Two-faced? New Mitsubishi Pajero details emerge

The all-new Mitsubishi Pajero is due to break cover on September 2, 2026, but fresh intel out of Japan suggests the reborn 4WD SUV could launch with two distinct front-end designs. This could signal that the brand will have significantly different model grades for customers, with some to focus on adventure, others on luxury.

An eye-catching spy photo, published by Japanese outlet Best Car and snapped by a reader during a test run, shows two Pajero prototypes parked up – and their faces show significant styling differences.

One wears a horizontal-slat grille, all clean and businesslike. The other sports a honeycomb-style mesh with chunky Land Rover-like hexagons, and it’s this version that also scored a sunroof and appears to sit a touch more proudly up front.

Both were fitted with shark-fin antennas, while there’s a differently shaped sensor housing beneath where the Mitsubishi badge will sit.

So what’s going on? To us, this looks like Mitsubishi could be planning serious separation between grades – perhaps one rugged off-road-focused variant and one more luxurious flagship.

This could mirror Toyota’s playbook with the LandCruiser 300 Series: the knobbly-tyred GR Sport for the dirt diehards and the leather-lined Sahara for those who’d rather waft than wade.

Best Car reckons the honeycomb-grille car is the off-road-focused trim, while the horizontal-grille version tops the range.

That fits neatly with what we know of the Australian line-up, which is tipped to span GLX, GLS, Exceed and GSR variants – and Pajero tragics are already frothing at the possible return of the beloved Exceed nameplate.

The spy shots reveal a dashboard-spanning screen stretching from the instrument hood almost to the centre of the windscreen.

Mechanically, little has changed from our earlier reporting – although nothing is official yet.

But we do know the Pajero will ride on the new-generation Triton’s ladder-frame platform – or a version of it. The ute’s 2.4-litre twin-turbo diesel, producing 150kW and 470Nm, is all but certain to be the first engine offered, with hybrids likely down the track.

The diesel donk is expected to be paired with a new eight-speed automatic transmission – up from the ute’s six-speed cog-swapper – and Mitsubishi’s Super Select II 4x4 system.

The new Pajero is also expected to offer 3500kg of braked towing capacity, solid water wading depth, which will put everything from the Ford Everest and Toyota Prado to the Nissan Patrol and Toyota LandCruiser 300 series firmly in its sights.

First Australian deliveries are locked in for December, with local pricing to follow closer to launch and Best Car previously reported that the global reveal will occur on September 2, 2026. Stay tuned for more.

Image source: Best Car via @HOTOHOT8810

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