The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is a rugged wagon that is very good off road but comfortable – and easy to drive – on the road. There are five-seat and seven-seat versions, both offering excellent fuel economy from a modern diesel engine and an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Pros Excellent value for money, auto braking as standard
Cons Relatively cosy cabin, poor third-row head room
Mitsubishi has given its Pajero Sport large 4WD an update for the 2020 model year, adding further ammunition with which to battle the Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X, Toyota Fortuner, and Holden Trailblazer. Like the MY19 Triton ute upgrade (the Pajero Sport shares much of the pickup's running gear), the revised SUV looks tougher thanks to its 'dynamic shield' grille and headlight combination, higher bonnet, and new running lights and bumpers.The polarising old vertically-arrayed tail lights have been reduced in size and the bumper made larger. The alloy wheel design is new, and side steps are apparently slightly higher-mounted to bolster ground clearance.
With its rugged body-on-frame construction, heavy duty hardware and new-age technology that enable it to crawl over obstacles, the Prado is not for pretenders. To be fair, the Prado is far from rudimentary. It feels solid on the road at highway speeds and around town, although you quickly learn to take roundabouts a little more gingerly because of the tendency for big, tall and heavy 4WDs like this to lean in corners. The new engine is a worthwhile freshen-up for the Prado but doesn't suddenly transform the vehicle.
Likes New diesel engine is more refined Long range due to better economy and 150L tanks Genuine off-road ability
Dislikes Towing capacity unchanged at 2500kg The price is high, especially on top end models Interior design starting to look a little dated
Cast an eye over the SUV market and you’ll see very few truly off-road capable vehicles. One of them is the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, and here we’ve got the most capable Prado of all, the top-shelf Kakadu.The LandCruiser Prado Kakadu is a very good off-the-shelf off-roader, with its blend of both tradi-tional and modern off-road equipment. With decent all-terrain or mud-terrain tyres (which nearly all standard SUVs would need) we reckon the Kakadu could go just about anywhere.
Likes Rear axle articulation KDSS system Crawl control
Dislikes Lack of power and torque Over-bonnet vision No height-adjustable front suspension
