2015 Mitsubishi Pajero : Mild updates for ageing SUV ahead of all-new model

The facelifted Pajero wears a new chrome grille with vertical borders that continue down into the bumper around the central air intake. Horizontal LED daytime running light strips sit alongside the fog-lights in reshaped housings beneath the headlights.

The Japanese-market model also features a new spare wheel cover on the tailgate that encloses the entire wheel and tyre.

Updates to the cabin are limited to new trim colours and materials, while Mitsubishi has also added extra sound-deadening material beneath the instrument panel and door trim to improve NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels.

The rest of the Pajero carries over into the 2015 model year unchanged, including its 147kW/441Nm 3.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine.

Mitsubishi Australia head of corporate communications Shayna Welsh said the updated Pajero would reach local showrooms before the end of the year, though said specific timing of its introduction was still to be finalised.

The Pajero is one of the longest-serving models on the market. The current, fourth-generation SUV has been around since 2006, though it is essentially an updated version of the third-generation model that is now 15 years old.

The all-new, fifth-generation Mitsubishi Pajero will be the last model to emerge from the Japanese brand’s ‘New Stage 2016’ product plan. Inspired by the GC-PHEV concept (above) from last year’s Tokyo motor show, the Pajero will follow new versions of the Triton, Challenger and ASX, and will launch by the beginning of 2017.