Mitsubishi Pajero Sport review

Sure there’s a lot of respect for the Japanese company and plenty of respect for the Pajero brand name as well, but yes – Pajero, Montero, Outlander and now a Pajero Sport – that’s a lot of SUVs, which is puzzling. Of course the real reason the Pajero Sport exists is to take on competition like the Fortuner and Endeavour. It’s all about delivering as much SUV as you can on a budget. All three are based on light pick-up trucks sold en masse in Thailand, each is similarly specified and, all of them have attained their fair share of success in the region. The Pajero Sport, importantly, is also a thoroughly modern, up-to-the-minute, common-rail-diesel-equipped SUV; something HM Mitsubishi’s mountain goat, the Pajero, certainly isn’t. Put simply, what Mitsubishi is trying to do is deliver a Montero-like package at a Pajero-like price; that’s as close as you can get to a surefire recipe for success in India. 

Under the microscope

 Mitsubishi hasn’t done as well as it could have in India and so it’s easy to forget how impressive the company is with SUVs. Sure, the Japanese company makes some very capable compacts, saloons, and sports cars, and some of them are exceptional too, but it’s the SUVs that get special attention at Mitsubishi. They are thoroughly engineered, the company’s knowledge base on off-roaders is second to none and Mitsubishi is hungry for success.

 So hungry, in fact, that its designers have lifted the nose section right off the Pajero Evo rally car and grafted it directly onto the new Pajero Sport. The grille and headlights are aligned in a single narrow band, the massive wheel arches on either side provide plenty of excitement and the gaping chasm below the bumper gives the SUV a tough, purposeful look. The cabin gets tighter and tapers towards the   rear, the taillights are attractive and the Sport sits so high on its springs, it looks like it’s been given an aftermarket suspension job. Overall proportions, however, aren’t great, as the stubby nose and large cabin don’t exactly gel.

 Delve deeper and you come across the modified Triton truck chassis on which the engine, transmission, transfer cases and body are all bolted. Suspension at the front is handled by double wishbones, there are stout anti-roll bars at both ends (important considering how high off the ground this car sits) and the non-independent rear uses a three-link setup. Mitsubishi’s ‘Super Select’ transfer case allows you to shift from two-wheel drive high to four-wheel drive high on the move (upto speeds as high as 100kph), and you can uniquely lock the centre diff in both four-wheel high and four-wheel low.

 I step into the cabin and am pleasantly surprised. The dash is beautifully designed, good use has been made of the numerous textures and colours, and the quality of some of the bits is surprisingly good as well. The leather-covered steering wheel, for example, is superbly crafted, the doorpads look like they are from a more expensive SUV, and the central console with its multi-information display both looks good and has plenty of useful information on offer. Both the driver and passenger get powered seats, thigh and back support are good up front and there’s even plenty of legroom for tall passengers in the second row. Those sat in this row can also adjust the angle of the backrest, their thighs are well supported and visibility from the back is pretty good too. The Sport does feel a bit narrow though, and that means sitting three abreast is not as comfortable as it could have been. And while access to the third row is relatively easy and the middle-row seats flip beautifully upon pulling a lever, the space in the rear is only really useable by children. The cabin has plenty of storage, especially, in and around the central console, and there’s even space for some luggage in the rear.

A question of Sport

 The Pajero Sport’s 2.5-litre diesel may be smaller than its competitors, but what it loses in capacity it more than makes up for in specific output. Its 176bhp is very similar to the 168bhp put out by the Toyota Fortuner’s larger 3.0-litre engine and acceleration and performance are pretty similar as well. The Mitsubishi’s variable-geometry turbo has been tuned with performance in mind and after a small amount of vibration and some initial lag, power is delivered in a strong and steady stream all the way from 1800 to 4500rpm. The engine feels very smooth in the mid-range, there is considerable punch when you keep your foot pinned down, and after 100kph the Sport pulls away from its rivals with effortless ease. The engine is also particularly effective on the highway. As long as you are somewhere in the mid-range, there’s always plenty of punch available for overtaking. And because the motor always seems to have more to give, performance really does feel quite effortless. This is clearly Mitsubishi’s best diesel engine yet. What’s also impressive is the integration of the gearbox, the short gearing masking a bit of the turbo lag. The gearbox does have a typically long throw, but it’s light to operate and gears slot in perfectly every time. This helps when you want to go a gear lower in traffic.

 With so much daylight between the wheels and the wheel arches, the Pajero rides well on its tall springs as well. You can drive the Sport through some of the largest craters around and the suspension will take it in its stride. Come to think of it, this would be an ideal car in which to tackle long stretches of  broken tarmac, the rubber-footed suspension just soaking everything up. Stability at speed is surprisingly good too. It feels perfectly calm and composed, even at triple-digit speeds speeds, small directional changes are executed with little vagueness or lag, and the well-weighted brakes allow you to bleed speed in a drama-free manner too. Also impressive is the feelsome steering. It does feel a bit weighty at parking speeds, but as soon as you are up and running, the feel and feedback are exactly what you want. But while the Sport does have a reasonable amount of grip in corners and the feedback from the steering is good, it feels too top-heavy to corner with confidence. It’s the tall, off-road suspension setup that’s to blame. So the best way to tackle corners is to slow right down, gently tip the car in, and allow it to follow a smooth line out.

Executive Briefing
 

 The Pajero Sport has a lot going for it. It has a strong diesel engine, a spacious and comfortable cabin, and impressive levels of fit and finish. It is well specified and comes from a long line of successful Mitsubishi SUVs. What might let it down though, is that at Rs 23.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), it is approximately Rs 2.5 lakh more than the Toyota Fortuner, which means it is a contender, but a pricey one. Its handling may not be anywhere as sharp as we’d hoped and it can’t be bought with an automatic yet, but looked at as an overall package, it’s impressive enough to take on the best in its class. Mitsubishi and the once popular Pajero sure have come a long way. Source

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Mahindra XUV500 review

 The XUV500, designed and developed completely in-house, is a quantum leap forward by Mahindra & Mahindra. It is M&M’s first serious attempt at developing a global product that would be as much at home in Melbourne as in Mumbai. The price Mahindra is asking for it is definitely Mumbai though. At Rs 11.95 lakh for this top-end 2WD W8 variant, it is shattering value.

Design & Engineering.

 With the XUV500, M&M has put design at the forefront to make an emphatic styling statement. There’s no doubt the XUV500 does turn heads; it’s got a muscular stance, strong road presence and looks every bit a proper SUV.

Dominating the front-end styling is a traditional Mahindra seven-slat grille flanked by a pair of projector headlamps that widen their spread at parking speeds and work as cornering lights on tighter corners. Daytime-running LEDs are part of the standard kit too. We especially like the rising window line and the blacked-out B-, C- and D-pillars which give the XUV500 a very modern look.

However, we feel the Mahindra designers went overboard with the detailing. The faux air vents just below the headlights are too fussy and the oversized wheel arches are out of sync with the rest of the design and also make the wheels look small. This is further accentuated by the bulge in the beltline above the rear wheel arch. The rear tail-light also feels a bit overdone with fussy detailing on the lens.

Underpinning the XUV500 is a monocoque chassis, a first for M&M, that nicely balances stiffness and weight within a long wheelbase. The 4x4 XUV, which weighs 1865kg and is on par with the smaller Scorpio, could have been lighter. But M&M didn’t want to compromise on chassis stiffness, especially since the very generous 2700mm wheelbase subjects it to greater torsional loads. Weight has also been kept in check with the inclusion of elements like a plastic fuel tank and plastic fenders, and the use of high-tensile steel for over 30 percent of the body structure.

The XUV is equipped with MacPherson struts up front and a luxury car-like multi-link rear suspension. It does not come with hardcore 4x4 kit like a low-range transfer case, but you do get hill-descent control and hill hold on top-end variants, and a differential lock on the AWD model for limited off-road use.

What is truly impressive is the manner in which M&M has packaged all the mechanicals to achieve a flat floor, making good use of passenger room. In terms of safety, the XUV gets dual airbags as standard across the range with the top models additionally featuring ESP, rollover mitigation and curtain airbags.

 Interiors
Occupants will have no trouble entering the XUV. The doors open wide and the not-so-high floor means you don’t have to trek your way up to the seats. But once inside, you’ll notice the plastics come in three different textures and the dash seems to be cramped with too many individual elements.

The instrument cluster, with chrome-ringed dials and circular centres, looks great, but is not that easy to read. Other nice bits include smart, high-quality air-con vents that work well to direct air flow, the chunky steering that’s quite nice to hold, and the air-con and audio system dials on the centre console that have a high-quality feel. However, the same can’t be said about the other buttons on the centre console, which feel like Scrabble tiles, and the fake wood finish looks tacky too. Fit and finish could be better – there were a lot of inconsistent panel gaps and you get the feeling that everything isn’t as well screwed together as it should be.

The front seats come with generous bolstering and adjustable lumbar support and are incredibly supportive. However, the cushioning is on the firm side. The steering column, which adjusts for rake and reach (in W8 trim), is still a tad too high, even at the lowest setting.

Middle-row seats have enough legroom for six-footers to stretch out, even with the front seat pushed back. The seats themselves are very generously cushioned and the flat floor makes this SUV one of the best for travelling three abreast. Third-row passengers don’t have it as good though; the leg- and kneeroom are severely limited and headroom is quite tight too. With all seats in place, there’s practically no luggage space. However, the last and middle rows do split and fold flat to convert the XUV into a serious load-lugger and the relatively low floor makes loading easy. In the cabin, there’s an abundance of storage space for knick-knacks.

The biggest plus point of the XUV is its phenomenal list of features. The W8 variants get a colour touch-screen that displays GPS data, radio and AUX/USB settings and also doubles up as a DVD player. There is voice activation too and the top variants also get a handy tyre-pressure sensor. All models feature steering-mounted controls for the audio system, rain-sensing wipers, light-sensing headlights, parking sensors and even cruise control.

 Performance & Economy

The XUV shares its 2.2-litre mHawk engine with the Scorpio, the key differences being the motor’s transverse placement to drive the front wheels via a transaxle. The six-speed manual gearbox is mated to a dual-mass flywheel that minimises transmission rattle at low speeds. Power jumps
from 120bhp to 140bhp, thanks to a new ‘S-vane’ BorgWarner variable geometry turbocharger and a higher-pressure fuelling system. These changes have also bumped up max torque to 32.63kgm available between 1600-2800rpm.

There is a hint of lag under 1500rpm at which point the turbo kicks in. Thereafter, there’s a strong and pretty linear surge all the way to the 5000rpm redline. Driveability is very impressive too, and overtaking slower cars is pretty effortless. It sprints to 100kph in a brisk 12.34 seconds, 20-80kph in third gear is dispatched in 12.36sec and 40-100kph in fourth in 13.26sec.

The mHawk engine is one of the strengths of the XUV and the punch it delivers both in the city and on the highway is a good reason to buy it. The short first and second gears make it quick off the line, while sixth gear allows you to cruise lazily all day long. The transmission ’box feels notchy, especially when selecting second gear, and gears are difficult to engage without an extra push. The clutch is quite heavy too and the release action pretty jerky, which makes driving smoothly in the city hard work.

The XUV500 scores well with fuel consumption figures returning 10.2kpl in the city and 14.3kpl on the highway. The relatively low kerb weight, tall gearing and some clever engine tuning have made the XUV the most fuel-efficient vehicle in its class. This only adds to its affordable and down-to-earth appeal.

 Ride, handling & braking
M&M vehicles may not be the Gold Standard when talking ride quality, but the XUV is a serious step forward for the company. Low-speed ride is pretty good, but sharper bumps can rattle the XUV, which crashes through potholes. However, for the better part, the XUV’s ride is largely pliant.

Surface imperfections can catch the XUV out and it does get ruffled by the odd stretch of broken tarmac taken at speed. There’s a fair amount of suspension movement on uneven surfaces and the ride is never flat or consistent. Also, sharp edges and potholes can be felt and the suspension doesn’t isolate passengers as well as it should.

Handling is a marked improvement over the Scorpio but it is still a work in progress for M&M. No doubt, the XUV is quite nimble and light on its feet, especially in town, and on the highway it tackles sweeping bends quite comfortably with the steering offering decent feedback.

The big problem is the way the front-wheel-drive XUV500 behaves under hard acceleration. There’s a fair amount of torque steer when you floor the right pedal and on a loose surface, the steering kickback can be pretty vicious. Powering out of tight corners, the weight transfer to the rear wheels make the XUV’s steering go a bit woozy. Also, the 235/65-R17 tyres squeal without too much provocation and could do with more grip.

The XUV features disc brakes all around while ABS and EBD are standard across the range. What is slightly disconcerting, though, is the slightly wooden feel of the brake pedal in the first few millimetres of travel. But depress the brake pedal further down and you will realise the strong brakes are more than up to the task.

Verdict

Benchmark the XUV500 against the Scorpio and you will realise just how big a leap M&M has taken. The design and styling are central to this SUV’s appeal, and though it may not suit all tastes, it’s undoubtedly distinctive and is sure to turn heads. With the XUV, M&M has gone all out to pamper the customer like never before. The XUV500 has a fantastically spacious middle row and more equipment than you know what to do with.

Performance is class-leading too and that just adds to the feeling of power SUV owners crave for. The XUV500 is not perfect though and nor is it quite world-class. M&M still hasn’t fully sorted out the dynamics of its first front-wheel-drive car and interior quality is quite patchy too. Hopefully, these issues will be sorted out with the 4x4 version which will come in a few months. However, these concerns don’t seem to bother customers who have lapped up the XUV500 like no other SUV before it. M&M’s order book is bursting and it’s not hard to see why. With prices not significantly higher than comparable Scorpio models, the XUV500 is incredible value for money, which makes it a package that’s hard to resist.Source

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