On road the Pajero VRX is all mild-mannered comfort, but hit the tracks and the beast is unleashed. Fun fact: the Mitsubishi Pajero is actually named for a South American feline, the Leopardus pajeros, or pampas cat, a native of the Patagonian plateau in Argentina. Why the Japanese car builder would name a capable 4WD after a small housecat-looking animal that hunts for field mice among fields of straw, who knows.

However, after taking the Pajero for a two week test, I am more than a little jealous of those who own these, strange name and all. This car is not only comfortable, luxurious and fun to drive, but very capable off road. I had my paws on a 2012 model Pajero VRX, which sits just one step down from the top of the range.

ENGINE
The 3.2L four cylinder common rail turbo diesel engine didn’t skip a beat on our two week test. It is not nearly as truck-like as the Patrol, taking off at lights much more quickly and smoothly, though really put your foot down and you will notice the two second lag till the turbo kicks in. The engine delivers 147kW of power at 3800rpm, but it is the 441Nm of torque at 2000rpm that will interest towers.

I have heard the Pajero’s engine is somewhat noisier than might be desired, but cannot say I noticed it as an issue. When you are buying a diesel, you want it to sound like a diesel and, to my ears, this diesel sounded much like the others.

HANDLING
The Pajero is easily the most comfortable 4WD I have driven on road. Independent coil suspension at both ends combine with the monocoque chassis to keep body roll to a minimum. The “Sports Mode” on the automatic transmission allows you to select gears easily — great for getting that extra bit of power up hills, or for engine braking down hills. Stability and traction control make this car a lot of fun to drive on wet dirt roads, doing an impressive job of keeping the car from sliding.

There is very little feedback from the road to the steering wheel, this undeniably makes this car more comfortable to drive, but is not necessarily desirable offroad. The steering itself is responsive.

The Pajero is equipped with an easy to use cruise control system, which kept the car up to speed without the abnormal revving or ‘hunting’ that you find with less refined cruise controls.

TOWING
It was dangerously easy to forget we had anything hitched up behind the Pajero. The automatic transmission handled the extra weight easily, while the low profile of the camper meant we could see over the top of it towards the road behind.

It was a bit slower overall on take off, but as soon as the turbo kicked in she pulled away nicely, delivering plenty of power. Even though this car is an auto, being able to select the gear you want to drive in is great for towing, giving you far more control. The reversing camera makes hitching up almost too easy.

LUXURY
Where the Pajero VRX really stands out against its competitors is in the luxury stakes. It is equipped with an impressive Rockford sound system that is powerful enough to drown out the drone of the diesel, while an iPod connection cable makes listening to your favourites easy.

A small touch screen is mounted in the centre console, and it is from here that the music, GPS, and reversing camera are controlled. This multimedia system works well, being very easy to use and navigate, although it does come with a quirky (and slightly irritating) safety feature. When driving, many of the controls on this system are disabled, presumably to prevent drivers fiddling with it when they should be driving, which is fine. There isn’t really a problem until you have a passenger who wants to DJ, but cannot because the controls are still disabled. This means that if you want to change the music on a long drive you are restricted to flicking up and down through tracks, or unplugging your iPod to control the music from there. It would be smarter if these controls were enabled when the car senses a passenger sitting up front.

The front two seats are graced with seat warmers, which weren’t really needed during my test, but which I tried nonetheless, and which warmed up within minutes. Seat adjustments are made using electric controls; although, despite the high levels of adjustment available to the driver, the seats are rather stiff and unyielding, making it difficult to get really comfortable on long hauls.

In the rear is a DVD entertainment system for the kids, which comes with wireless earphones and a remote control. The DVD can also be watched by the driver on the centre console mounted screen, but only when stationary.

At the top of the centre console is another display that enables you to monitor your most recent fuel consumption figures, elevation, outside temperatures, outside air pressure and average vehicle speed.

My favourite little luxury on the Paj was the automatic windscreen wipers and headlights. You can control how sensitive the windscreen wipers are, or you can turn the sensor off altogether and control them the old-fashioned way, but I loved not having to think about them.

OFFROAD
Considering that the test vehicle came stock, road tyres and all, the Pajero’s offroad performance was remarkable. In pouring rain on dirt tracks renowned for their slipperiness, intersected by shallow water crossings with rocky beds, this car didn’t miss a beat — we didn’t even have to let any air out of the tyres.

Driver error saw the car make its way into a muddy ditch but, with the trailer unhitched and low range and diff lock engaged, she reversed out easily first go — traction control proving a real boon in such a slippery situation.

The automatic transmission really surprised me, delivering enough power at all times, while the aforementioned gear selection system gives the driver more control where they feel they need it. The auto is also great for less experienced drivers — they won’t be able to select the wrong gear for a hill climb.

A large rock gashed the sidewall of one of our tyres. This meant we discovered that the Pajero’s jack and tyre tool are a pain to access; being stored in the boot and under the hatch in which the third row of seats is already stowed. When loaded up, you would have to find somewhere more convenient to store them.

The Pajero’s 88L tank is big enough to get you most places, especially with a few jerries along.

ECONOMY
It surprised me how easily the Pajero slipped below 10L/100km on the highway, and sometimes even during city driving. With the Pioneer camper hitched up fuel consumption hovered around 12-13L/100km, but when you consider much of our driving took place on very slippery dirt tracks, this is an impressive figure.

SUMMING UP
If you are looking for a tourer from which to see Australia in style, the Pajero would definitely sit somewhere near the top of my list. Great fuel economy, attractive (and unusual) styling, and serious offroad credentials combine well with mild-mannered on road behaviour.

If you are trying to sell the wife on a larger 4WD, but she doesn’t want something that feels like a truck, then take her for a ride in this (a narrower body helps here as well). Add Mitsubishi’s five year/130,000km warranty and roadside assistance into the mix and you have a very appealing package.

MITSUBISHI PAJERO VRX

• Engine: 3.2L 4cyl intercooled turbocharged common rail diesel
• Max power: 147kW @ 3800rpm
• Max torque: 441Nm @ 2000rpm
• Transmission: Five speed automatic
• Length: 4900mm
• Width: 1875mm
• Height: 1900mm
• Wheelbase: 2780mm
• Ground clearance: 225mm
• Kerb mass: 2325kg
• Gross vehicle mass: 3030kg
• Gross combined mass: 6030kg
• Fuel tank capacity: 88L
• Towing capacity: 750kg (unbraked), 3000kg (braked)
• Ball weight maximum: 250kg
• Price: $73,685 (plus ORC)

For more information about the Mitsubishi Pajero visit www.mitsubishi.com.au.