Mitsubishi Pajero Sport QE Exceed (7 Seats) (2015-2026)

2017 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed Bought my Pajero Sport new back in 2017, and it’s now ticked over 140,000 kays. Honestly, it’s been rock solid. I service it myself every December — it’s that easy. Anyone who can handle a screwdriver and a spanner will have no trouble doing it. You’ll never need a workshop with this car; it’s built simple and… Read more

smart.

Only issue I’ve ever had was a small leak in one of the intercooler hoses around 120,000 km — replaced both just to be safe. Still on the original front rotors, barely touched the rear brakes, and the engine doesn’t use a drop of oil.

It’s done plenty of towing and weekend hunting trips off-road, and it’s handled everything with ease. I don’t flog it through mud holes — just use it properly — and it’s never missed a beat.

What cracks me up is the online ratings. My car’s got nothing but 4-plus-star reviews from owners, yet somehow ends up with an overall 3.9. Meanwhile, Jeep — the king of breakdowns — scores almost the same. Go figure.

Verdict: Super reliable, tough, and easy to maintain. Would buy the same car again tomorrow. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ACC service required and check DPF system alert – I had the alerts ACC service required and check DPF system alert the reason this happened in my case was due to a tear in the engine hose. Hence car was not accelerating. Nothing to do with battery. Am providing this as an experience and if it can assist any one facing the same issue out there. Since the mobile mechanic who I first consulted… Read more

advised changing battery did not help and instead left me 500+ out of pocket with out any proper diagnosis or result. Hope this post is helpful.

VG Vehicle – Second paj.sport I have owned VG overall ,shiny trim around steering wheel needs dumbing down(sun glare)so black texta cures that.GPS is very ordinary possibly the worst feature by far ,so poor that we won't use it,just use the phone if we have reception,otherwise use paper maps if out of phone coverage.My wife has a Kona the GPS unit in it is way ahead and easy to use. Show details

2016 Exceed – I have issues with my DPF. I had it cleaned by the local Mitsubishi dealer and 5 months later the light is back on along with my engine light. I mostly drive 10km trips twice a day but go camping approx once a month (200km?) and the odd 1hr journey 3 times a month? Am I not driving to it's needs? Show details

Car has issues – Had a 2017 pajero sport exceed since new, had some serious issues with it. Had a $13k bill for a fuel system repair that was not covered under warranty. 6 weeks after getting it back from that, it's just lost power again (DPF service, just happened today). Had to have the front seat replaced because it got a hole in it (warranty), had to get the… Read more

wiring harness replaced for the seat warmers (warranty). All of the switch gear is fading. Not a car I'd recommend.

Underrated Beauty – Pros Manual paddles, for easy control of auto transmission, off road and with the van. (This make a huge difference) Not one rattle. Not one breakdown. Not one fault. 8 Speed auto. Always have the right gear. Pulls the van very easy and braking with van excellent. (marks probably to van for this as well) Didn't get bogged at Fraser 4wd outing.… Read more

Really did well.

Neutral Could use more ground clearance. (We haven't been bogged or bottom out, however must have been close.) (Higher might be hassle for family. - There is your tradeoff)

Cons Would prefer a manual handbrake, rather than electronic button. (probably required for auto hill starts - prevent rollback)

We bought this after a fair bit or research. Asked a few people pulling decent vans, around 3100kg with positive feedback. (our van is 1900kg) Owners seemed very happy in person and online, which is getting rare.

Two year ownership, highly recommend.

We love this car - so far. Still great, still love it – Bought this car as our Hyundai Santa Fe was a complete lemon. After completing a comprehensive review of other vehicles in its range, I decided to purchase one of these due to its drive and handling. Use is primarily for commuting around in the city, but when we go away we need to include our 2 dogs, and bird as well as 3 growing boys, plus… Read more

luggage. The car is great to drive, the 360 degree camera has been a lifesaver and parking in a breeze. The airconditioner is amazing, it is nice to be in a car where it works. The seats are incredibly comfortable, road noise is quiet and it is terrific on the highway driving. Great headspace for taller drivers as well It's an awesome 7 seater and this 7 seat function has been used frequently. I haven't taken mine on the beach, but have seen others with theirs, and they skim across the soft, sand with ease. Dealership sales wasn't the best I have had and upon pick up, it continued to disappoint. Service centre have been good so far, but I have only had the car for 6 months.

Update may 2022 Still love the car. It’s great. Reliable. Love it would recommend.

We love it – Pros - we got it for rough 4WD excursions and it performs well. Love the feature that makes the car go like a snail down super steep, rocky mountains without needing to touch the brake. Love the ACC when it works. Love the 7 roomy seats for a tall family. Love having the kids waaaaayyyy in the back. Love the comfort of the seats. Addicted to the… Read more

heated front seats in winter. Kids love having control over AC vents in the back. Cons - as one other person commented, we also have had issues with the ACC randomly beeping and sending out warnings even though no road conditions have changed or become dangerous. Freaks us out. Now the FCM and ACC don't work at all. *** Edit; Had to to change my rating from 4 to 5, as the FCM issue turned out to be the fault of an After Factory Fitted Bullbar. It was messing with the calibration of the FCM. All it took was a couple of zip ties to fix!!

We had to sell the car because we thought we were moving overseas, and now that we are stuck in the country thanks to COVID, we really miss this car. It was everyone's favourite.

We had a little trouble getting the middle seats to lock back into place after they have been folded up.

Good value, average build quality and poor importer support – In 2016 we bought our Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed after quite a bit of research, comparing and test drives. I chose the car as it is very well equipped for its price and has a lot of features as standard that you cannot even get with the direct competitors and seems a step above its direct competitors for interior design and finish. THE GOOD… Read more

Further to the features: especially the 360 degree camera I found very impressive (and would not like to do without anymore going forward) and the great (sound) quality stereo is also better than expected. While the car has Apple car-play and Android Auto I do feel those are gimmicks and are definitely no replacement for a "hard-wired" navigation system. I have used both extensively and both are highly unreliable, unstable and do very little that a phone using Bluetooth cannot (both Android Auto and Apple car play freeze occasionally too which is a very "interesting" experience with a radio that has no physical on/off button. Finally the safety systems are good too, while it feels a bit strange to have the car brake by itself I can easily see how this would prevent collisions.

The car drives well, the Diesel engine is not necessarily very quick (if you want a quick car, you're probably not looking at a 7 seat 4WD ladder-chassi'd car) but it does have a lot of torque which makes it a very relaxed ride and makes it that you don't feel like you're operating a large and cumbersome SUV. The space inside the car is also very impressive, especially the 3rd row seats that can accommodate smaller adults fairly comfortably for a while (we drove Sydney - Canberra once with 1 adult in the 3rd row seats and not too many complaints).

I have also noticed that this car can go off-road properly, it's ability in the rough far outperform my ability to control my fears when not on bitumen.

THE BAD After just over a couple of weeks of ownership some issues started to develop with the electrical system and the interior light at the rear door wouldn't switch off anymore (even when switched to "off") eventually leading to the main fuse of the car blowing and the car needed to be towed away from our driveway....... not a good start. The dealer investigated that and fixed it within a week after which we didn't have any major issues for a while. When the car was just over a year and a half or so the battery started to play up and the car just wouldn't start anymore leading to a number of unplanned visits by the NRMA. When I brought this up with the dealer during a service I was advised one of the cells of the battery is not functioning properly anymore and the battery probably would need to be replaced soon. They also advised the average age of a battery is typically about 2 years....... we ended up replacing the battery with a different brand that offers 3 years warranty (not through the dealer though).

THE UGLY One day when I cleaned the car, probably about just after a year of having owned the car, I noticed some black spot on the interior trim on the driver side of the centre console. Upon checking it out further I noticed the paint was peeling off and the same was happening on the trim on the other side. As it looked very "second hand" I contacted the importer who advised me to contact the dealership as they won't deal with any warranty issues. No nearest dealership or contact details were provided, no phone call was made to explain and no follow-up call was made, only a standard e-mail was provided which I thought was a bit "less than impressive". When I brought it up with the dealer however they fixed it without delay.

A little while later I noticed the paint was peeling off the buttons on the steering wheel which the dealer also fixed up.

The last issue we have had with the car is that the clear coat over the headlights peeled off. After I brought this to the dealer's attention they checked the other (new and older) cars in the yard and discovered it was not an isolated issue...... and apparently replacing these light clusters costs around $2K. Anyway, the dealer fixed that up as well.

Overall I think the car is decent value but this comes at a trade off which is a bit of a step back in quality (we have had a "normal" Pajero in the past that didn't have all these issues). The car drives well, is pretty big and very versatile. While the dealer has been very responsive and overall very helpful, the importer doesn't seem at all interested in providing any sort of service. All things considered I am not sure if I would consider buying another Mitsubishi again, it's not that it is that bad but there are a lot of alternatives on the market and from experience I know that there is at least one other Japanese brand that provides similar-ish value with far less issues.

Great vehicle, but adaptive cruise control is buggy – About two years ago I leased the Pajero Sport for my company vehicle as it had to be capable offload, a decent commuter vehicle and have a bit of luxury inside. The key features to make this work were preferably a 7 seater SUV but 5 was OK, leather interior, push button start, adaptive cruise control (spoiled by driving an Outback for 2 years) and… Read more

diesel was preferred. I was seriously getting another Outback, but as a family we thought having two identical vehicles was not a great idea, so I did my studying like everyone else and found the Pajero Sport tick all the boxes.

Build quality is good, but the leather and plastics are not as nice as my wife's 2015 Outback. The cabin is surprisingly quiet at speed.

The Apple play is a great and a must have in any vehicle I own going forward. It has acted up at times, but I suspect it is the phone or more likely the wired connection and not the head unit as a different USB solved the problem for awhile.

The back two seats take some getting used to setting up, but they are very good when we have out of town company. I am 189cm, so getting into the vehicle is a bit of a ballet at times, but once inside the headroom is great. Plenty of room in the second row even with the driver's seat back to where I need it.

It is no speed demon, especially compared to a 2.5L Outback (which is saying something). I find the turbo can lag unexpectedly, usually when you are trying to get accelerate at the most important times. It is almost as if it the engine is flooded, but only for a fraction of a second. In general traffic and on the highway though it is more than competent and really no complaints with the exception of excessive turbo lag from a standing start.

The only big issue issue I have with the vehicle, and its a big one, is the adaptive cruise which will glitch a couple of times a week for no known reason. For example, I will have the cruise set to 80kph and the adaptive cruise will have a lock on the vehicle in front and an icon of a vehicle will show on the dash. The traffic then slows to 40kph which the adaptive cruise handles well and all is fine. Then just when you are not expecting it, a beep can be heard, the adaptive cruise icon on the dash disappears and the adaptive part of the cruise disengages and the vehicle will suddenly try to accelerate into the vehicle it is following in front at the previously set 80kph. This is a major issue and a serious safety issue. I've had it into my local dealer twice and they cannot find any issues or replicate the problem. I have taken to video taping it and showing them the issue, but again they can find no problem. If I had to guess, it is a software problem as it seems to happen only during certain drives and not others and when it starts happening, it tends to do it a lot. So perhaps something is not booting up properly when the vehicle is started. I have asked others I know who own a Pajero Sport and they do not seem to have this issue. But on the basis that my vehicle is just not safe when using a key feature, I cannot recommend this vehicle as a safe choice. For me, I will continue to try to get the dealer or Mitsubishi sort out the issue and continue to drive with my foot over the break when using cruise control.

Great buy – After having issues with a Nissan xtrail, I decided to move it on and upgrade to a pajero. I am so impressed, with the car feactures, including birds eye view cameras. It travels very sturdy and smooth, and for a Triton motor it runs extremely quiet. The 8 speed auto transmission is a great upgrade and happy I no longer have a cvt transmission.… Read more

With all diesel cars like these there will always be a little pedal lag, so I purchased a throttle controller through Hikeit, and it has done wonders. I recommend this car, easy to drive, very very low road noise, and for the price, and safety for my family, it's a must to consider

Loved Driving It – Bought my PS Exceed in July 2018. It was a BIG change for me, having driven a little Honda Jazz for so long. Took a while to get used to it, but I did. Now I love driving it. A few minor things that I don't like, but that is just things that I find annoying. No rear/hatch door electric or remote closure is one that needs addressing for this… Read more

vehicle, considering its height and price point. I also find the location of the drivers cup holder awkward. Other than this, it is great!!! No issues at all. We haven't taken it "off road" as yet, but have towed a 24' caravan which it managed with ease. Lovely to drive long distance and the space in the back with the 3rd row of seats folded is AMAZING. Would not hesitate to recommend it.

Great car mechanically but paint issues – We bought a 2016 model (exceed) in white. So far no major mechanical issues apart from a squeaky belt - but have never taken this offroad. Good economy but lacks a little in power, but its great for a town car and the parking cameras and slightly narrower build makes it great for tight spots. After 12 months we have noticed the paint is becoming… Read more

chalky in a very bad way. So far we have taken it back to the local dealer who dismissed it.

We will take it back again and ask for the case to be taken higher. It cant be right for a car bought brand new and never taken offroad.

Has anyone else with a white exceed 2016 had paint issues? Am thinking this may be a batch issue?

5 stars for ecomony and performance, but lost a few for the paint quality. Am seriously hoping Mitsubishi has some answers for me on this one.

Thanks

Great compact rugged SUV – Love it - it tows the caravan so well. Fully optioned with most extras. It has up to date technology available without a high price tag. Rides a little rough but to be expected in a 4wd vehicle of this nature. Electronic parking sensors a bit sensitive (go off when sitting in traffic). Android car play doesnt work with our phones so no GPS.  Show details

Love this car – I absolutely love my pajero sport, it goes well on and off road, is very quiet, has great mileage and has good features and technology. The interior is comfortable and spacious, the apple car play is well integrated and it is nice to have the dual air con system. My only complaint is the electric handbrake is a strange choice for a serious 4WD and has its drawbacks but still happy with my purchase.  Show details

Great car, great value – We have driven the car so far for 17,000km. Overall it has been a great car. Tyre wear so far is reasonable and I would expect to see about 40-50k out of the Bridgestones. The leather seats are reasonably comfortable on a long drive. The middle row seat is a little narrow and it's hard to get two baby seats and an adult in all at once. The… Read more

anchor points for the baby seats are in the roof. This is very annoying especially if using the rear seats as the tether straps get in the face of anybody sitting in the third row.

The center touchscreen with Android auto and apple carplay is generally pretty good. However the system can be quite buggy and features will sometimes not work or the audio become staticy - if that's a word.

Love the rear roof mounted AC vents for the kids. Note: these are cool only (no warm air/heater).

Adaptive cruise control is great. We recently followed a very slow group of drivers through some very windy roads in the national Park for about 15 minutes without touching the brake or accelerator. The car just matched their speed and kept the same distance - even when they stopped for a few seconds.

There is one issue with the adaptive cruise and it's when a vehicle in front of you moves one lane over and slows down (moves into a turning lane). The cruise will brake thinking that you're going to hit this vehicle. It's a bit of an issue when you're doing 110 and suddenly slowing down to 60 for no reason. The workaround is to accelerate slightly when you see someone in front go onto the turning lane. This will override the cruise.

Power from the diesel engine is reasonable considering the good fuel economy. Only drawback really is the low capacity fuel tank. Makes it feel like a petrol car the amount of times we visit the servo for a full up.

So far no issues with the body, panel gaps, rattles, squeeks, paint. All have been perfect. Service cost not too bad for this sized vehicle. With the first service costing $350. Just make sure the dealer rotates the tyres every service and you use the full size alloy spare as part of that rotation.

So, for the money paid we are very happy with the car even though the rear is super ugly. I guess at least it is striking. I strongly recommend going with the exceed model for the extra safety features. Also for God's sake pay the extra for the roof spoiler. The car looks terrible without it.

Great car – I have the exceed. I love this car, loads of gadjets, comfortable, good fuel economy. Very safe car with the auto breaking detection system. I bought this car because it ticked all the safety aspects I wanted for my family. Great value for money compared to other cars in the same league.  Show details

Amazing car – Our first 4wd and we absolutely love it. We were a little concerned about buying a bigger car but the PS is just as awesome around the city as it is on the beach or in the bush. We can't wait to go to places we never thought we could. Edit: Just a follow up. We have just traded the Pajero Sport in and while I will leave the rating at five there… Read more

are some issues with the vehicle. There is a very common problem with the intercooler hose splitting on our model. Ours was repaired under warranty by Mitsubishi but we have no doubt there has been permanent damage done to the engine. A quick search for the problem will find hundreds of people with the same issue. It looks like it has been fixed in the newer models but such a common issue should be rectified by a recall.

Pleasure to Drive anywhere – Great 4x4 characteristics and as car reviews show. Very quiet cabin and soft leather seats give a sense of quality and a plush ride make traveling our country a pleasure. Yet to get my head around all the "infotainment" but would like the "nag screen" to accept my "agree" to be the final say not every time the ignition is switched on. Will update… Read more

after hitching up the 2.2t caravan. Still getting used to "fly by wire" accelerator as all previous cars have had cable throttle. Do like the 8 speed auto and the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Awesome sounding stereo and DVD in the back for grandkids (5 Seater model) Do like handeling and smooth ride. Not sure about 8 Ltr per 100 Klms as advetised more like 8.7 but yet to settle in. Do like 5 year warranty and yearly service. LED Lighting Vgood.

Update....Its settled in more and is light to drive and very maneuverable. Continues to impress me with 6 L per 100k (on the dash) and 5.7 @ 80klms (roadworks). Had it down the beach when a bogged Jeep GC asked me for a tow out of the sand (wheres a camera when u need one). Very capable 4X4 as the transmission feels very assured.

Take one for a test drive and you'll love it.

No disappointment here – We have never purchased a new car so this was a big deal for us, it was a big commitment financially but we wanted a car that would allow us to go off the beaten track (so to speak) and to do more with our family. We purchased the new Pajero Sport 7 seater, Exceed model. Well, we have no regrets at all, this is a great car, tows great, comfortable, goes anywhere and has good economy, think about it seriously.  Show details

An SUV worth considering – The more I drive this car the more I like it. We have travelled 25,000 km so far, without real problem. We bought the 5 seat Exceed model because of the 360 degree view on the parking cameras and it makes parking much easier in a fairly large car. The other extras like keyless entry and leather seats are quite nice, although we do not much use… Read more ·  1

the inbuilt DVD player for the rear seat. The occasional grandchild passengers love it and it is effective entertainment over long trips.

It also has blind spot detectors - very useful, and an emergency braking system which reacts if you are heading too quickly towards a car in front of you. That system works well, although it can be disconcerting when it works for the first time (because of a large steel plate over a hole in the road, rather than a near miss in our case).

We had a Toyota Aurion before this and the main thing I did not like about that car was the very mushy steering. The rack and pinion system in the Pajero Sports is much superior being more direct and giving much more feedback.

The car is quite high, and you need to master the skill of getting into the driver and front passenger seat, but the front view when driving is excellent. Elderly passengers need an additional step to help them into the back seats.

I have used the 4 wheel drive system quite a bit, including a good stretch on a gravel road. The inbuilt "gravel" setting worked very well. This car coped with the gravel road better than any other I have driven.

The 4WD does make the car feel more secure on wet and winding roads. It is quite easy to switch between 2WD and 4WD although it takes a minute or so if you are stopped, but changes quickly if you are driving at moderate speed in a straight line.

We achieve about 8 l/100km fuel consumption on the highway and about 10 l/100km around town.

The 8 speed transmission works very smoothly and effectively. The cruise control even holds the car fairly close to the set speed downhill.

The fitted towbar was recalled by Mitsubishi because they had not used enough nuts and bolts to hold it to the car! We have towed our 2000 Kg caravan about 2000 Km to Adelaide and back, since then without problem. I would, however recommend that you do not buy the manufacturers' towbar. It is rather loose in its fitting and quite ugly. I wish I had bought a hayman reese model instead.

The consumption towing the van increased to about 13 l/100 km, a figure I was not too unhappy with.

The more I drive this car the more I like it.

If you are thinking of buying a car to tow your caravan (the reason we changed to the Exceed) then it is very much worth giving it a test drive.