Two weeks. That is all it took for the new Mitsubishi Pajero to beat its sales target for the whole year in Japan. Mitsubishi said on 14 October that Japanese pre-orders had passed 4,000 units, and the company is now looking at building more.
And there is a second surprise: a Ralliart rally Pajero, a plan for the 2027 Asia Cross Country Rally, and a boss who openly talks about going back to the Dakar.
Quick Facts
- Model: all-new, fifth-generation Mitsubishi Pajero (Montero in some markets)
- Revealed: 2 September 2026, Tokyo
- Japan pre-orders: from 1 October; over 4,000 by 14 October
- Engine: 2.4-litre turbo diesel, 480 Nm (470 Nm on some versions); no horsepower figure published
- Gearbox: new 8-speed automatic
- 4WD: Super Select 4WD-II with 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc, plus S-AWC and 7 drive modes
- Chassis: ladder frame, double-wishbone front, new five-link rigid rear axle
- Seats: 7, in three rows
- Built in: Thailand; on sale in Thailand first, then Japan and Australia within fiscal 2026
4,000 Orders Before the Price Is Even Out
Japanese trade paper Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun reports that Mitsubishi gave the number at Makuhari Messe on 14 October. The orders are already above the Pajero’s domestic sales target for fiscal 2026, so Mitsubishi is considering more output at its Thai plant for Japan.
The crazy part: official Japanese prices are not public yet. Japanese magazine Best Car reports the official Japan launch on 29 October, with sales from 17 December.
Japan has waited a long time. Mitsubishi stopped selling the Pajero in Japan in 2019 and ended production for overseas markets in 2021. So this is the first new Pajero in a Japanese showroom in about seven years.
A Real Off-Roader Again
The new Pajero sits on a very stiff ladder frame, with more high-tensile steel and bigger frame sections for more twist and bending stiffness. Mitsubishi lists 230 mm of ground clearance, a 30.4° approach angle and a 25.8° departure angle on 20-inch tyres.
It is a big truck: 4,920 mm long, 1,925 mm wide and 1,910 mm tall, on a 2,870 mm wheelbase. Inside are two 14.3-inch screens, a 12-speaker Yamaha sound system and a modern take on the classic triple gauges, with pitch and roll angles.
The design keeps old Pajero ideas. The C-pillar copies the roll bar of the first generation, and the hexagon shape on the tailgate is a nod to the old rear-mounted spare wheel.
Ralliart, AXCR and the Dakar Dream
At the world premiere, a rally-spec Pajero in Ralliart colours stood at the entrance, with a snorkel and underbody guards. It was only a display car. But Mitsubishi says it is preparing and studying a Pajero entry in the 2027 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), next to the Triton.
President Keisuke Kishiura went further. He said that, in the end, he wants the Pajero to be able to fight at the Dakar again. That is not a confirmed program, but it is a big statement.
The history explains why fans got excited. The Pajero started the Paris–Dakar in 1983 and won it overall for the first time in 1985. In total it won the Dakar 12 times from 26 starts, until Mitsubishi’s works program ended in 2009. In recent years the Ralliart Triton won the AXCR in 2022, 2025 and 2026.
How It Stacks Up
The Pajero’s natural rival is the Toyota Land Cruiser, plus the Nissan Patrol in markets where it is sold. Like the Land Cruiser, the Pajero uses a ladder frame, a diesel engine and a serious 4WD system. Mitsubishi’s ace is Super Select 4WD-II, which it says combines real off-road ability with easy everyday driving, plus the S-AWC system with AYC, a name Lancer Evolution fans know well.
Since 1982, four Pajero generations have passed 3.29 million units, sold in more than 170 countries and regions. From fiscal 2027, Mitsubishi plans to sell the new one in about 100 countries.
Our Take
This is our opinion: Mitsubishi got this one right. A real ladder frame, a proper low range and a design full of first-generation details are exactly what Pajero fans asked for. 4,000 orders without a price shows how much people missed it.
The weak points: there is only one engine, a diesel, and no horsepower number yet. Some fans will also miss the old Pajero Evolution spirit. A Ralliart rally car and Dakar talk are great, but we want to see a real entry list, not only a show car.
Your Turn
New Pajero or Land Cruiser: which one would you buy? And should Mitsubishi really go back to the Dakar? Tell us in the comments.
Sources: Mitsubishi Motors (world premiere, 2 Sep 2026), Mitsubishi Motors (May 2026 announcement), Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun (4,000 orders), Best Car (Ralliart, AXCR, Dakar), Best Car (Japan dates), carview! (pre-orders from 1 October).
Photos: Mitsubishi Motors (official press photos); Carsales (CC BY 4.0) and TTTNIS (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons.
