Next-gen Mitsubishi Pajero: Everything we know so far about the Toyota LandCruiser 300, Lexus LX, Toyota Prado and Nissan Patrol fighter

Big rough and tumble four-wheel drives are having a moment.

Toyota’s LandCruiser 300 is a red hot hit and Nissan is on the cusp of launching a new bush bashing Patrol.

Now rumours are swirling about a new Mitsubishi Pajero, the final member of Japan’s big four-wheel drive trio.

Mitsubishi started the ball rolling by showing off a shadowy image of its future product portfolio with a large tough looking SUV included.

Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott has previously told CarsGuide work on a “large SUV” has started.

“I cannot tell you what it is, what it looks like, what the powertrain is, whether there’s a ladder frame, whether there’s monocoque. I cannot give you any of that information other than to say that Mitsubishi has announced that we are working on a large SUV,” said Westcott.

"I have put up my hand and said we would love to have one because it's a very valuable nameplate, because it is a fantastic product, because it's a halo product.

"For all of the above reasons, we would love to have one here."

Now spot fires of information have popped up in major Mitsubishi markets pointing to some of the next-gen Pajero’s key details.

This is everything we know so far about the coming Mitsubishi Pajero.

What engine will the next-gen Mitsubishi Pajero use?

Some of the biggest expected changes for the new Pajero are what’s lurking underneath.

Gone is the grunty turbodiesel motor of Pajeros past and in its place is a plug-in hybrid set-up borrowed from the Outlander PHEV family SUV.

This is not going to be just any Outlander PHEV power plant, though.

Mitsubishi is expected to beef up outputs from the current Outlander PHEV’s 2.4-litre petrol engine, twin electric motors and 20kWh battery to 285kW, a jump of 100kW.

This could be done with the addition of a third electric motor — one on each rear wheel and the other as regenerative braking motor — paired with an even bigger battery.

Potential customers wanting to line-up for the next-gen Pajero might be upset by the other likely move.

The early mail has the Pajero ditching the rugged ladder-frame chassis — that underpins rugged off-roaders such as the LandCruiser and Patrol — in favour of a road-going-biased SUV platform.

It is expected to use the CMF-C/D platform, which underpins the current Outlander and Nissan Qashqai and Pathfinder.

This doesn’t mean it’ll be locked out of the great outdoors as it should have four-wheel drive, locking e-differentials and torque vectoring tech.

What will the next-gen Mitsubishi Pajero look like?

This is where things get interesting. We’ve commissioned our photoshop whiz to knock up a digital rendering of what the next-gen Pajero could look like.

We’ve taken design cues from Mitsubishi’s shadowy future product that show off the futuristic T-shaped LED lights and the chunky body shape is borrowed from the Outlander but beefed up with a higher, square roof and wider body as well as bigger wheel arches and boosted ground clearance for a more off-road focus.

There is also the illuminated front Mitsubishi badge from the teaser image and the bonnet spines running off the back of the T-Shaped headlights add a point of difference as does the small high-place front grill and bulky lower guards and cladding.

It looks tough and futuristic but we won’t know what it really looks like until Mitsubishi decides to pull the covers off.

How much will the next-gen Mitsubishi Pajero cost?

The going rate for the new generation of tough Japanese off-roaders is about $100,000 (before on-road costs).

Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series starts at that and the new Nissan Patrol is almost certainly going to come in at about the six-figure mark, too.

Mitsubishi is expected to push the Pajero up market with a more luxurious interior than before with a big focus on plush materials and hi-tech features.

Plug-in hybrids are pricey tech, too. They often cost about $15,000 more than their petrol equivalents.

The main cost is the battery and if the Pajero’s power cell grows from the 20kWh unit found in the Outlander then the price premium could broaden even further.

When will the next-gen Mitsubishi Pajero go on sale?

Mitsubishi’s future product strategy will dramatically overhaul its entire range by the end of the decade. 

There is no firm date on when the Pajero will go on sale, but the early mail is putting it landing in showrooms in 2027.

Don’t be surprised if it is shown in near production guise in 2026.