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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.

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*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the stories.

We drive the 2009 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

Competent, and based on proven technology

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday December 23, 2009

Sometimes, a Sport model is a faster, sexier interpretation of an old favourite and other times it’s a stripped down, basic version. The Pajero Sport we recently handed back to its fleet manager is one of the latter.

This latest configuration of the many-time top gun of Paris-Dakar fame is available only in long wheel base seven-seat form. It is fitted with the tried and proven 3,2 litre common rail diesel and a four-speed auto ‘box. Four drive modes are selectable by means of a separate lever on the floor. These are two-wheel drive high ratio (2H), four-wheel drive high ratio (4H), 4Hl (the same with centre differential lock) and 4Ll (low ratio with lock).

 For those who like to know how cars get the names they do, “pajero” is a Patagonian panther, but the name had to be changed for Spanish-language countries because it’s a naughty word that gives a new slant on “toys for boys.” For those markets it’s called the Montero, meaning “mountain warrior.” The Brits call it “Shogun” because they all flock to Spain for their summer holidays and don’t want to offend unnecessarily.

 The Sport is 205 mm shorter than its big brother the Pajero LWB, at 4 695 mm, 30 mm narrower at 1 825 mm and 60 mm lower at 1 840 mm. It is also built on a ladder frame chassis, has a similar wheelbase and the same suspension setup of double wishbones with coil springs in front and a three-link arrangement with coils at the rear.

 It works very well on country roads littered with the usual complement of potholes and washboard corrugations. The car was comfortable and maintained our chosen course, without any sidestepping or undignified behaviour.

 Tyres are 265/70 R16 on 7J light alloy rims, with 16” ventilated single pot discs in front and 11,6” drums at the rear.

 Off-road credentials look good with 215 mm of ground clearance, approach and departure angles of 36 degrees and 25 degrees and a ramp-over angle of 23 degrees.

 Inside, leather upholstery with height adjustment for the driver’s seat, second row seats with fore and aft- and seat back angle adjustments and two occasional seats in the third row, provide a variety of seating and load configurations.

 Head- and legroom is more than adequate for taller people, both in front and at the back, the only exception being the occasional seats in the third row. These are strictly for short journeys or little people only.

 In keeping with the manufacturer’s cost-cutting intentions, the airconditioner is a single-channel unit while the radio/CD unit is single-disc only. The four-speed torque converter automatic transmission is a cheaper alternative to the five-speed unit on premium models. While it got the job done, I would not rate it as one I would choose to fit into a R414 000 motorcar.  In my opinion, it would be better to spend an extra $50 or so for a more modern unit at wholesale level, even if it translates to R5 000 more at retail.

 While the Pajero Sport is a very competent vehicle based on proven technology and priced well below the premium models, I feel that it is somewhat a question of old kit being offered at a new technology price.

 The numbers

Price: R414 000

Engine: 3,2 litre turbocharged, intercooled, direct injection diesel

Power: 120 kW at 3 500 rpm

Torque: 343 Nm at 2 000 rpm

Maximum speed: 178 km/h

Zero to 100 km/h: 13,9 seconds

Real life fuel economy over 316 km: 12,5 l/100 km

Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km with Diamond Promise roadside assistance

Service plan: 5 years/100 000 km

Service intervals: 10 000 km

We drove a third-generation 2.4 in 2021

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax. 

So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

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