Mitsubishi closed out months of countdown teasers with a final release detailing the ladder-frame construction and suspension of its reborn Pajero, then pulled the wraps off the finished SUV at a Tokyo world premiere on September 2. It’s the first all-new Pajero Mitsubishi has built in two decades, and for American enthusiasts, it’s also a reminder of a nameplate they haven’t been able to walk into a dealership and buy new since the mid-2000s.
The teaser campaign ran in stages. Mitsubishi first confirmed the Pajero’s return and an “autumn 2026” premiere target in a May 29 release, then followed with additional detail drops. The final teaser, published August 4 under the line “The Pajero is ready to write its next chapter,” focused entirely on the chassis — a genuine body-on-frame ladder construction paired with a newly engineered suspension and Mitsubishi’s Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system, the automaker’s shorthand for integrated torque and stability management across all four wheels.
The full unveiling that followed, detailed in Mitsubishi’s September 2 newsroom release, confirmed the production reality behind the teasers. The new Pajero Cross-Country stretches 4,920 mm long, 1,925 mm wide, and 1,910 mm tall on a 2,870 mm wheelbase, with 230 mm of ground clearance — dimensions that put it solidly in full-size body-on-frame SUV territory, seating up to seven across three rows. Power comes from a 2.4-liter clean-diesel four-cylinder with a variable-geometry turbocharger producing 480 Nm of torque, paired to a newly developed 8-speed automatic with its own sport mode. Suspension is independent double-wishbone up front with a five-link rigid axle at the rear, a setup aimed at genuine off-road articulation rather than just crossover-grade comfort.
“The all-new Pajero is the first model to bring this vision to life,” Mitsubishi Motors President and COO Keisuke Kishiura said in the company’s official reveal statement, adding that the automaker hopes “customers will look forward to its arrival.” Mitsubishi is positioning the nameplate as its new flagship, built around what the company calls “Confidence, Comfort, and Prestige.”
Where It’s Actually Going On Sale
Thailand gets first crack at the new Pajero, followed by Japan and Australia before the end of Mitsubishi’s current fiscal year. From fiscal 2027 onward, Mitsubishi says the SUV will expand to roughly 100 countries across ASEAN, Latin America, and the Middle East. Notably absent from every release: any mention of the United States.
- Final teaser published: August 4, 2026
- World premiere: September 2, 2026, Tokyo
- Engine: 2.4L clean diesel, variable-geometry turbo, 480 Nm torque
- Transmission: New 8-speed automatic with sport mode
- Dimensions: 4,920 mm long, 2,870 mm wheelbase, 230 mm ground clearance
- First markets: Thailand, then Japan and Australia
- U.S. availability: Not announced
That absence isn’t a surprise, but it stings a little more given the history. Mitsubishi sold the Pajero here under the Montero badge until pulling it from the U.S. lineup after the 2006 model year, according to Kelley Blue Book, as the brand retreated from body-on-frame SUVs entirely in favor of crossovers. Nothing in Mitsubishi’s current U.S. product roadmap suggests that’s changing, which means the most significant Pajero revival in a generation is, for now, a story happening entirely on other continents.