Mitsubishi has added a more road-orientated, entry-level model to its Pajero line-up, the made-in-Thailand Pajero Sport 4x4.
Its urban styling is a departure from the boxy styling of conventional 4x4s, says Mitsubishi's Annette Erasmus, with smooth lines behind a typically Pajero front end, a chrome-accented, vertically slanting grille and multireflector halogen headlights and foglights.
Leather seats and a six-speaker radio/CD/MP3 player are standard in the seven-seat cabin with a low height for car-like driving posture and access.
Motivation is provided by a 3.2-litre, common-rail, intercooled turbodiesel engine rated in this application at 120kW at 3500rpm and 343Nm at 2000rpm, driving through all-wheel drive and a four-speed auto transmission.
It rides on double-wishbone front and three-link rear suspension with coil springs and an anti-roll bar at each end. Braking is entrusted to ventilated front discs and rear drums with four-circuit anti-locking and electronic brake-pressure distribution.
Passive safety includes four crash bags and three-point, pre-tensioned seat belts for all but the centre seat in the middle row, which has a two-point lap belt.
The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 3.2 DID GLS costs R414 000, including a three-year or 100 000km warranty, a five year or 100 000km service plan and roadside assistance.