The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is a

mid-size SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

produced by the Japanese manufacturer

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Pajero nameplate since 1996 that has spanned over three generations and based on the

Triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus'' ...

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

. Mitsubishi has formerly used the name in Japan and some international markets, but since the third generation, the Pajero Sport/Montero Sport/Shogun Sport was the name used instead. __TOC__

First generation (K80/K90/PA/PA II; 1996)

Production began in Japan in 1996, and was available for most export markets by 1997, where it was variously known as the Challenger, Pajero Sport in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, Montero Sport in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, Nativa in parts of

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, Shogun Sport in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

,Facts & Figures 2001
, p.23, Mitsubishi Motors website and Strada G-Wagon in Thailand. Based on the

Strada Strada is a chain based in the United Kingdom of branded restaurants specialising in Italian cuisine with two Strada sites and six Coppa Clubs, all in Southern England. History The concept was spawned by Luke Johnson in 2000 and, over five y ...

pickup truck of the same vintage, sharing many components and some body panels (i.e. front doors), the first-generation Challenger was also built on the second-generation Pajero wheelbase, and served as a smaller model to the larger Pajero. Like the Pajero, it featured independent front suspension with torsion bars and a live rear axle. In addition to numerous facelifts over the years, there was a major suspension change from rear leaf to coil springs in late 2000. As its popularity increased, local assembly for foreign markets was introduced in China in 2003,"Locally Produced Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Launches in China"
, Mitsubishi Motors press release, March 14, 2003 and Brazil in 2006."Mitsubishi launches locally-made Pajero Sport"
''Just Auto'', April 18, 2006 Sales were discontinued in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

in 2003, in North America in 2004 (excluding Canada) where it was sold alongside the Endeavor, where it was superseded by the Endeavor,"Mitsubishi Motors Announces "Project America" – First product Is Next Generation SUV"
, Mitsubishi Motors press release, February 14, 2000 and central and western Europe in 2008.
, Mitsubishi Motors press release, July 17, 2008 In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called '' Car Plaza''. The 3-liter V6 is the most commonly used engine; it produces at 5,000 rpm. The North American market received petrol V6 engines during all years of production while a petrol 2.4-liter engine was offered on base models from 1997 through 1999. Markets outside of North America also had a variety of turbo-diesel

four-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

engines (excluding Canada, where four-cylinder engines were also available) to choose between.

Gallery

File:1998-2000 Mitsubishi Challenger (PA) wagon 03.jpg, 1998–2000 Mitsubishi Challenger File:Mitsubishi Montero Sport -- 12-26-2009.jpg, 2000–2004 Mitsubishi Montero Sport (US) File:2006 Mitsubishi Shogun Sport Trojan 2.5 Front.jpg, 2004–2006 Mitsubishi Shogun Sport Trojan File:2006 Mitsubishi Shogun Sport Trojan 2.5 Rear.jpg, 2004–2006 Mitsubishi Shogun Sport Trojan

Second generation (KG/KH/PB; 2008)

The second-generation of the vehicle, based on the

ladder frame A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a ...

chassis of the

, was gradually introduced to selected markets (Russia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East) through the autumn of 2008, following its debut at the Moscow International Automobile Salon. The design is partially influenced from the 4.7-litre V8 powered 2001 Pajero Evolution concept car. 2.5- or 3.2-litre diesel and 3.0- or 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines are available as before, while five- or seven-seat interior configurations are offered. As with the Triton pickup on which it is based, production of the new Pajero Sport for all markets is concentrated in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. In the Philippines and Mexico, the Pajero Sport is officially named as Montero Sport. The Montero Sport mainly competes with the

Toyota Fortuner The Toyota Fortuner, also known as the Toyota SW4, is a mid-size SUV manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota since 2004. Built on the Hilux pickup truck platform, it features two/three rows of seats and is available in either rear-whee ...

and

Chevrolet Trailblazer The Chevrolet Trailblazer is an automobile nameplate used by General Motors for its Chevrolet brand since 1999 for several SUV models: * TrailBlazer, a name of appearance package for the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer used between 1999 and 2002 * Chevro ...

in the Philippines and several other markets. In India, the Pajero Sport was imported in

CKD kits A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region ...

, and assembled by Hindustan Motors-Mitsubishi joint venture. It is equipped with a 4D56-T 2.5-litre turbo-diesel. It was discontinued in 2019. In Bangladesh, the Pajero Sport is assembled by state-owned automotive industry Pragoti. File:2011 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed 4x2 2.5 KG4W (20200218).jpg, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (Indonesia; pre-facelift) File:Mitsubishi Montero Sport G2 2.5 TD 2013 (14816871310) (cropped).jpg, Mitsubishi Montero Sport (Chile; pre-facelift) File:Mitsubishi Montero Sport G2 2014.jpg, Mitsubishi Montero Sport G2 (Chile; facelift) File:2014 Mitsubishi Challenger (PC MY14) wagon (2015-07-16).jpg, Mitsubishi Challenger (Australia; facelift)

Sudden unintended acceleration issue

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport in Agra by SouLSteer, April 2013

In 2011, Montero Sport owners in the Philippines reported that their vehicles suffered from sudden unintended acceleration. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines later responded with a statement saying that they conducted tests on the Montero Sport's electrical systems and found no problems; furthermore, they stated that the accidents related to the issue were more likely caused by human error. Owners of Montero Sport affected by the sudden unintended acceleration issue plan to file a class action lawsuit against Mitsubishi Motors Philippines. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) opened an investigation panel to probe the accidents and complaints from 2010 to 2015, and will recommend either a product recall or a total sales ban on the Montero Sport in the country.

Third generation (KR/KS/QE/QF; 2015)

On 1 August 2015, Mitsubishi Motors unveiled the third-generation Pajero Sport in

and would be released as the 2016 model and would be powered by the new 4N15 2.4L MIVEC engine. Since the third-generation model was unveiled, it has no longer used the Challenger name, and used Pajero Sport/Montero Sport name instead. One of the highlighted features of the third-generation Pajero Sport is the Toyota-derived ''

Aisin is a Japanese corporation that develops and produces components and systems for the automotive industry. Aisin is a Fortune Global 500 company, ranked 359 rankings. Aisin is a member of the Toyota Group of companies. Aisin was founded in 196 ...

TL-80SN/TL-80NF'' 8-speed automatic transmission replacing the predecessor's 5-speed INVECS-II automatic. It vastly improves fuel efficiency compared to the 5-speed without sacrificing in-gear acceleration. The Pajero Sport is also available with a 6-speed manual for some variants. All variants come with 6" two-piston ventilated disc brakes in the front and 6” solid disc brakes in the rear and Mitsubishi's S-AWC all-wheel drive system for 4x4 variants. Other features include a sunroof, dual-zone climate control system, power-adjustable leather-contoured seats with multi-layer cushioning, optional 7-seating capacity (vary by market), and a 7-inch infotainment system. It is also has a lighter body compared to the predecessor because of the usage of CF plastics which are tough and lightweight and with the help of the 4N15 lightweight alloy block, the whole body has a low center of gravity. For the Indonesian market, the third-generation Pajero Sport was launched on 29 January 2016 in Jakarta. It was initially built in and imported from Thailand. Since April 2017, it is built and assembled at the Cikarang plant in Bekasi, West Java. The Pajero Sport/Montero Sport has three engine options. The 4D56 DI-D common rail produces and (GLX and Exceed trims in Indonesia) mated to a 5-speed manual transmission (GLX/Exceed) or 5-speed automatic transmission (Exceed) and 4N15 MIVEC with Variable Geometry Turbo producing and (Dakar trim in Indonesia and all variants in the Philippines and Thailand) mated to a 6-speed manual transmission or an 8-speed automatic transmission and the 3.0L 6B31 MIVEC V6 petrol engine mated with an 8-speed automatic transmission. In the Philippines, it is marketed as the Montero Sport. As a mass market vehicle, it has added a lot of features compared to its predecessor. The Montero Sport is available in 4 variants: GLX 4x2 (6-speed manual), GLS 4x2 (8-speed automatic), Black Series 4x2 (8-speed automatic), and GT 4x4 (8-speed automatic). All variants are powered by the 2.4L 4N15 MIVEC VGT clean diesel engine. In Bangladesh, it is marketed as the Pajero Sport and assembled by Pragoti in

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in ...

. It also manufactured the car. In the Middle East, it is available with a 6B31 3.0 V6 petrol version. In Australia, the Pajero Sport is available as a five-seater for the base model GLX or GLS variant or a seven-seater in the GLS and Exceed. The Pajero Sport only comes in an automatic transmission due to low sales of the manual transmission in the previous generation. In the United Kingdom, the Pajero Sport was released as the Shogun Sport and it is also available as a commercial variant without the second- and third-row seats. File:Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (3rd generation) 1X7A0326.jpg, Rear view (pre-facelift)

Facelift (QF)

The facelifted third-generation Pajero Sport was launched in Thailand on 25 July 2019. The updated Pajero Sport gets a new front fascia with dual-layer headlight configuration. Tail lights were made shorter, following customer feedback. Engine and transmission remained the same as the outgoing model. Other notable improvements including Auto Hold parking brake, a new 8-inch digital instrument cluster and an 8-inch infotainment system with navigation, 360-degree surround cameras and support for

Apple CarPlay CarPlay is an Apple standard which enables a car radio or head unit to be a display and a controller for an iOS device. It is available on all iPhone models beginning with iPhone 5 running iOS 7.1 or later. According to Apple's website, all m ...

and

Android Auto Android Auto is a mobile app developed by Google to mirror features of an Android device, such as a smartphone, on a car's dashboard information and entertainment head unit. Once an Android device is paired with the car's head unit, the syst ...

, and hands-free powered tailgate. It was released to overseas markets from October 2019, including Indonesia on 16 February 2021. File:2021 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2.4 Dakar 4x2 (Indonesia) front view 02.jpg, 2021 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Dakar 4x2 (facelift, Indonesia) File:2021 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Dakar Ultimate 4x4 2.4 KS1W (20211003).jpg, 2021 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Dakar Ultimate 4x4 (facelift, Indonesia) File:MITSUBISHI PAJERO SPORT INTERIOR China.jpg, Interior (facelift)

Safety

The Thai-made Montero Sport in its most basic Latin American configuration received 5 stars for adult occupants and 3 stars for toddlers from Latin NCAP in 2015.

Annual production

''(Sources
Facts & Figures 2000Facts & Figures 2005Facts & Figures 2008Facts & Figures 2010Facts & Figures 2013Facts & Figures 2018Facts & Figures 2019
Mitsubishi Motors website)''

Sales

References

External links

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport website (global)
{{Mitsubishi Motors timeline (North America) 1980 to date Pajero Sport Cars introduced in 1996 2000s cars 2010s cars 2020s cars Mid-size sport utility vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Latin NCAP large off-road Cars powered by longitudinal 4-cylinder engines