Mitsubishi Pajero IO 4WD Review

As technology advances we see some things become obsolete or they are replaced by the bigger and better. The automotive world is no exception to this rule. How it works is quite simple. A car may be released with technology that has never been seen before and set a standard among the next line of vehicles to hit the market. However, when a vehicle manages to achieve a higher standard than those of its class then it certainly negatively affects other cars in its genre. Unfortunately, the Mitsubishi Pajero io is a victim of this constant loop of advances. The Pajero io seems to have been left behind in the race, but at the same time is still trying to ask a high price. Is there any hope for this vehicle to prevail over its competition? I hope to answer that question for you by the end of this article.

If you are a simple person looking for a simple yet rough truck, then you may actually find what you are looking for in this vehicle. You will have basic abilities such as crossing small creeks and towing a trailer although you will have to drive slowly while towing. Driving slow is not an option, the vehicle will struggle when towing the trailer and it will be difficult to get it up to any high speeds. I am not trying to bash or criticize this vehicle in any way. I am only being honest of its capabilities and sadly it just doesn't have many things great to say about it. If I were only allowed to say good things about this vehicle this article would probably only be one paragraph long, if that.

Believe it or not the Pajero io has been updated since its last release. It has done away with the 1.6 and 1.8 liter engines and now holds a much more powerful 4G94 2 liter engine. A few cosmetic changes have been done as well and they are certainly looked at as a positive. At the very least the car now has a tough and frisky appearance to it. It now sports a new grille, redesigned hood, and fitted rear spoiler along with body colored front and rear bumpers that do add a nice look to the vehicle. If you get the limited edition ZR model then you will be treated with roof rails, spare wheel cover, and decals as well. That is basically it as far as the outside changes go so lets move on to the interior.

As you unlock the Pajero io with the electronic remote you will be greeted with a nice and better looking interior. It has good seats although they could provide a bit more side support to be fully efficient. You also get fairly basic features such as a single disc CD-player, Antilock Brake System (ABS), twin airbags, and air-conditioning. Though the inside may be appealing it sure doesn't have much room to move around in there. This problem is especially noticeable if you are in the back seat. Your feet and head will fit comfortable within the car, but your knees will be begging to get out on long trips. The cargo space is nothing to get excited about either. It is common for vehicle of this genre to have poor dimensions which leave very little room for cargo space. That is no different with the Pajero io, as the space suffers greatly for that very reason. However, you can fold the rear sit forward in 50/50 split to increase the amount of space to 1200mm. This increase in space is still fairly small and doesn't provide as much space as I would to see.

Taking the Mitsubishi Pajero out for a drive can be a little disappointing at the very least. Out on the road you feel like you in a loud and slow vehicle because you are. The engine is not very impressive and too low powered for my taste. Driving this vehicle at urban driving speeds would probably pose no problems and make the vehicle seem more responsive than it really is. If you are put in a situation that required good power to weight ratios then you are out of luck. In the cars defense it is very easy to drive, which I was actually pretty surprised about. If you are to ignore the poor four-wheel drive system (if you can) you will find that the controls are all user friendly and simple to use. You will feel right at home with this vehicle almost as soon as you get in it. The handling is a lot better than the previous model of the Pajero which is a plus. There is a bit of under steering and over steering when going in and out of rear-wheel drive, but it is predictable so you can be prepared for it rather than shocked. The main downfall to this vehicle lies in the four-wheel drive system. It was once a great system that did its job and pleased many drivers, but now the system has been surpassed. Now that there are bigger and better systems out there it is hard for it to stand a chance against any competition as stated in the intro of this article. The times have changed but the Pajero didn't and now it is paying the price for that mistake.

In conclusion, the Mitsubishi Pajero io will only please a simpleton or those who wish to still use this classic four-wheel drive system. It has slow and poor performance, and the handling isn't all that great either. The changes they made to this vehicle are definitely a step in the right direction from its predecessor, but I believe they that a lot more was needed to make this car stand up against the competition. Is it a bad car? In my opinion I would have to say yes. Unless you are part of the small percentage of people who will appreciate this cars awkward setup then you will feel like you would be wasting your money. This car is retailing for over $30,000 and I feel that is way too much for a vehicle that is only offering you primitive and basic features. Until they make some drastic improvements with the Mitsubishi Pajero I would stay away from it.