The long-running Mitsubishi Pajero has had its line-up trimmed and copped some minor updates for 2020 but a lack of active safety is disappointing.

This is likely to be the last hurrah for the Mitsubishi Pajero with sales ending in Japan in August and only very minor tweaks to a reduced line-up here in Australia.

In announcing the 2020 model-year Pajero, Mitsubishi said, “The Pajero has the durability, spaciousness and high-quality features developed from years of experience and testing. Its latent 4WD ability is enhanced by the proprietary Super Select II technology, which combined with a suite of safety technology gives drivers the confidence to explore”.

But look at the press kit and it’s just steady as she goes. Sure, the top-spec Exceed has been dropped with the GLX and GLS adopting some of the features from that model but while there have been some minor safety updates, the lack of key active safety features like autonomous emergency braking is a real disappointment.

Key changes are the addition of a Rockford Fosgate 12 speaker audio system to the Pajero GLS with automatic high-beam, HID head-lights with auto-levelling and head-light washers as standard on GLX. The GLX has 17-inch alloys while the GLS gets 18-inch alloys, but there have been no changes to the look on either the inside or out.

“The authenticity and capability of the Pajero is what our customers like the most,” said John Signoriello, Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO. “Pajero drivers know they can depend on it when they take on their next challenge – whether that means heading out to the outback or towing. It’s an iconic part of our Australian product line-up.” 

Mitsubishi’s Deputy Director of Marketing, Derek McIlroy, said, “We’ve refocused the Pajero range this year by reducing the number of variants, and adding equipment previously only available on the Exceed variant”.

Question: Will the increasing number of more modern options and the lack of active safety see the Pajero struggle?