Mitsubishi just put the Pajero badge back on the table
After nearly five years of silence, the legendary name returns. Australian papers already leak the lineup, the engine and the launch window.
Mitsubishi is bringing the Pajero back, and the first outlines of the future SUV have already surfaced in Australian paperwork. The pause dragged on for nearly five years — and now the company is ready to slap that name back on a tailgate. According to Drive, local certification has started early, even though the official premiere is only expected between September and November 2026.
The documents point to four versions: GLX, GLS, Exceed and GSR. A familiar structure — the old Pajero Sport and the current Triton lineup are built exactly the same way. The GSR will most likely be the flagship, with the blacked-out trim already seen on the platform-mate pickup and the outgoing Pajero Sport.
But the trims aren’t the main story. The concept is. The new Pajero comes back on Mitsubishi’s Triton ladder-frame platform, and that says a lot about the character of this car. The pickup DNA is obvious, yet Mitsubishi promises far more than a closed body bolted to a ready-made chassis: the Pajero gets its own interior, its own front and rear suspension setup.
The company positions the newcomer as its flagship off-roader — with serious off-road ability and a more comfortable ride than the Triton. Production will be set up in Thailand, at the same plant that builds the pickup. For Australia, sales are scheduled to start by the end of December 2026 — if the timeline holds.
The mechanicals haven’t been officially revealed yet. But the Pajero is expected to get a 2.4-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel. In the Triton that engine puts out 150 kW — 204 hp — and 470 Nm. For a body-on-frame family SUV that’s not a record, but here it’s about something else: torque, durability and the ability to keep working where the tarmac ends.
In the market, the Pajero will have to fight Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X and other ladder-frame SUVs. Mitsubishi has a powerful name on its side — but nostalgia alone won’t close the deal. Buyers will look at comfort, sound insulation, fuel economy, equipment. And at how much the Pajero actually differs from the Triton, instead of just wearing a different badge.
The Pajero’s return isn’t a retro gesture. It’s Mitsubishi trying to reclaim a spot in a segment where buyers still believe in a frame, a diesel and a loud name on the tailgate.