Mitsubishi Fh Isuzu Npr Cab Over Diesel Allison Transmission 16 Foot Bed Truck on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mitsubishi Pajero Final Edition marks end of Japanese availability

Thirteen years ago, Mitsubishi discontinued the full-size Montero SUV in the U.S., and now the same thing is happening in its home country of Japan where it's called the Pajero. The company is marking the end of availability there with a Pajero Final Edition. Only 700 examples will be built. There isn't a whole lot that separates the Pajero Final Edition from normal ones. It has serial number badging inside, and special stickers on the outside commemorating the SUV's introduction in 1982. One cool feature is a Citizen watch with Final Edition branding that's only available to buyers of this Pajero. For a little extra, customers can opt for an exterior package that adds a rear spoiler, chrome spare tire cover and mud flaps with aluminum plates that spell out Pajero. It comes standard with either a black or tan leather interior, a sunroof, roof rails, cold-weather package, and under the hood a 3.2-liter diesel I4 coupled to a selectable four-wheel-drive system and five-speed automatic transmission. The price for it is 4,530,600 yen, or $40,602 at current exchange rates. Somewhat amazingly, this final Pajero isn't much different from the Montero that left our shores. The exterior has been lightly refreshed over the years with different lights and bumpers, and a more integrated spare tire cover. But it looks otherwise unchanged. The interior does sport more modern trimmings. The U.S. model also used a 3.8-liter gas-powered V6 rather than a diesel, but it did have a five-speed automatic like the current one. For diehard Montero and Pajero enthusiasts, this is a somewhat sad moment, but the good news is that Mitsubishi will continue to offer the SUV in other markets where fuel isn't as expensive and roads can still be seriously nasty.

2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Quick Spin Review | Space and power make it worth your consideration

The subcompact crossover market is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry. That can make it tough to stand out. Some highlight style, like with the Hyundai Kona and Jeep Renegade. Some go for a bargain focus such as with the Nissan Kicks. Our subject in this case, the 2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, earns a look for its remarkable space, strong powertrain and generally good value. The Eclipse Cross's spaciousness is its ultimate party trick, especially for its small size. From the driver's seat, your 5-foot 11-inch and somewhat heavy author could find a very comfortable driving position with loads of head room and leg room. The seating position is high with loads of visibility. The generous headroom also keeps you from feeling like you're sitting on top of the car. The front seats don't have much shape to them, but the cushions are thick and soft enough that they're plenty comfortable. I was also surprised at how easy it was to get in and out of the Eclipse Cross. The door opening is quite large, thanks to a high roof and reasonably low floor, plus the relatively high seat. This kind of easy ingress and egress I don't see often except for in minivans such as our long-term Chrysler Pacifica. More impressive than the space in the front is the space in the back. I could sit behind myself with a few inches to spare in front of my knees. I can't even say that about many comparably-sized cars let alone the current crop of cramped crossovers. The back seats are flat and firmer than I would like, but they do recline and can slide fore and aft to make more room for cargo or passengers. All of this fits into a package that's about 5 inches shorter than a Honda Civic hatchback, one of the most spacious small cars on the market. Cargo space is close to the Civic, too. With the seats up, it's slightly behind the Honda at 22.6 cubic feet (22.1 for our SEL with the subwoofer and moonroof) versus 25.7. But with the 60/40 split seats folded, the Eclipse Cross jumps ahead with 48.9 cubic feet versus the Civic's 46.2. The rest of the interior is less impressive. The plastics, while varied in texture and finish, are cheap and hard. The infotainment offers two ways to interact with it, either with the touchscreen or a touch pad, but neither is great. The touchscreen is far away, and the touch buttons on either side are annoying, and the touch pad is only slightly better than the terrible Lexus touch pad interface.

Yes, the Mitsubishi Evo could become an electrified crossover, but don't panic

By now, many of you have seen that Mitsubishi will reveal a concept with the Evolution name at the Tokyo Motor Show, and it will be an electrified crossover. On the surface, that sounds like heresy when the Evolution name has always stood for an uncompromising, rally-bred, turbocharged sports sedan. But don't jump to the conclusion that this will be a terrible, halfhearted product that ruins the Evo name. It's a smart move for Mitsubishi, it could be the only way we get a performance vehicle from the company, and there's no reason it can't be good. Creating an Evo version of a crossover, or even a standalone Evo model, simply makes the most sense for Mitsubishi right now. There's no sign that people are getting tired of little lifted automobiles, which means that's where the sales and money are. Because of that, crossovers are the only product that Mitsubishi can safely afford to invest in right now. As much as we'd like to see another Evo sedan, the company can't afford to sink a big development budget into a one-off sedan for the very small enthusiast market. Investing in a basic sedan to use as a base isn't a good idea either, since that market also continues to shrink, and it's populated with very competitive models. Those facts won't comfort Mitsubishi fans, but looking at it another way could. Rather than looking at this concept as Evolution blasphemy, consider it a sign that the company wants to make something exciting again. Since most of the news from Mitsubishi has been the discontinuation of really old models, and updates to the less-old models still in the lineup, it's been hard to tell if any of the Mitsubishi that fans loved was left. Look at this crossover as a gateway to getting a fun Mitsubishi again. And this possible future Evo could genuinely be fun. We're not exactly raving fans of crossovers, either, since they're often heavy, expensive, slow and inefficient compared with similarly sized hatchbacks and sedans. But that's not a hard and fast rule. Nissan proved this with the Juke Nismo. Despite its tall body, it had a healthy amount of power and entertaining dynamics. There's no reason Mitsubishi couldn't do the same with a small crossover. It might even be better, because Mitsubishi clearly has some wizards when it comes to weight and cost, as evidenced by the one-ton, ultra-affordable Mitsubishi Mirage. The same goes for electrification.