2027 Mitsubishi Pajero Revealed: Ladder Frame, Diesel Torque, and the Montero Question

The Mitsubishi Pajero is officially back. Revealed today after months of teasers, and right on the schedule we laid out in our earlier coverage, the fifth-generation off-roader returns with the hardware the badge earned twelve Dakar wins with: a ladder-frame chassis shared with the Triton pickup, a torquey turbo-diesel, Super Select four-wheel drive with a locking center differential and low range, and a boxy seven-seat body wearing deliberate first-generation callbacks. It launches in Thailand first, reaches Japan and Australia by early 2027, and will be sold in roughly 100 countries. The one market conspicuously not on the confirmed list: ours. More on that below, because it is the whole story for American readers.

Pajero Key Specs

Spec	Figure
Generation	Fifth, first new Pajero since 2021
Platform	Body-on-frame, shared with the Triton pickup
Engine	2.4L four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output	201 hp / up to 354 lb-ft (variant-dependent)
Transmission	8-speed automatic
4WD	Super Select 4WD-II: 2WD mode, locking center diff, low range
Drive modes	Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand, Rock
Suspension	Double-wishbone front, five-link rigid rear axle
Ground clearance	9.0 inches
Seating	Three rows
US availability	Not confirmed, Montero name expected if it comes

What is the new Pajero underneath?

This is a real one. Instead of reviving the nameplate as another unibody crossover, Mitsubishi built the new Pajero on the Triton pickup’s ladder frame, with a double-wishbone front end and a five-link solid rear axle. Super Select 4WD-II brings four selectable drive configurations including a locked center differential and proper low-range gearing, backed by seven terrain modes from Gravel to Rock. For the first time, it will be built alongside the Triton in Thailand rather than in Japan.

The launch engine is the Triton’s 2.4-liter turbo-diesel, tuned here for 201 horsepower and as much as 354 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic. Nobody buys this class of machine for horsepower; they buy it for torque at 1,500 rpm with all four wheels clawing, and that is exactly what this spec sheet describes.

What does the new Pajero look like?

Boxy, upright, and unapologetic about its lineage. The T-shaped LED headlights flank a commanding front fascia, the wheel arches flare properly, and the C-pillars are deliberately shaped to echo the first-generation truck. Around back, the tailgate skips the spare-tire carrier for a clean panel with a subtle hexagonal motif. Inside, the flagship three-row cabin runs dual 14.3-inch displays with a digital Multi-Meter readout showing pitch and roll, physical controls for the drive modes, and leather with Japanese Kimekomi-inspired stitching. Old-school bones, current-decade cabin.

Will the Pajero come to the United States?

Here is the tension. Mitsubishi says it is still deciding on a US return, even as earlier reporting indicates the Montero name, the badge this truck wore here until 2006, is planned for markets including ours, and that any future US launches will be electrified only. Put those pieces together and the likeliest American outcome is a hybrid Montero arriving a beat after the global launch, aimed straight at the 4Runner and Land Cruiser.

The target market is not hypothetical. The appetite for body-on-frame, character-first off-roaders is exactly what the 4Runner Trailhunter proved in my own driveway, and it is the segment the Pajero was born in. Mitsubishi has the heritage card here that almost nobody else can play.

The MoneyShift take

The reveal delivered everything the badge demanded: a frame, a locking center diff, low range, and a shape that remembers where it came from. What it did not deliver is the only sentence American enthusiasts wanted to read. Mitsubishi, the market is telling you exactly what it wants right now, the 4Runner and Land Cruiser are printing money, and you are sitting on a name with twelve Dakar wins and a generation of nostalgia attached. Bring the Montero. Bring it as a hybrid if the policy demands it. Just do not make us watch Australia have all the fun again.

FAQ

Is the new Mitsubishi Pajero coming to the US?
Not confirmed. Mitsubishi says it is still deciding, though reporting points to a Montero-badged, electrified version as the likely path if it comes.

What engine does the 2027 Pajero have?
A 2.4-liter turbo-diesel making 201 hp and up to 354 lb-ft, paired with an 8-speed automatic. Electrified options are widely expected later.

Is the new Pajero body-on-frame?
Yes. It shares its ladder frame with the Triton pickup, with a solid rear axle, a locking center differential, and low-range gearing.

When does the new Pajero go on sale?
Thailand first, with Japan and Australia following by early 2027. Australian pre-orders open in October.

What will the new Pajero compete with?
The Toyota Land Cruiser and Prado, the 4Runner, and the Ford Everest, the body-on-frame off-road class the original Pajero helped define.

I’m MoneyShift. If it has wheels and a story, it ends up here. Follow along for all things car news.