Text: Gert van Rooyen. Article from the June 2012 issue of Leisure Wheels Magazine.
Mitsubishi recently released a manual (and cheaper) version of the Pajero Sport, strengthening its assault on the mighty Fortuner. How does this manual version of Mitsubishi’s SUV perform? Does it have what it takes to go up against the Fortuner, or is Toyota’s Hilux-based SUV still the solid bet?
It’s not difficult to see why the Toyota Fortuner is such an immensely popular SUV. When you’re looking at value for money, it’s very tough to beat.
Sure, there are similarly priced SUVs available, but they tend to be a bit less versatile. Some are more comfortable, but they aren’t as capable off road. Others have more attractive interiors, but don’t sport seven seats. Yet others are better on tough 4×4 trails, but not as easy to live with on a daily basis.
The Fortuner, however, is a robust seven-seater that is as adept at tackling 4×4 trails and overland journeys as it is at making the daily bread run or fetching the kids from school. With the Fortuner, in other words, you get a lot of 4×4 for your money. It offers most of what large SUVs such as the Prado, Disco and Pajero offer, but at a significantly lower price.
Are there compromises? Of course. Since it’s based on the Hilux, it isn’t nearly as refined as the Prado, but it isn’t horribly unrefined either.
Leader of the pack
Yes, the popularity of the Fortuner is easy to understand. What isn’t as easy to see, however, is the reason behind the lacklustre sales of other bakkie-based SUVs. These vehicles (the Pajero Sport and Ford Everest) offer the same practicality and attractive price, but don’t sell nearly as well. The Pajero Sport 3.2 Dl-D, for instance, seems like a very similar vehicle to the Fortuner 3.0 D-4D on paper, but an average of only 33 is sold each month. Why aren’t buyers won over by the price and practicality of the Pajero Sport? Is the Fortuner truly a better vehicle, or is it simply trading on the Toyota name?
It’s tough to say whether the Fortuner is the better overall vehicle, but, in my opinion, it is certainly the better performer.
Although both vehicles offer 120 kW of power and 343 Nm of torque, the Fortuner feels punchier and more responsive. With the Fortuner, the power is always right there when you need it. Its peak torque is generated at 1400 r/min, while the Pajero Sport’s sits at 2000 r/min, and that difference is immediately apparent when you set off. Accelerating and overtaking in the Fortuner feels easier, and there’s less need to shift between gears than in the Mitsubishi.
The Pajero’s engine also clatters a bit more, NVH levels seem slightly higher and the gearbox feels a bit more bakkie-like than the Fortuner’s. Sure, the Toyota’s bakkie lineage is also apparent, but it’s just that little bit more refined than the Mitsubishi.
You shouldn’t assume that the difference between the two vehicles’ performance is massive. As I said, it’s a close race, but the Fortuner felt better to me. I enjoyed my time in the Fortuner more, and felt as if the vehicle was more willing to respond to my inputs.
If I hadn’t known that the two vehicles had identical performance figures, I would probably have guessed that the Fortuner had a more powerful engine.
The engine/gearbox combination in Toyota’s SUV is excellent.
The Dark Horse
So is there little point in even considering the Pajero Sport when shopping around for a bakkie-based SUV? Not at all. The Fortuner might have the better engine/ gearbox combination, but the Mitsu is superior in other ways.
Firstly, the Pajero’s handling is, I think, marginally better. While the vehicle shares its underpinnings with the Triton, it boasts a suspension setup nicked from the normal Pajero. This suspension, combined with the chassis, provides the Pajero Sport with solid handling, both on road and off.
Secondly, the Pajero has a better-looking interior. The Fortuner’s interior is drab. Covered in countless shades of grey and brown, the Toyota’s cabin won’t appeal to many local buyers. In other parts of the world where the Fortuner is sold, buyers probably won’t find anything wrong with it, but South Africans tend to prefer a more conservative look. Since its latest update, it also sports wood inserts that look gaudy and cheap. That said, it does have the better infotainment system. The face-lifted Fortuner has a touch-screen system that works well and is very intuitive.
Overall, the Pajero Sport’s cabin feels more upmarket. Covered in tasteful grey leather, it looks better than the Fortuner’s. It’s not plush. Its dash is very similar to that of the Triton, and a lot of surfaces sport hard plastics, but it seems classier than that of the Fortuner.
The seating arrangement in the back of the Pajero Sport is also better. The third- row seats fold into the floor, leaving a lot of loading space. The Fortuner’s third-row seats fold to the sides, taking up a lot of space in the back.
The Pajero’s last two rows are also very configurable. It can seat anything from one to five people, depending on your needs.
I found it much easier to sit in the back of the Pajero Sport. I wouldn’t be able to spend much time in the cramped rear of the Toyota, but I could endure a couple of hours in the rear row of the Mitsubishi.
Finally, the manual Pajero Sport is cheaper than the manual 4×4 Fortuner. In fact, you’ll save nearly R13 000 opting for the Mitsubishi. We also found it to be slightly more economical than the Toyota. The Pajero sipped a mere 8,6 litres of diesel per 100km, while the Fortuner used 9,1 litres.
It should also be said that the manual gearbox works better with the Pajero’s engine than the four-speed auto shifter does. Not only is it easier to use, but it also improves fuel consumption. The manual Pajero Sport definitely compares more favourably to the manual Fortuner than the auto model does to a Fortuner with an auto ‘box.
And the winner is?
Why would one buy a Pajero Sport instead of a Fortuner? Well, it’s cheaper, its interior is better looking and its third-row seats are more user-friendly.
I’m not sure, however, how many people will be swayed by these attributes. Yes, the Mitsubishi is R12 700 cheaper, but I doubt that this is enough of a price difference to coax potential buyers away from Toyota showrooms. For the Pajero Sport to truly compete on price, I think it would have to be at least R30 000 cheaper than the Fortuner. A Pajero Sport with the Triton’s 2,5-litre diesel engine and a price R50 000 below that of the Fortuner would possibly sell well, especially if you consider the fact that a 4×4 version of the 2.5 D-4D Fortuner isn’t available.
And yes, the Pajero has a more pleasing interior, but once you get beyond the Fortuner’s unfashionable finishes, you realise that its cabin is pretty well laid out.
The Fortuner’s cabin is not a bad place to be at all, particularly if you’re sitting in the driver’s seat. Everything feels intuitive and ergonomically correct.
Due to the popularity of the Fortuner – and, indeed, Toyotas in general – I suspect that most potential buyers’ first port of call when shopping for a bakkie-based SUV such as the Fortuner will be a Toyota dealership. And once they’ve experienced its excellent all-round performance, they probably won’t bother to look anywhere else. And that’s a shame, because the Pajero Sport has a lot to offer. For some, it will be more suitable, especially if they plan on making regular use of the third-row seats.
The Pajero Sport is a good vehicle that deserves to sell in greater numbers, but I fear it doesn’t boast a unique selling point that can allow it to take on an SUV as popular as the Fortuner.
Second opinion
Backing the underdog
The Toyota Fortuner. Did a car ever have a more sensitive and hard-nosed following? I’m sure there are cars with more die-hard followers – the Cruiser and a few Subarus come to mind – but you can’t pass a single sideways comment about a Fortuner without stirring up some trouble. Be it the yuppie farmer or the cool city mom, Fortuner drivers love their SUVs.
It’s such a well-supported vehicle that it’s become difficult to be critical about it.
But “critic” is part of my job description, and my colleagues know I’m not the Fortuner’s biggest fan. Contrary to their belief, however, I don’t really dislike the Fortuner. My gripe is with the hype that has built up around it.
This is great for Toyota, of course. The Fortuner is seen as the ultimate all-rounder – a go-anywhere, durable family off-roader. It sells very well, too. Yet somehow, while the price of a Fortuner duly climbs every year, the vehicle itself doesn’t seem to be getting much of an upgrade. The fact that the new Yaris’s interior feels (and looks) more durable than the Fortuner’s says something.
The model we had on test was sporting no less than seven different kinds of mismatched interior finishes. The upholstery, especially in the rear, is reminiscent of a 1990s Corolla Sprinter (leftovers, perhaps?) and even the finish around the fancy new touch screen system looks cheap.
Fine, Fortuners aren’t all bought for city moms, but is this really the best value-for-money offer that they have?
It’s obvious why the Fortuner sells so well. It’s the all-rounder value that pushes it off the dealership floors (the Toyota badge doesn’t hurt, either). Still, few buyers even consider the alternatives. What else is out there, and how much do they differ?
The answer is, not much, on both counts. The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is really the only comparable bakkie-built, old school chassis topped with city-style luxuries SUV. There’s also the Everest, which sells better than the Mitsubishi. The Everest, however, doesn’t have a rear diff lock, and this doesn’t endear it to the true 4×4 enthusiast.
The Sport is really not a Pajero at all. Just as the Fortuner is built on the Hilux chassis, the Sport is built on the Triton chassis. But, while the Triton is available with a 2,4 litre petrol or a choice of 2,5/3,2 litre diesel engine, the Pajero Sport comes with the 3,2 litre diesel. That’s it. The only choice you have is between a manual and an automatic gearbox. The Fortuner, on the other hand, comes in all shapes and sizes – engine and gearbox-wise. So, when it comes to the menu, Mitsubishi’s offering is as narrow as its fan base, if sales are anything to go by.
Still, the Fortuner, like for like, is R12 700 more expensive. Fortuner fans will argue that this is the price you pay for the refinement – for that famous Toyota peace-of-mind and after-sales service. There’s no arguing with the fact that – especially once you travel across borders, towards the north – the Fortuner will be much easier to have repaired. There’s no denying that Toyota has a good record in terms of servicing their vehicles.
But, the Pajero, to me, simply felt like the better vehicle. The drive is surprisingly enjoyable for such a lug of a machine. The whole vehicle – interior, exterior and handling – feels more refined.
The gears are reminiscent of a proper plaasbakkie. Isn’t that exactly what the Fortuner pretends to be? Luxury on top, tough-as-nails underneath.
In terms of usability, the Pajero is also top of my list. From the last row of seating to the entertainment system, it feels better thought through, as a package. It also felt a lot more solid on gravel than the Fortuner, which always feels as though it needs more weight added in the back.
Truth be told, these two vehicles are so nail-bitingly close that it’s hard to split them. Here’s what it comes down to: the Pajero Sport drives and feels like a solid, dependable plaasbakkie that you could take anywhere. The Fortuner is a yuppie SUV, and no matter how much respect the Toyota brand deserves, this is one product that is in desperate need of an update. Anzet du Plessis
Coming soon …
Some serious competition!
The Chevrolet Trailblazer
Chev’s bakkie-based Trailblazer will be in SA soon. All signs point to it being a worthy competitor for the Fortuner, but we’ll have to wait and see how it stacks up. Price will be an important factor.
The Ford Ranger SUV
Is a Ranger-based SUV on the way? When the Ranger was still being developed, there were rumours that it was being designed with the creation of a Ranger-based SUV in mind. A new Everest based on the latest Ranger would certainly be a tempting proposition.
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