It's official. After years of speculation, Mitsubishi is resurrecting the Pajero (sold as Montero in some markets) for the 2027 model year, and the decision to underpin it with a body-on-frame architecture signals serious intent. This isn't a soft-roader wearing a legendary badge. The move places the revived off-roader in direct contention with heavy hitters like the Toyota Land Cruiser 250/Prado and the Ford Everest, steering well clear of the unibody crossover segment.
Insider briefings suggest Mitsubishi views this revival as a foundational shift – a statement about the brand's commitment to genuine off-road capability rather than a mere exercise in heritage mining. The announcement arrives alongside several other noteworthy developments from the Japanese automaker:
ASX Struggles: The Renault-derived ASX is underperforming in showrooms, and Mitsubishi remains noncommittal about introducing a hybrid variant. In a market segment driven by fuel-economy figures and green incentives, this hesitation could prove costly.
Refining the Safety Suite: Both the Outlander and the Triton are receiving calibration updates to their driver-assistance systems. Owners have flagged issues with intrusive lane-keeping interventions and false-positive collision alerts. The company appears to be listening.
An EV Shaped by the Outback: The brand's next electric vehicle promises significant input from Australian engineers. Given the continent's brutal, isolated terrain, expect robust battery cooling, durable suspension tuning, and honest range estimates that account for corrugated dirt roads and extreme heat.
What Buyers Should Watch For
Serious Underpinnings: A return to ladder-frame construction points to meaningful gains in towing capacity, wheel articulation, and long-term toughness – attributes valued by remote-area travellers and mountain-bound families alike.
Polished Electronics: The incremental driver-assist refinements for the Outlander and Triton should reduce the incidence of phantom braking and irritating alerts. A proper reassessment will follow once the patches are deployed.
A Gradual Electric Pivot: Skipping an ASX hybrid while quietly developing a bespoke EV reflects Mitsubishi's cautious, reliability-first approach. They're placing multiple bets without rushing into half-baked solutions.
Behind the Wheel: 2026 Ford Everest Maintains Its Composure
A brief stint in the updated 2026 Everest revealed a vehicle that remains impressively unflustered. The loop included suburban imperfections, a rutted secondary road, and an illicit fire trail the locals pretend doesn't exist. The Ford's steering retains a weighty, confidence-inspiring character, body control over mid-corner irregularities stays disciplined, and the onboard technology feels more cohesive than in early iterations of the Ranger platform. On corrugated surfaces, the suspension demonstrated a notable refusal to become skittish.
Ride dynamics: Remarkably tied down for a ladder-frame SUV. It dispatches undulating terrain without the hobby-horsing that plagues some competitors.
Interior: Pragmatic and family-oriented. The third row remains an occasional-use zone for grown passengers, as is the norm.
Assistance Systems: The lane-centring function managed faded and fragmented road markings without throwing a tantrum – my personal acid test.
Course Adjustments Across the Spectrum: Volvo & Lamborghini
Two marques at opposite poles are united by mid-stream recalibration.
EX30 Battery Resolution: Volvo confirms a remedy is forthcoming for the delayed EX30 deliveries linked to a battery fault. As the brand's accessible entry point to electrification, swift and transparent customer communication will prove more vital than any spec-sheet figure.
Sant'Agata's Patience: Lamborghini insists postponing its inaugural EV was the correct call. It's a quintessentially Bolognese position, and probably right. An electric bull must incite emotion and drama, not deliver sterile acceleration figures. Rushing would have been the greater sin.
American Muscle Refuses to Fade Quietly
The V8 era isn't yielding without a fight, though it's showing signs of evolution.
Hellcat's Encore: Rumblings persist that the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 might re-emerge in the Dodge Charger SRT. Think of it as a final, defiant plume of tyre smoke before the electric transition fully takes hold.
Ram's Distinct Path: The upcoming Ramcharger won't simply mirror the Grand Wagoneer. Expect a distinct, V8-centric identity rather than a badge-engineered duplicate.
A Trimmed-Down Hummer: GMC's Hummer X concepts hint at a smaller, more trail-friendly footprint for the electric off-roader. Preserving the brash personality while shedding mass would be a victory for tight switchbacks and low-clearance urban parking structures alike.
Indulgent Engineering: A Six-Figure Diesel Defender
Helderburg's latest reimagined Land Rover Defender commands a price rivaling a used Ferrari SF90, yet it remains resolutely diesel-powered. There's a visceral purist logic here – the olfactory presence, the deep-piston shove, the mechanical cadence that modern refinement has erased. Admire it or dismiss it, such restomods confirm that tactility remains a saleable commodity.
Rally Talent on the Horizon
Autocar has profiled 23-year-old Ioan Lloyd, and the buzz appears justified. Rallying prizes temperament as highly as raw speed, and his approach to pace notes suggests preternatural composure. His ascent to highlight-reel status feels less like speculation and more like inevitability.
Final Note: Avian Rights vs. Inventory
In a brief skirmish between commerce and conservation, a quartet of robins invoked federal protection laws to ground a dealer's new Ford F-250. The birds eventually departed, the truck was liberated, and the episode served as a quiet reminder that nature sometimes trumps quarterly sales targets.
Parting Thought
If this news cycle had a soundtrack, it would blend a roots-blower whine with inverter hum and a distant anti-lag crackle. The automotive world is attempting to occupy multiple eras simultaneously, because its customers demand exactly that. Provided the fixes come promptly, the marketing stays truthful, and the steering still communicates on broken pavement, there's little to complain about.