If you are looking to buy a utilitarian 4WD that has serious off-road ability, then the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and the Mitsubishi Pajero are two of your best options. For years, these two vehicles have been the go-to choices for drivers when it comes to rugged drives—thanks to their genuinely colossal physique, affordable pricing, and serious off-road abilities. But since both vehicles are trusty performers in the off-road diesel wagon segment, you may have a hard time figuring out which one offers better value for your money.
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Mitsubishi Pajero
In this head-to-head comparison, we will look at how the Toyota Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero differ in terms of styling, safety, performance, etc. Keep reading and take your pick!
Interior
The Mitsubishi Pajero features a rather obsolete interior, characterized by its old-fashioned steering wheel and generations-old infotainment unit. If you sit on the first row, you may be disappointed not to find the dual-zone climate control offered by most of its rivals, although it has a single-zone climate control that you can operate separately from the controls for the other two rows. If there is one impressive thing about the Pajero’s interior, it’s how its second-row seats offer plenty of headroom and legroom. Sadly though, you may find that the legroom on the third row is so small it makes it only suitable to kids.
The Land Cruiser Prado, on the other hand, feels a lot more dated than the Pajero—thanks to the stylish trims and plastics across its interior that scream innovation. The Land Cruiser Prado also offers ample storage areas and a modernized steering wheel loaded with a handful of controls. When it comes to infotainment, you will also love how its 7.0-inch infotainment system has everything you may find essential in long drives, including a modern sound system, Bluetooth connectivity, USB inputs, satellite navigation, and more. Unlike the Mitsubishi Pajero, this 4WD comes with dual-zone climate control and plenty of legroom and headroom on all three rows.
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Mitsubishi Pajero
Fuel Consumption
Since we are talking about off-roaders here, we can’t not talk about fuel economy. Mitsubishi claims that the Mitsubishi Pajero has a fuel economy of 9.1 liters but it can return a fuel figure of 10.4 liters per 100 kilometers in real-world driving. That’s not bad for an SUV like this, which has an 88-liter capacity fuel tank and a range of 980 km.
As for the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, the Japanese car company’s claim is a fuel consumption of 7.9 liters for every 100 km for the manual Prado. Obviously, the automatic transmission model consumes more—albeit only by 0.1 liter more per 100 km. In real-world driving, however, this 4WD can consume as much as 9.5 liters, but that’s still pretty good considering its size and the 150-liter capacity of its fuel tank. Well, if you want to see better fuel economy, you can go for the lighter models such as the GXL and VX, which both have an 87-liter fuel tank capacity.
Off-road Performance
Both the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero can tackle any terrain, but one does it better than the other. Despite the Land Cruiser Prado featuring less amount of kit, it’s amazing how it feels more capable off-road than its rival. Its 4WD controls are all easy to navigate, making it easy for any driver to scramble up a steep hill and still have full control. When a wheel pitches into the air while the car is in action, its traction control directs torque to the wheels for a smooth and seamless landing and transition.
The Mitsubishi Pajero, on the other hand, comes with a larger 4WD kit that includes a rear diff lock and a low-range gearbox. Despite that, however, you may be turned off by its lack of a hill descent control. That means when climbing up a hill, you have no other option but to manually choose a lower gear and utilize the brakes for better control. While this vehicle is great for off-roading, you may find that it needs to do a lot more work when going up a hill, unlike the Land Cruiser Prado that does off-roading with no fuss at all.
Verdict
Both the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero are great choices for an SUV that can perform serious off-road driving. If you are to pick only one, however, the Land Cruiser Prado is undeniably the better choice. This 4WD does not only have a commendable design, but it’s also a reliable choice for a vehicle that can accommodate up to seven adults and still perform serious off-roading seamlessly.
