I have uploaded pictures to my website: www.muratabus.com

Regards,

Murat

Driving Impressions, Fuel Economy

A big majority of the vehicles in the full-size SUV category are built nowadays with a great tarmac bias, especially for the North American market. Pajero is the leading exception to this trend. It has a great reputation for toughness as a capable off-road vehicle. The 3.0l. engine revs quickly and while it is very silent at idling and up to 3,500rpm, it starts to give a pleasant whirr, more noticeable after 4,000rpm. The acceleration is quick with the 4-speed auto with clutchless manual and the ratio of the 1st gear helps give a strong launch feel which the car manages to keep until 40km/h (25mph). The Super Select system is easy to operate and the car is very stable in off road conditions. Because of the ground clearance and weight, I have found the body roll to be severe under real-world tarmac driving. Driven within its bounds, it can be a fancy city cruiser always ready to be taken off road. Under mixed driving conditions, I managed to get a combined 18mpg.

Pros –  Super select AWD system, rigid body, accessories, off-road capability

Cons – Body roll

Powertrain, Performance

Mitsubishi offers the Pajero with various transmission and engine options. As a GCC market vehicle, the one I am driving is equipped with a 3.0l V6 petrol engine. The Mitsubishi code for this engine is 6G72 and the output is rated at 220hp. The GCC market vehicle I am reviewing has a 4-speed auto with clutchless manual and the super select system. This system has been completely carried over from the previous generation of the Pajero and it allows transfers at a speed of up to 100km/h between 2WD and 4 WD.

There are not a lot of vehicles in the full-size SUV category that do not have a truck DNA. Famously, the X5 from the German manufacturer BMW is one of that few. That said, it has to be stressed that Pajero has unmistakably genuine off-road capabilities and due to the improvements it has had over the years, strikes a rare balance between being a comfortable and stylish cruiser and an uncompromising beast when taken off the road. Therefore, while it offers plenty of power for adequate tarmac driving, it feels more at home when the tarmac ends and the gravel starts. As this is a full-size SUV without any compromise on the off-road capabilities, the center of gravity is a little higher and the body roll can be severe. I have found it to be capable of achieving 0-60mph in just under 8 seconds and this is not a figure many full-size SUVs built with the tarmac in mind can achieve.

Safety

Pajero has sufficient safety features including front airbags, side airbags, curtain airbags, advanced stability and traction control, electronic brake force distribution and a reinforced chassis.

In the third part of this review, I will provide more in-depth information including driving impressions, fuel economy and pros and cons of this vehicle.

Stay tuned!

Trim Level, Options

My vehicle is a GLS and comes with all the standard accessories and more: Cruise control, trip computer, power front seats (with lumbar support for the driver), heated front seats, automatic climate control system with independent control for the rear passengers, HID headlights with auto-leveling function and fixed headlight washers, leather upholstery, sliding center armrest, auto dimming rearview mirror, fog lights, third-row seating (when not in use, it retracts to its compartment in the trunk to make a flat trunk surface), Rockford Fosgate Acoustic Design Sound System (710 W. max) with 10 speakers and a trunk-mounted subwoofer and 6 CD-changer (MP3-capable), PCMCIA card connection for music playback from an SD memory card, full-size tilting and retracting power sunroof with manual sunshade, cargo cover, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knobs, steering wheel mounted cruise control and sound system buttons, power doors, windows and mirrors, mirrors with power folding function, park sensors.

Fixed Headlight Washer in Action (Video)

I will continue in the second and third parts of this review with the powertrain & performance, safety, and the driving impressions topics.