More Mitsubishi Pajero details revealed: Serious 4×4 hardware locked in ahead of future PHEV arrival
Mitsubishi has revealed another critical piece of the reborn Pajero puzzle, confirming its new flagship 4×4 will combine a tough ladder-frame chassis with the brand’s sophisticated Super All Wheel Control system.
And while the highly anticipated new Pajero is expected to launch with diesel power before a plug-in hybrid joins the range later, the confirmation provides an important clue to how Mitsubishi intends to combine genuine off-road ability with its next generation of PHEV technology.
Mitsubishi has now confirmed in Japan that the new Pajero will use a “strong ladder-frame structure” combined with S-AWC, or Super All Wheel Control, promising it will “lead you to your destination in any environment”.
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The ladder-frame architecture points directly towards the latest Triton ute, which uses a substantially redesigned chassis introduced with the current generation. Mitsubishi has previously confirmed the reborn Pajero will be based on rugged ladder-frame underpinnings.
That represents a significant change from the third- and fourth-generation Pajeros, which adopted monocoque construction rather than the separate ladder-frame layout of the earlier models.
It also establishes the foundations for what could eventually become one of the most interesting PHEV off-roaders on the Australian market.
The catch is buyers wanting the electrified version are going to have to wait.
The new Pajero is expected to launch with a version of the Triton’s 2.4-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine, which currently produces 150kW and 470Nm, before plug-in hybrid power is added later.
Mitsubishi has yet to reveal the production PHEV system, but it has made no secret of the direction it is heading.
EV Central has previously reported that Mitsubishi is developing plug-in hybrid technology for both the Pajero and Triton, as the company attempts to combine the long-distance, towing and off-road capabilities demanded of its toughest vehicles with meaningful electric driving ability.
The Elevance concept has provided the most radical preview yet of where that technology could ultimately lead.
Revealed with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain incorporating four electric motors, the concept featured individual electric drive for each wheel and a claimed electric range exceeding 100km.
Two in-wheel motors powered the front axle while a dual-motor Active Yaw Control arrangement operated at the rear, allowing torque to be controlled individually at each wheel to maximise traction and improve agility both on and off-road.
Whether the production Pajero PHEV will adopt anything approaching that sophisticated four-motor layout remains unconfirmed.
Reports have also pointed to a more production-ready plug-in hybrid system producing around 285kW, but Mitsubishi has yet to detail the final drivetrain.
What has now been confirmed is S-AWC.
Super All Wheel Control is Mitsubishi’s umbrella vehicle dynamics technology, integrating control of the drivetrain, braking, torque distribution and yaw to improve traction and handling.
It is already central to the Outlander PHEV, where separate front and rear electric motors allow the system to rapidly alter how drive is distributed between the axles.
How S-AWC will operate in the diesel Pajero – and how much more sophisticated it becomes when electric motors are added to the future PHEV – is yet to be detailed.
It should not be confused with the Triton’s Super Select II four-wheel-drive system, which provides the more traditional hardware required for serious off-road driving and is also expected to feature in the Pajero.
Together, a ladder frame, proper 4WD hardware and S-AWC suggest Mitsubishi isn’t planning to turn its revived flagship into another road-focused large SUV.
That matters when electrification eventually arrives.
One of the big questions surrounding the new generation of PHEV and range-extender 4WDs is whether their increasingly sophisticated electric drivetrains can deliver the durability, towing ability and low-speed control expected of traditional diesel off-roaders.
Mitsubishi has more experience than most manufacturers in combining electric motors with all-wheel drive, having launched the original Outlander PHEV more than a decade ago.
But translating that experience to a ladder-frame flagship designed to tackle genuinely difficult terrain presents a very different challenge.
“In the development of the new Pajero, we aimed to inherit and evolve the [capability] and comfort that successive Pajeros have been about,” new Pajero Chief Vehicle Engineer Takaaki Matsumoto has said.
“This is the embodiment of Pajero, which developed the 4WD, which was for working cars until now, as an all-round 4WD that anyone can run comfortably on any road.
“On top of that, we worked together to make a big jump in how to make this Mitsubishi Motors’ flagship.”
The production Pajero is expected to be revealed on September 2, when the diesel drivetrain and remaining chassis details should become clearer.
