Test drive Mitsubishi Pajero (Montero, Shogun) LWB 2000 - 2003 SUV

Master of compromise

Manufacturers of all -terrain vehicles often say that their car, they say, is equally good both on asphalt and off -road. But in fact, it often turns out that one of the bowls strongly outweighs. The balance of the qualities of Mitsubishi-Pajero was bred almost to zero.

Tasty bait
Statistics claim that 90 percent of owners of expensive all -terrain vehicles are never turned off from asphalt. Maybe in Europe, where rural sedists are completely dotted with shields with the inscription Private possession, it is already. But we have a different picture. In the stream of machines stretching after rainy weekends to the city, not only fields, but also prestigious all-frusters, painted with fountains from under the wheels, constantly flash. One returns from fishing, the other went to the village to his parents, the third simply to buzz on the off -road. In general, they are still jeeping in Russia. And, apparently, they are not going to throw this fascinating activity.
 
If at least sometimes you have to knead dirt, SUVs like Lexus-RX300 or BMW-K5 can not be considered. Agree, buy an expensive car and break an expensive car two big differences. Professional all -terrain vehicles, for example, a cartridge or discovery is also an extreme. Their hardy cargo chassis with a dependent suspension justifies itself only with constant work on broken roads and off -road. But tolerate his uncouth character on the asphalt for the sake of rare off -road sorties pleasure for an amateur.
 
Those who live in a large city and only on weekends are chosen on nature, you need a universal all -resistant, convenient in daily use, which has good driving qualities, but if necessary, capable of driving where you need to drive. Considering such offers in the range of $ 40,00060,000, you will probably pay attention to Mitsubishi-Pajero. The car is a clot of high technologies and avant-garde technical solutions: a supporting body with an integrated frame, an independent suspension of all wheels, direct injection engines, an automatic box with manual switching mode, an improved transmission super-seal. At first glance, advances are very convincing. So we will check what they stand in business, simultaneously comparing the new Pajero with his famous predecessor. But first we find out

 
what is the price?
Pajero is traditionally produced with two bodies of short-paved 3-door and long-boiled 5-door. The Russian importer of Mitsubishi offers in our market only the most expensive design of GLS with velor or leather interior, a gasoline 3.5-liter GDI engine with a capacity of 202 liters. With. or 4-cylinder 165-horsepower DI-D turbodiesel with a volume of 3.2 liters.
 
 
       
The three -door Pajero looks more sporty. The middle head rest on his back sofa is useless. But the two here will sit down with comfort
 

Until recently, the three -door was offered only with a gasoline engine and a leather salon ($ 45,890 with a manual box and $ 47,590 with automatic). Last summer, the company was compiled by a diesel with velor and mechanics for $ 39,990. This is the most affordable version of Pajero.
 
Five -door cars are more diverse. Any combination of engine, gearboxes and interior decoration is possible here. Over the same equal (or almost equal) conditions, its gasoline engine is more expensive than a diesel engine by $ 54005750, an automatic box of $ 1750 is more expensive than manual, and the leather salon adds $ 34003750 to $ 34003750. Accordingly, the price is from $ 44,090 per diesel with mechanics and velor up to $ 54,990 for gasoline with automatic and skin.
 
For interrogation with addiction, I called a diesel 5-door machine with an automato leather salon. It costs such a Pajero $ 49 590. Why with a leather salon? Because in addition to the skin, there are a number of other useful and pleasant things that are unambiguously standing for $ 3400. Although velor equipment is quite self -sufficient. Why diesel with a machine gun? I know from experience that both of these units are magnificent in themselves and are just as well combined with each other. But in a gasoline character, on the contrary, less than can be expected from a six of this volume.
 
Equipment list
 
GLS execution (velor salon):
 
power steering
adjustable steering column
multi -mode ABS with electronic distribution of brake force
Two frontal airbags
headlight washer
fog lights
immobilizer
climate control
Heated mirrors with electric drive
Electric windows
central locking
radio, 4 speakers
Information display
Prepared front seats
seat heating
Separately folding rear seat with the adjustment of the angle of the back of the back
Luggage rails on the roof
Cast wheeled wheels
Hybrid rear differential with automatic and forced locking
Salon and leather steering wheel with wood inserts (diesel, 3 doors)
CD player with 6 speakers (diesel, 3 doors)
Leather steering wheel (gasoline, 5 doors) Luke in the roof with electric drive (gasoline, 5 doors)
 
GLS execution (leather salon) additionally:
 
Side airbags
Salon and leather steering wheel with wood inserts (all modifications)
Cruise control
radio with 6 speakers and a 6-disk CD changer
color information display
Electric drive of front seats adjustments
Luke in the roof with electric drive (all modifications)
 
Outside and inside
The appearance of Pajero-III is very contradictory. Some are delighted with him, others do not accept. In any case, the nicknames of the bulldog and the frog have already stuck to him. Such associations cause a flattened nose, the eyes-faras and the convex, the oversonal arcs of the front wings. Well, let there be a frog. Porsche-911 For almost 40 years as a frog and still lives and live. While more predatory representatives of the sports fauna have long rested in Bose. The main thing is that Pajero makes attention. You can’t say about him: a faceless Japanese. A picky 3-door shorty is especially good: at least now send to the rally rally route.
 
   

The advantages of the supporting body are already affected by landing in the car. There is no separate frame, which means that the floor has become lower, and now you don’t have to climb up, as if in a truck cab, as in the former Pajero. And the doorways became wider. In general, in terms of convenience, Pajero’s landing and ease is only slightly inferior to minivans and SUVs.
 
   
Air conditioning deflectors in the ceiling serve the second and third rows of seats

The rigidity of the front chair (velor salon) can be adjusted to the mass of the driver

The box between the front seats has two departments
 

The first impression of the interior is not Japanese, it looks too expensive. Instead of hard gray plastic, noble black tones and soft finishing materials of embossed texture. The skin on the seats is not smooth and slippery, but perforated, with soft folds. You do not stick to such a chair and do not slip over it. Even the inserts for the red tree on the torpedo do not look scarlet. And on the steering wheel, they are completely perceived by a natural lacquered tree. Class!
 
  
The middle sofa rises using a gas shock absorber with a latch

At the back there is an additional ventilation and heating control unit

Compared to the old Pajero, the salon of the new car is much more spacious and convenient. Even the three-door became a fully 4-seater, and not 2+2, as it was before. And in a 5-door car on the middle couch is generally expanded. Three can be conveniently settled here, and they will not rest their knees on the backs of the front seats, even if they are pushed to the stop. In addition, the services of passengers are separately adjustable in the corner of the back of the back, an individual control panel of ventilation and heating, the second circuit of the air conditioner with deflectors in the ceiling and a central armrest with cup holders.
 
    
The third sofa is clearly crowded, but the rear windows open sideways, providing an extract

And how many pleasant little things are there in the cabin! On the right at the dashboard, the designers managed to place both a pillow of safety and as many as two glove boxes. The central box between the seats is also double, and in the lower compartment there is an additional digger. Even in sunset visors, there are retractable sections that overlap the upper part of the frontal or lateral glasses. In general, if the mother -in -law on the way to the country begins to grumble, which is inconvenient for her in this car, know: Pajero has nothing to do with it. You are simply unlucky with mother -in -law.
  
Behind the wheel
Pajero-III is one hundred percent of the national origin only in ergonomics. Like any Japanese car, you can sit in it and go the first time. All governing bodies are located on the spot and work absolutely logically. And here is the family trait of Pajero of all generations, devices drowned in deep wells. True, in certain angles this does not protect them from glare. And the screen of the information display under direct sunlight is practically not read.
 
 
Governing bodies
 

1. Block windows. 2. The switch of fog headlights and lanterns. 3. The mirror settings panel. 4. Former corrector. 5. The brightness regulator of the lighting of the devices. 6. Cruise-control lever. 7. The alarm switch. 8. Information display. 9. The radio. 10. Climate control. 11. CD changer. 12. The rear heater switch. 13. The heating switch is the lower part of the windshield. 14. The heating switch of the seats. 15. The lever of the super-seal.
 

Thanks to the new layout, landing behind the wheel has become much more convenient. It is no longer stool, as in Pajero-II, and not racing on the floor, as in Pajero-Sport. The seat pillow is located at optimal height. By the way, the front chairs with manual adjustment (velor salon) have a spring suspension. On the bumps, it can be dissolved for more comfort, and on the highway to be blocked to feel better. Leather seats are not pressed, but equipped with an electric drive. For an alternate, this is also a useful thing when he exits the bad road is recommended to rise higher and move closer to the steering wheel.
 
Dashboard

 
  
1. Mileage counter. 2. A speedometer. 3. The transmission mode indicator. 4. Fuel level indicator. 5. The indicator of the temperature of the coolant. 6. The signaling device of the open doors. 7. Tachometer. 8. indicator of automatic transmission modes.
 

Perhaps the only claim is too large the angle of inclination of the steering wheel. If, in a regular position without fifteen -three hands, as expected, bent at the elbows, then when the steering wheel is rotated at the half -day, the upper hand is completely stretched, and the lower one seeks to hit the underplant. However, this is characteristic of many all -terrain vehicles.
 
With anterior and lateral visibility, everything is in order in the stream oriented without problems. The lower part of the windshield heats up. Accordingly, the wipers will freeze less in winter. In the salon mirror, as usual, the picket fence of the headrests. But the situation is saved by magnificent outer TVs. They are equipped with electric power. Leaving the car in a close parking or in a dysfunctional area, the ears can be pressed, and maybe they will remain intact until your arrival.
 
We liked
 

Sunscreen visors with a retractable section

The CD changer is located on the central console, not in the trunk
 
A rich set of tools in a removable suitcase

The central boxing lid moves forward, playing the role of the armrest
 

As well as:
 
Magnificent turbodiesel and automatic box
Smooth move on broken roads
The possibility of mobilization of the transmission
Convenience and quality of the interior decoration
 
We didn't like it
 
  
The fifth door opens from the side of the roadway

Information display and devices are not read in the sun

A long rear bumper is easy to damage on off -road
 

As well as:
 
The controllability on the asphalt does not fully justify expectations
Cotton brakes
 
Children in the car
Everything is traditional here: electric windows and rear door locks can be secured using children's lock. The windows themselves are traumatic. If on the way up they meet an obstacle, automatically descend. The passenger pillow of safety does not turn off, so you can’t install a baby armchair in front, turned forward. Children under 12 years old are recommended to be transported in special chairs, preferably in the rear (in 5-door on an average) sofa.
 
However, it is unlikely that 1012-year-old offspring will agree to be chained to a special children's pillow (by this age only a pillow remains from the collapsed armchair). In a 5-door car, they will surely climb into the trunk, on the third sofa. There you can hide from your parents, and connect an electronic game to the luggage outlet. On the gallery, even cup holders for their favorite lemonade are available and the second circuit of the air conditioner finishes before it.
  
I drive all my
Another plus of the loading body is small loading height. Pajero's floor is lower than that of many other alternate. In a 3-door car, there is a secretary with two compartments under it, and in a 5-door a huge niche, in which the third sofa is brilliantly conveniently removed. Now, in a folded state, children's seats do not eat the volume of the trunk and do not clap on the bumps, as in the old Pajero. If you do not need additional places, they are easy to remove, and then in a voluminous cellar you can store a cable, a manual winch, spray cans with auto chemistry and other trifle so that it does not fly along the trunk.
 
The seats of the second row in both bodies are folded in a ratio of 40:60, which is much more convenient than the previous scheme 50:50. Moreover, in order to raise the folded sofa, you only need to free its latch and slightly push it up. The rest will complete the gas shock absorber. So that at a sharp start, the folded sofa does not fall back, you will not have to tie him to the ceiling handrails. It is enough to press the lock button on the shock absorber. Well, of course, Pajero cannot be imagined without a removable case with a rather rich set of tools at the trunk door. There is even an autonomous flashlight here.
 
 

Car dimensions, mm
 
Salon dimensions, mm
 
 
Safety
One of the reasons for the transition to the carrying body was the requirements of passive safety. The fact is that the frame structure is extremely difficult to calculate in such a way that the body has programmed deformation zones and evenly absorb the energy of the impact, without exposing critical overloads in the machine. Pajero-IIIISEDED Passed Passive Security exams, including independent crash tests of the Euroncap series.
  
In addition to belts with pretense and restraints of effort, protective bars in the doors and pillows, from passive safety means of attention, the rear cardan shaft of carbon plastic deserves. With a strong blow, it develops like a telescopic antenna, without entering the salon or fuel tank.
 
In the arsenal of active security tools, it is worth noting the smart ABS, taking into account the mode of the all-wheel drive transmission super-seal.
  
 
Ah yes diesel!
Of course, at idle, the diesel produces himself with his head. However, compared with the 2.8-liter engine of the old Pajero, noise and vibrations, much less is transmitted to the body from the DI-D motor. It is worth crushing the gas pedal, and the vibrations go completely, and the characteristic grunting remains only on acceleration. But what about this x-rrr-r-y-yu-yu-yu! Even from scratch to a hundred diesel loses to gasoline V6 only 1.7 seconds of a penny. And Di-D elasticity is generally excellent. Not all diesel all -rounds with a machine gun can boast of acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h in just 14.5 seconds.
 
Engine

 
  
1. Glass washer tank. 2. Air filter. 3. The oil -polling neck of the engine. 4. The oil probes of the engine and automatic transmission. 5. The tank of the main brake cylinder. 6. Block relay and fuses. 7. Expande tank. 8. Radiator traffic jam.
 

But many do not like diesel engines just due to sluggish dynamics at trunk speeds. What kind of lethargy? He pressed the pedal on a hundred Pajero drove, went again for one hundred and twenty. Fiction! He supports cruising 140 km/h without tension at all, and begins to rest only at 160. I repent, but in the rhythm of 130150 km/h, with an imitation of intensive overtaking, I whistled 240 kilometers along the deserted Novorizh highway. At the same time, fuel consumption (notice, diesel) met 15 l/100 km.
 
I assure you, gasoline V6 in this mode eats at least twenty AI-95. Relatively economical, when the green symbol of GDI is on the panel, the gasoline engine becomes only if you press the half -pea. And if you really go to go, like a pistol. Yes, and his dynamics against the background of the former Pajero-3.5 is not aha. The ecology, V6 GDI at high speeds simply worsens, which is especially noticeable with a manual box. Therefore, if you buy a gasoline Pajor-III, then with an automaton. But is it worth overpaying $ 5400 for a gasoline demanding of the quality of fuel if there is such a magnificent diesel?
 
 

The R/D LSK button is in charge of the rear differential lock
 

An adaptive 5-speed machine with manual switching mode is also 5 points. But not for the ability to adapt to the driver’s driving, this is from the evil one. The main thing is that the invez-II box works very gently, logical and can slow down with the engine even in position D. The fifth gear in it is quite long. The engine gets to it as quickly as possible and, working at low speeds, saves fuel. But if you need to shoot, Kick-Downs is working quickly enough, and you get assertive acceleration. I was also pleased that in manual mode the box does not switch by default for the next gear upon reaching maximum revolutions, but leaves the right to choose the driver.
  
Mountain and mouse
Pajero-III behavior on the asphalt at first puzzled. Regarding the old Pajero, progress has a new one noticeably approached cars. But in the Absolute we have a dull steering wheel (from the emphasis to the stops of almost 4 turns), the rolls, like a crowded Ikarus, and a clear insufficient rotation in high -speed turns, the car seeks to straighten the trajectory. Plus cotton brakes. At the traffic lights, at first I all the time left behind the stop line, until I was used to pushing the pedal beyond the usual one. And the braking distance during measurements turned out to be big.
 
For classic all -rests, insufficient rotation and significant side rolls of the norm. In this way, a high car warns the driver in advance about the danger of a coup. Most of them also do not differ in super -copper brakes. But from Pajero-IIS it with a supporting body, independent suspension of all the wheels and the re-steering wheel mechanism you expect more.
 
What happens, the mountain gave birth to a mouse? Brakes really on the conscience of designers could make them more effective. But do not rush to bear the verdict of controllability.
 
I think that for Mitsubishi engineers it would not be difficult to focus the steering wheel and reduce the rolls, bringing the sled qualities of Pajero to the level of the SUVs. But according to their plan, Pajero was supposed to remain a full -fledged alternate. A sharp steering rack on the stones and in the rut will not hold a single hydraulic wrap. First, she will repel the driver to the driver, and then she will break or flow. A hard short -flowing pendant that does not allow rolls is good only on asphalt. But there is nothing to do with it off -road.
 
Each medal has a flip side. Yes, Pajero cannot boast of BMW-K5 handling. But he has a soft gear and holds a straight line very reliably. This is a great cruise liner for distant voyages.
 
Super-GELECT: a thing in yourself?
Inexpensive all -terrain vehicles usually have a permanent rear wheel drive and rigidly connected to the front ones, which can be used for short and only on slippery roads. More advanced models have a constant all -wheel drive with a blocked inter -beard differential. The transmission super-seal combines both schemes. You can ride all the time both on the back (the position of the lever is 2n), and on all -wheel drive (4n). To increase patency, you can block the center differential (4HLC) or turn on the lowering gear (4LC) with locking.
 
Unlike the Old Pajero Super Secret, the new transmission has a servo drive. The lever does not move the couplings and forks in the bowels of the handout, but only gives commands to the electric motor. But this is so Sibaritan little thing. More important than another. The center differential in position 4n now divides the torque between the front and rear wheels not equally, but in the ratio of 33:67. In addition, he is now with Wigoft, which can gently squeeze it in case of slipping. As a result, the behavior of the car on a slippery road has become more reliable and predictable.
 
In addition, since the 2002 model year, a new rear differential has appeared on Pajero-III. Now it has not only a rigid forced blocking that can be used in critical situations on the off -road, but also soft automatic, very useful on ordinary slippery roads.
 
Why is the super-drive mode in the super-seal if you can ride all the time in all-wheel drive? Officially: to save fuel and reduce noise. In fact, only a pharmacist can catch an increase in consumption in 4n mode, and only the Royale adjuster increase. But in position 4n, even on dry asphalt, the car more clearly responds to the turns of the steering wheel and, in general, behaves more stably. I'm not talking about a slippery road at all
 
Everything is simple. The transmission super-seal has long become synonymous with Pajero and makes up a considerable share of its success. If you remove the rear-wheel drive, the sope-sector will turn simply into a selective. Who will chop chicken that carry gold eggs with their own hands? But if Mitsubishi’s advertising strategy is to you to the lantern, I recommend that you install the handout lever in 4n when leaving the car dealership and forget about the rear drive forever.
 
In pampas!
A broken gravel grader is a typical European off -road. At a speed of 5060, professional jeeps with a dependent suspension on such a road begin to jump and scour from side to side, and the SUVs break the suspension. Pajero-III goes like rails, and the wheels are spanking somewhere below on potholes, not disturbing the riders. This is where the meaning of the use of an all-resistant (and not passenger) independent suspension of all wheels and the rich rally-raid experience of Mitsubishi is manifested. The philosophy of Pajero-III is as follows: the car should behave comfortably and stably on the roads of any quality.
 
Now the cracked mud track. It is better to block the center differential and turn on the lowering gear so as not to overload the transmission. The chassis potential clearly allows you to move in these conditions without problems. The combination of a powerful diesel and a good machine also manifests itself perfectly. But what Japanese god blessed the installation on Pajero Shin Yokohama-Gelander-G039? I am sure that on the asphalt, controllability and brake qualities were partially affected precisely because of them, the tires screech and are already blocked at children's speeds. And in the mud of Yokogama, just no one is spinning like cheese in oil. If you buy Pajero-III, try to beg from the dealer of the Dunlop-Grandtrek or Bridgostone-Duer-N/T dealer, also included in the standard configuration. In the mud, they, too, do not slightly cling slightly only while new ones. But on the asphalt and gravel they behave much better.
 
But thanks to bald tires, I checked another interesting feature of the machine. Of course, it helps to smoothly move out, but in lowering gear in mode D still breaks the toothless wheels into a slip. I translate the selector into manual switching mode and immediately turn on the second gear. Pajero touches more smoothly, in a way. Excellent.
 
In the rut, I noticed another Pajero too early begins to apply to the ground with a belly. At first I sinned on a kangaroo hanging, they say, below the bumper. But no, the marks remained on the cross member of the front subframe. I measured the gap 180 mm at full load and 200 on an empty car. And in the passport, 225 mm are declared even if we consider that there the clearance is measured without load, where 25 mm were gone? The focus is simple. On the new car, everything is honest. But on Pajero, the front springs are quite quickly sagging, and our car passed almost 20,000 km. There is only one comfort: on other all -terrain vehicles with an independent suspension when subsidizing springs, the clearance also decreases.
  
 
The right front and left rear wheels are almost hung. Pajero still climbed onto the hill due to blocking the rear differential
 

Finally, diagonal hanging. I wonder how the carrier body will behave in such a situation? There is. The left front barely touches the ground, and the right rear hangs in the air. Open and close the doors. The side is no problem, the rear, albeit with a slight bias, but also opened and closed. Great result. I remember that at the presentation two years ago, the Pajero-III body breathed deeper. Apparently, something was finalized. It is possible to get out of the diagonal only with the help of a strict locking of the rear differential. But with a long rear bumper, I still got on the ground. And he is a plastic three -door shorty on a leales much better.
 
What is the end? Pajero-III is really a real alternate, capable of driving where you need to drive.
 
Measure the experts of the magazine limousine
Weather
Temperature + 14
Pressure, mm Hg. Art. 749
Asphalt concrete coating
Dynamic qualities
(partial load 2 people + 25 kg)
Acceleration, C:
040 km/h 2.9
060 km/h 5.5
080 km/h 9.3/td ›
0100 km/h 14.6
0120 km/h 21.6
0140 km/h 32.4
0400 m 19.1 s (113.8 km/h)
01000 m 35.5 s (143.5 km/h)
Maximum speed, km/h 167.0
Speedometer error, % 7.5
Elasticity, p
60100 km/h (Kik-Daun) 8.64
80120 km/h (Kik-Daun) 14.49
Running, m
12050 km/h 1432
500 km/h 653
Braking with 100 km/h
Braking distance, m 48.3
Slow down, m/s2 7.98
 
Operation, service
Russian distributor Mitsubishi, Rolf-Holding, formed a network of four dozen dealers throughout the country. Of these, four (three in Moscow and one in St. Petersburg) are part of Rolf's structure. The rest are independent. Service and repair services are authorized to engage in 18 dealers. Moscow, included in the structure of Rolf, is normal $ 45. Most spare parts come from the central Moscow warehouse containing more than 11,000 items. The missing spare part will be brought from Europe in two weeks.
 
The warranty on any Mitsubishi all -terrain vehicles is two years without limiting a run. The table shows the cost of the first three planned ones. In the future, every 15,000 km you will leave in the service an average of $ 500600. What do you want? Jeeps have never been cheap in operation.
 
 
Prices for spare parts and that, USD
TO1 15,000 km $ 320
TO2 30,000 km $ 410
TO3 45,000 km $ 450
Oil filter $ 46
Air filter $ 35
Fuel filter $ 58
Injector injector (1 pc.) $ 355
Fuel pump $ 3882
Turbine $ 3290
Brake pads (front/rear) $ 120/101
Steering Tip
Steering rod $ 97
Ball support (lower) $ 67
Shock absorber, front/rear $ 117/300
Front wing $ 557
Rear wing (body sidewall) $ 539
The hood is $ 517
Front door $ 785
Rear door $ 785
Front bumper assembly $ 645
Rear bumper assembly (6 parts) $ 1506
Windshield $ 740
Side glass $ 215
Front headlight assembly $ 472
Backlash
(lower/upper) $ 98/160
 
Mitsubishi-Pajero 3.2 Di-D
common data
 
Body
7-seater station wagon
 
Equipped mass, kg
2155
 
Full

Source: Magazine "Limousine" [11/02]