easy Select 4WD and the Super Select 4WD-II permanent all-wheel drive with an asymmetric center self-locking differential (by default, 40% of the power is supplied to the front axle, 60% to back) and «lower».

The current Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 1/3 The current Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2/3 The current Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 3/3

According to preliminary information, the premiere of the new Pajero Sport in accordance with Mitsubishi production plans may take place a year after the premiere of the pickup, that is, next year.

Recall that at the end of last month they showed a new compact crossover Mitsubishi, which will become the successor to the ASX model. In addition, we previously found out whether it is worth buying the first generation Pajero Sport.