New Pajero benchmarked against Patrol and LandCruiser

Mitsubishi knows the reborn Pajero will be cross-shopped against the Toyota Prado and Ford Everest, but that is not the metal it was measured against during development. Mitsubishi’s top brass confirmed the Nissan Patrol and Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series were both in the benchmarking pool, along with a raft of luxury SUVs and a handful of Chinese 4WDs.

It is a bold yardstick for a car that opens at $68,490 plus on-road costs, roughly $30,000 below where the Patrol and LandCruiser ranges begin.

Asked directly whether the LandCruiser 300 and Patrol were targets for the new Pajero that launched in Australia in December 2026, Mitsubishi’s chief product specialist Kunitoshi Itagaki did not parry the question.

“Yeah [we benchmark] everything. We don’t say specifically what was [benchmarked] but, let’s say … during development we benchmark a wide range of body-on-frame vehicles and premium SUVs also,” he said.

“We need to cover them all for performance levels, quality, and other elements. That’s why we not only say the [Nissan] Patrol and the [Toyota] LC 300, we included more luxury models as a benchmark.”

That explains a cabin that punches well above the badge – see our review for details – and a chassis that shares only its front frame section and front floor with the Triton ute.

“So the advanced the capability, durability and comfort and most importantly high quality premium-ness, this is really important to us,” added Itagaki.

The numbers, though, tell you the Pajero is playing in a slightly different sandpit. It is the smallest of the three in every direction bar one – its 2870mm wheelbase is 20mm longer than the LandCruiser 300’s. Here’s the sizes of the Mitsubishi Pajero, Toyota LandCruiser 300 and Nissan Patrol Y63 in the table below.

*Patrol Y63 figures as published globally; Australian specifications yet to be confirmed

The bigger gap is under the bonnet. Mitsubishi has gone small, with a 2.4-litre ‘4N16’ turbo-diesel four (150kW/480Nm) through an eight-speed automatic.

The Patrol runs a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 (317kW/700Nm) while the LandCruiser 300 counters with a 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 (227kW/700Nm). There has been talk Mitsubishi might lean on its Nissan alliance for a turbo-petrol engine, but that has not come to pass.

Itagaki also confirmed the wave of Chinese 4WDs did not escape attention.

“As I mentioned we benchmarked many models, including Chinese models, and then, of course, some of them have good points, I can’t say the specific points, but yes of course, we tested them, and bring some ideas to our models,” he added.

Buyers will do the cross-shopping Mitsubishi can’t control. With the Pajero landing in showrooms from December 2026 at $68,490, the shortlist will almost certainly read Prado, Everest, Pajero rather than Patrol or LandCruiser. But if the engineering brief really was aimed a segments or two northward, Mitsubishi has handed itself a handy value story: LandCruiser-grade ambition at Prado-undercutting money.

All backed by a 10-year/200,000km warranty. Whether the 2.4-litre can carry the weight of that pitch with seven aboard and 3.5 tonnes on the tow ball is the question a local drive will answer soon.

How much does the 2027 Mitsubishi Pajero cost?
GLS (5 seat) – $68,490
GLS (7 seat) – $69,990
EXCEED – $79,990
GSR – $84,990
* Prices exclude on-road costs

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au