|
|
|
|
29/05/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY
|
|
|
Mitsubishi has given its Pajero 4WD a midlife upgrade that concentrates on it being more useful rather than simply making it look different. Thus it comes with more power and torque in the turbo-diesel model. There's also improved noise suppression, an increase to the towing capacity and a bigger than ever model line-up.
 The diesel engine has received major changes, with a new cylinder head and larger turbocharger. It now produces 147 kW of power, and 441 Nm of torque at 2000 rpm, both figures around 18 per cent higher than the previous engine. The torque figure being particularly impressive because it's not easy to get that much more grunt while retaining the same capacity.
Even more impressive is that the diesel’s fuel consumption has been significantly cut; down from 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres to just 8.4 litres per hundred when measured to official Australian standards.
Part of the reduction in fuel use is due to the fitment of an upgraded five-speed automatic transmission. This unit has a sequential shift change and intelligent shift control.
Pajero is sold with a choice between two bodies: short wheelbase three-door and long wheelbase five-door.
 The Pajero model range has been increased, with the addition of two new LWB variants: the new entry-level GL and the mid-spec GLS. The GL is only available with the diesel engine and doesn’t have the seven-seat option available in all other LWB models. Both the GL and GLX come with driver and front passenger airbags as standard, all other models also get side and curtain airbags, for a total of six per vehicle.
Other standard features across the range include ABS brakes with EBS (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), stability and traction control, cruise control; an MP3-compatible CD player, with a six-disc stacker on all models except GL; a dashboard display that includes a compass, altimeter and barometer; and a 60/40 split second-row seats that tumble fold.
A rear differential lock is now standard on diesel versions of the SWB Pajero X and the LWB VRX and Exceed models. It’s also available as a stand-alone or package option on the other LWB diesel variants.
The towing capacity of the five-door Pajero has been increased from 2500 kg to 3000 kg. Three-door capacity remains at 2500 kg, still a very useful figure.
 Mitsubishi has addressed criticism of excessive noise from the outgoing Pajero diesel and have added a new enhanced noise insulation package that includes extra sound absorbing material at a number of points around the vehicle. During our recent week’s test the difference was noticeable, making the Pajero sound and feel even more refined than the previous vehicle that was already pretty good in this regard.
Because of this increased refinement, Mitsubishi's new Pajero will make an excellent family cruising machine on those holidays to explore the great Australian outback. |
|
|
|
|
|
Print Article
Submit Feedback
Email This Article
