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Mitsubishi unveils fifth-generation Pajero with ladder-frame chassis
Mitsubishi has revealed the fifth-generation Pajero, marking the return of its iconic off-roader after a five-year hiatus. The new SUV adopts a ladder-frame chassis shared with the Triton ute, featuring a five-link rear suspension, an eight-speed automatic, and a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine. Australia is set to receive the vehicle later this year, with a global rollout to follow.
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Mitsubishi unveils fifth-generation Pajero with ladder-frame chassis
Mitsubishi has taken the covers off the fifth-generation Pajero, reviving one of its most recognisable nameplates after a five-year absence. The new SUV made its global debut in Japan, with Australian deliveries expected before the end of the year, according to reports from 7NEWS Australia and The Canberra Times.
The company says the new model will be the most capable and comfortable Pajero to date, as reported by The Canberra Times. Australia is set to be the third market to receive the vehicle, following Thailand and Japan, with sales in those markets beginning during fiscal 2026 before expanding to around 100 markets from fiscal 2027, as detailed by India Today.
The new Pajero is built on a rugged ladder-frame chassis shared with the current Triton ute, a significant departure from the monocoque construction of the two most recent generations. This marks the first time in nearly 30 years that the nameplate has used true body-on-frame construction, according to 7NEWS Australia and PerthNow. Mitsubishi Motors chief vehicle engineer Takaaki Matsumoto explained that the ladder-frame design was chosen for its off-road strengths.
"The reason why we applied the ladder frame, why we judged that the ladder frame was more suitable than the monocoque, basically the ladder frame is amazing for cross-country," Matsumoto told media including CarExpert, as quoted by 7NEWS Australia and PerthNow. "From the viewpoint of strength or durability, ladder frame has advantages over monocoque. There are customers who use our car in tough conditions; in order to ensure durability and strength, we apply the ladder frame."
While based on the Triton, the Pajero features a number of modifications. It uses a new five-link rear suspension setup, unlike the leaf-sprung Triton, along with a shorter wheelbase, more cross-bracing, and thicker side members. The chassis itself is stiffer, with greater use of high-quality steel, according to reports from 7NEWS Australia, The Canberra Times, and PerthNow.
Power comes from a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine producing 150kW and 480Nm, a 10Nm increase over the Triton's output, as reported by The Canberra Times. The engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, replacing the six-speed unit found in the Triton. Matsumoto said the new construction and transmission would improve fuel efficiency, though official fuel economy figures have yet to be confirmed, according to PerthNow.
Mitsubishi has also equipped the Pajero with its Super Select 4WD-II system, offering four selectable drivetrain settings: 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc, as detailed by India Today. The vehicle features seven drive modes – Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand and Rock – and comes standard with Active Yaw Control, which uses braking to manage torque distribution between the front wheels, improving stability in corners. The braked towing capacity is rated at 3500kg, according to The Canberra Times.
Design and interior
The fifth-generation Pajero retains the boxy, upright silhouette of its predecessors while adopting a more contemporary appearance, according to India Today. The front end features a large honeycomb grille, projector LED headlights, and connected LED daytime running lights. The SUV rides on 20-inch black alloy wheels, with black cladding around the wheel arches and side steps. A black garnish on the front fenders carries the Pajero name, and at the rear, wraparound LED tail-lights are linked by a black panel bearing the model's lettering.
One notable departure from earlier generations is the absence of a tailgate-mounted spare wheel. The spare tyre is now located under the car, although Mitsubishi says the rear design draws inspiration from the spare tyre treatment of the fourth-generation model, as reported by The Canberra Times and India Today.
Inside, the dashboard features a dual-screen layout while physical controls have been retained for key functions. Mitsubishi says the cabin has been developed to provide improved comfort for all occupants, with increased sound insulation and acoustic glass making it quieter than any previous Pajero, according to The Canberra Times. The company is positioning the new model around three key attributes – confidence, comfort and prestige – with its off-road capability and ladder-frame construction forming the foundation, as noted by India Today.
Australian market and competition
The new Pajero is expected to arrive in Australia in December 2026, according to 7NEWS Australia and PerthNow. Full Australian details and pricing are expected to be revealed ahead of the vehicle's arrival, with The Canberra Times reporting that this will happen before the end of the year.
Mitsubishi says that most components are renewed from the Triton rather than carried over directly. Only the front section of the ladder frame and the front floor are common with the ute, with all other parts renewed or modified, according to PerthNow. The company also insists that the new Pajero is distinct from the previous Pajero Sport, despite both being ute-based ladder-frame SUVs with eight-speed automatics, as reported by 7NEWS Australia.
In the Australian market, the Pajero will compete with a range of ute-derived SUVs, including the Ford Everest and the Isuzu MU-X, according to 7NEWS Australia and PerthNow.
How each outlet told it
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Framing: The headline announces the reveal of a new Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD, focusing on the product itself. — positive and promotional
Facts Included:
Mitsubishi has revealed the new Pajero 4WD, with the vehicle set to arrive in Australia later this year
Mitsubishi claims this Pajero will be the most capable and comfortable Pajero to date
Australia will be the third market to get the new SUV, following Thailand and Japan
The new Pajero is built on a rugged ladder frame, sharing underpinnings with the current Triton ute
The chassis is stiffer with greater use of high-quality steel
The rear suspension from the Triton has been replaced with a five-link set-up
The engine is a 2.4-litre four-cylinder with a variable geometry single turbocharger diesel unit, making 150kW and 480Nm,a jump of 10Nm compared to the Triton
Mitsubishi has ditched the six-speed auto from the Triton for an eight-ratio gearbox
The new Pajero has a braked towing capacity of 3500kg
The company's Super Select 4WD-II tech includes part time four-wheel drive, full-time four-wheel drive, a rear differential lock and a low-range transfer case
There are seven selectable drive modes: Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand and Rock
Active Yaw Control (AYC) is standard, helping manage torque delivery to increase stability when cornering
The Pajero has chunky proportions with square, muscular haunches and a blocky rear-end
T-shaped headlights linked by a light bar across the bonnet, and a hexagonal rear design feature pays homage to the externally rear-mounted spare tyre of previous models
The spare tyre is located under the car now
Increased sound insulation and acoustic glass make it quieter than any Pajero
Full Australian details and price will be revealed ahead of the vehicle's arrival before the end of the year
Framing: Mitsubishi Pajero makes a rugged return after five years away
Facts Included:
Mitsubishi has revived one of its most iconic nameplates with the global debut of the fifth-generation Pajero
Discontinued in 2021 after four generations and more than three million units, the SUV returns as a flagship model
The new Pajero will initially go on sale in Thailand, followed by Japan and Australia during fiscal 2026, before expanding to around 100 markets from fiscal 2027
The SUV rides on a high-rigidity ladder frame and uses an independent double-wishbone front suspension paired with a five-link rigid rear axle
It also gets Mitsubishi’s Super Select 4WD-II system, with four selectable drivetrain settings: 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc
Power comes from a [4-litre diesel engine that develops 480Nm of peak torque
The engine is paired with an eight-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox and a four-wheel-drive system
Mitsubishi has also equipped the SUV with Active Yaw Control,which uses braking intervention to manage torque distribution between the front wheels
The Pajero offers seven drive modes – Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand and Rock
Measuring 4,920mm long, 1,925mm wide and 1,910mm tall, the new Pajero has a 2,870mm wheelbase
The fifth-generation Pajero retains the boxy, upright silhouette of its predecessors but gives it a distinctly contemporary appearance
Its front end features a large honeycomb grille, projector LED headlights and connected LED daytime running lights
The SUV rides on 20-inch black alloy wheels, with black cladding around the squared-off wheel arches and side steps
A black garnish on the front fenders carries the Pajero name
At the rear, wraparound LED tail-lights echo the design of the front DRLs and are linked by a black panel bearing the Pajero lettering
One notable departure from earlier generations is the absence of a tailgate-mounted spare wheel
Mitsubishi says the rear design nonetheless draws inspiration from the spare tyre treatment of the fourth-generation model
The dashboard features a dual-screen layout, while physical controls have been retained for key functions
Mitsubishi says the cabin has been developed to provide improved comfort for all occupants while maintaining dimensions that make the SUV manageable in everyday driving
Mitsubishi is positioning the fifth-generation Pajero around three key attributes – confidence, comfort and prestige – with its off-road capability and ladder-frame construction forming the foundation
The new Pajero will be built in Thailand,with sales to begin in selected markets before Mitsubishi progressively expands its availability worldwide
Framing: The headline emphasizes the Pajero's shift to a ute platform, specifically questioning the rationale behind it. — informative and promotional
Facts Included:
The 2027 Pajero is the first iteration of the nameplate to feature true ladder-frame construction in close to 30 years.
Only the two most recent generations featured monocoque bodies with integrated ladder-frames rather than true body-on-frame construction, which was seen on the first two generations of Pajero.
The new SUV is based on the Triton ute but with several modifications to suit the SUV application.
Mitsubishi Motors chief vehicle engineer Takaaki Matsumoto explained that adopting a ladder-frame chassis provides greater off-road capability.
Matsumoto-san went on to say that the Pajero's new construction should also mean it's more comfortable inside while on the move, while also being more fuel-efficient on account of new materials & designs.
The new Pajero features a new five-link rear suspension setup to balance off-road capability& ride comfort, unlike the leaf-sprung Triton.
It also has a shorter wheelbase, more cross-bracing,& thicker side members than Mitsubishi's ute.
The Pajero features a new eight-speed transmission, up from the six-speed unit in the Triton.
Matsumoto-san says this will also reduce the vehicle's fuel consumption, even though the Pajero uses a version of the ute's 4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine.
Fuel economy figures have yet to be confirmed.
Roughly speaking, most components are renewed from Triton.
Only the front section of the ladder frame and the front floor are common with Triton, but the others are renewed or modified from the Triton.
Mitsubishi has outlined that the Pajero is intended to blend off-road capability with passenger-car comfort.
Revealed in Japan today, the fifth-generation Pajero is expected to arrive in Australia in December 2026.
It'll take on a range of ute-derived SUVs, including the Ford Everest, based on the Ranger ute, and the Isuzu MU-X, based on the D-Max ute.
AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimMitsubishi has revealed the new Pajero 4WD, with the vehicle set to arrive in Australia later this year.
ClaimThe engine is a 2.4-litre four-cylinder with a variable geometry single turbocharger diesel unit, making 150kW and 480Nm,a jump of 10Nm compared to the Triton.
ClaimThe company's Super Select 4WD-II tech includes part time four-wheel drive, full-time four-wheel drive, a rear differential lock and a low-range transfer case.
ClaimT-shaped headlights linked by a light bar across the bonnet, and a hexagonal rear design feature pays homage to the externally rear-mounted spare tyre of previous models.
ClaimThe new Pajero will initially go on sale in Thailand, followed by Japan and Australia during fiscal 2026, before expanding to around 100 markets from fiscal 2027.
ClaimMitsubishi says the cabin has been developed to provide improved comfort for all occupants while maintaining dimensions that make the SUV manageable in everyday driving.
ClaimMitsubishi is positioning the fifth-generation Pajero around three key attributes – confidence, comfort and prestige – with its off-road capability and ladder-frame construction forming the foundation.
ClaimThe new Pajero will be built in Thailand,with sales to begin in selected markets before Mitsubishi progressively expands its availability worldwide.
ClaimOnly the two most recent generations featured monocoque bodies with integrated ladder-frames rather than true body-on-frame construction, which was seen on the first two generations of Pajero.
ClaimMatsumoto-san went on to say that the Pajero's new construction should also mean it's more comfortable inside while on the move, while also being more fuel-efficient on account of new materials & designs.
ClaimMatsumoto-san says this will also reduce the vehicle's fuel consumption, even though the Pajero uses a version of the ute's 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine.
ClaimThe Pajero Sport that came before it also had eight gears and was based on the Triton, but Mitsubishi insists that the two vehicles are not the same.