2013 Mitsubishi Pajero comes with power, comfort

For its size, the Mitsubishi Pajero GLX-R is an extremely comfortable, easy and responsive vehicle to drive. It is a workhorse.
Jonathan Zhaam, the business development manager at Jonah Autos, says to test its resilience, he drove the car up Kiwamirembe Hill on Entebbe Road and other murram roads and says it handled the terrain extremely well.
“I found that applying the brakes hard at various speeds had it stopping beautifully, in a straight line, over a short distance and smoothly every time,” says Zhaam, adding that it held the roads well during cornering and sailed over pot-holed stretches.

Zhaam adds that driving it on the highway was also smooth and quiet. He, however, says manually changing gears provided quicker acceleration than in automatic mode.
“Response was marginally slower when accelerating quickly (such as when overtaking) in automatic than in manual mode. In automatic mode, gears changed smoothly and quietly.”

Engine / transmission
All models of the Parejo come with a 3.2L Turbo diesel engine. The engine has a power output of 147kW @ 3,800rpm which is lots of power to negotiate most off-road situations with ease.

Exterior
According to behindthewheel.com, an online portal, the Pajero is and always has been a large and imposing vehicle. All models are exactly the same dimensions of 4.9 metres long by 1.875 metres wide and standing 1.9 metres high. This large SUV occupies quite a bit of space. The side mirrors are also big and provide a wide visual coverage of the left and right rear sides of the vehicle. For off-road driving and to protect the vehicle’s sensitive parts, the GLX-R has an engine under cover and fuel tank protector and, if you do get stuck, there are front and rear tow hooks.

Safety
According to the Mitsubishi website, the Pajero carries driver and front passenger airbags, driver and rear side curtain airbags as standard.
Other notable standard safety features include anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake force distribution (EBD), which automatically applies a variable amount of force to each of a vehicle’s brakes independently, based on road conditions, and active stability control (ASC), which detects and reduces skidding, active traction control (ATC), which minimises loss of traction on varying road services. And for all the hard core off-roaders, Engine Brake Assist Control (EBAC) which is automatically engaged to assist braking on extreme downhill off-road situations. It also comes with a rear camera which displays in the left half of the rear view mirror. The image is clear and sharp although small and sometimes a little difficult to see depending on how bright it is.

Interior
The GLX has a seating capacity of five people and the leg room for the driver and passenger and second row passengers is excellent. Three passengers can sit comfortably in the second row without feeling too squeezed. If one is carrying only two passengers in the back, then there is a large fold out armrest which can be converted into a cup holder. The third row is where the discussion most ensues. Those seats would comfortably seat two smallish adults or children if the second row passengers move their seat reasonably forward, otherwise things can get a bit tight. The other issue concerns storage, when the third row seats are in use room for storage, luggage is compromised.

Space
Folding away the third row seat to maximise luggage space can be a bit tricky as the head supports need to be separated from the seats and stored separately. And, if you really need loads of storage, second row seating can be folded forward.
The seats are comfortable and offer good support and in the driver sits high from the road and has excellent 360° visuals, although, because of its size, it can be difficult to see low objects up close to the vehicle. The driver has an excellent view of all instrumentation, buttons, switches and controls which are all within easy reach.

Others
Engine: 3.2 litre turbo diesel producing 147kW and 441Nm
Transmission: 5-Speed Automatic
Safety: Five stars