► Mitsubishi is finally playing to its strengths again
► New, diesel-engined Pajero off-roader is here
► Could this mean the UK return of the Shogun?

Mitsubishi has had quite the turnaround. This time last year, it looked like the brand was about to fade into the pages of obscurity, but it’s since embarked on a serious comeback. In February, it re-entered the UK market with a fresh L200 pick-up – and now, it’s pulled the sheet off a brand-new version of its most iconic 4×4. Meet the all-new Mitsubishi Pajero.

The Pajero (previously known as the Mitsubishi Shogun in Britain) is a full-sized seven-seat off-roader designed to compete against the Land Rover Defender, Ineos Grenadier and Toyota Land Cruiser. Scroll down to learn everything you need to know about the car and find out whether we’ll ever see it in the UK.

What’s powering the new Pajero?

It’s a diesel. Shock. Horror.

As unfashionable as diesels are in 2026, though, you can’t really power a big, seven-seat off-road adventure vehicle with anything else. You need torque and you need a convenient driving range – and nothing else outside a massive supercharged V8 fed by a 90-litre fuel tank can deliver that. Which is why the Defender V8 still exists.

Mitsubishi, however, has elected to use the L200’s turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel in the new Pajero. The brand hasn’t yet confirmed all its specs in this application, but it has said it’ll produce 354lb ft of torque. The engine sends drive to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox with a locking centre differential and low range gearing for proper off-road work.

What about the chassis?

If you thought the Pajero’s engine was old school, wait until we tell you about its underpinnings. As with the Ineos Grenadier, it’s built around a ladder frame which Mitsubishi said it chose to provide the best off-road capability. You get double wishbones up front and a solid beam axle at the rear for maximum durability.

The off-road specs look encouraging, too. Mitsubishi says the Pajero has 230mm of ground clearance, a 52:48 weight distribution, and approach, breakover and departure angles of 30.4, 22.6 and 25.8 degrees, respectively. Those figures are comparable with the Toyota Land Cruiser or a standard-height Defender.

Mitsubishi also says it’s worked hard to make the Pajero refined enough for long-distance travel, which is where the Grenadier falls short. So, the new 4×4 gets acoustic glass, acres of sound deadening and heavily damped body mounts to keep unwanted vibrations out of the cabin both on and off the road. We’re can’t wait to see whether it’s worked.

Tell me about the Pajero’s interior

At 4920mm long, the Pajero should sit somewhere between the Defender 110 and Defender 130 in terms of passenger space. You get three seating rows and seven seats to play with – and the second row can slide backwards and forwards by 150mm to help democratise legroom when you’re carrying passengers in both rear rows.

The Pajero’s kit list is yet to be finalised, but it sounds like Mitsubishi is going to pack it with plenty of equipment. It’ll be available with an all-round camera system (with an underfloor view), ventilated sears, an arsenal of off-road driver technology and a Yamaha-designed 12-speaker stereo system with – wait for it – two amplifiers.

Its dashboard sports two 14.3-inch screens. There’s a digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver and a touchscreen in the centre of the cabin for your media and navigation. The latter screen also features a digital recreation of previous Pajero’s iconic triple gauge pods. Here, you get information on your altitude, compass heading and pitch and yaw angles.

Will the new Pajero come to the UK?

Given Britain’s love for cars such as the Land Rover Defender and Ineos Grenadier, we reckon Mitsubishi would benefit from launching the Pajero in the UK. It would certainly give its relaunch strategy a shot in the arm. Sadly, the brand currently has no plans to bring the car any further west than the Middle East.

That sounds pretty damning, but there is a ray of hope. Mitsubishi is planning to launch the Pajero in right-hand drive markets including Japan and Australia, meaning the difficult engineering work to make the Pajero suitable for our roads has already been done.

Plus, the Pajero’s diesel engine has already been homologated for the UK market in the L200, further trimming the amount of difficult paperwork Mitsubishi needs to do to get the car past British legislators. In theory, it should be a simple case of signing the shipping order and punting the Pajero into showrooms. Perhaps with a ‘Shogun’ badge on its tailgate.

Maybe if we all shout loud enough, Mitsubishi will listen. Start harassing your dealers now.