Say hello to the reborn Mitsubishi Pajero. Don’t be shy; we know you missed it just as much as we did. The global Pajero may have only disappeared five years ago, but for those of us who know it by the name Montero, we’ve been grieving the loss since 2006. No more. Mitsubishi revealed the 2027 Pajero, now in its fifth generation, with fresh looks and an entirely new construction.
Starting under the bodywork (we’ll get to that in a bit), the Pajero is new from the ground up. The off-roader rides on a ladder frame that Mitsubishi says underwent considerable work to improve its rigidity. Along with an independent front suspension, the engineers cooked up a five-link setup to support the solid rear axle, which Mitsubishi hopes will provide a good balance between on-road manners and off-road functionality.
As for the design, well, it looks as we expected—which is a good thing. It has an upright shape, boxed fenders, and a vertical grille. The Pajero sports a flat hood and appears to have generous sightlines from the cabin. The roofline is mostly flat but tapers at the rear, suggesting it has ample headroom, even for third-row passengers.
Inside, the Pajero’s cabin looks downright premium. There’s seating for seven, and the second row can slide 5.9 inches to allow for easier entry in and out of the third row. There’s a 12-speaker sound system, the second row has heated seats, and—our favorite—there are plenty of physical controls up front. There are still screens, of course, dual 14.3-inch units planted on the dashboard that handle infotainment and instrument duties.
Between the premium cabin and the boxy look, it’s clear that Mitsubishi is targeting off-roaders such as the Toyota Land Cruiser as rivals. In the off-roading department, the LC offers slightly better approach and break-over angles, though the Pajero offers a better departure angle and more ground clearance (just over nine inches).
Unfortunately, Mitsubishi is still playing coy when talking about the possibility of bringing the Pajero to the U.S. as the Montero. The North American market was conspicuously missing from Mitsubishi’s plans, and since the fifth generation is being built in Thailand, we think it’s a safe bet that the Montero won’t be reaching our shores. Or, at least, not exactly as it’s pictured here. However, there’s a chance that we receive a Montero built on the next-generation Nissan Frontier, but we likely won’t know until closer to 2030. For now, we’re just glad the Pajero is back.