Pajero Sport and Fortuner – a practical competition in Vietnam

Both have a clearly youth-oriented design, are fairly simple to operate, and have adequate equipment.

The SUV segment is “hot” all over the world and in Vietnam this is also the land with the most potential. Mitsubishi predicted that trend so focused a lot of enthusiasm on a series of consecutive product launches such as Outlander and Pajero Sport.

Mitsubishi and Fortuner have strange similarities. Both have transformed from the old, simple generation into a strange, angular and youthful car. There are no lines on the exterior that remind us of the previous generation. Instead, there are bold cuts, like a handsome guy after "surgery".

Toyota Fortuner price from 981 million VND. Photo: Luong Dung

In terms of design, these two models are almost equal if scored. Pajero Sport is suitable for young, dynamic, sporty people while Fortuner is aimed at mature young people with a tendency to be calm and polite. The only downside is that both will lose many middle-aged customers, who are not used to sudden changes.

The interior design is not much different. Since it is an SUV, it uses a vertical center console to save space. The Fortuner looks a bit more polished thanks to the multi-layered dashboard and a bit of leather in the center.

While Pajero Sport seems to be more suitable for the dusty and technology-loving people because of its richer equipment. The highest-end version has things that Fortuner "will never have" such as blind spot warning, automatic wipers, sunroof, electronic handbrake, anti-glare rearview mirror, automatic headlight washer. 2-zone automatic air conditioning while Fortuner has 1 zone.

Both have automatic LED headlights, touchscreen, rear camera. 6-speaker sound system with Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

The safety of Pajero Sport is rated higher. The Australian ANCAP program gives both 5 stars but the Fortuner's score is lower and only at a sufficient level. The advantage of Pajero Sport is that it uses a 4-wheel drive system with Super Select function to help the car enter corners in a balanced and stable manner. While Fortuner does not really create confidence when entering corners at speeds of 50 km/h or more.

The most outstanding attraction of Fortuner is its more flexible acceleration even though the capacity is only 164 horsepower (2.7 type) lower than the 220 of the 3.0 engine on Pajero Sport. The feeling of Fortuner's accelerator and brake pedals is elastic, real and better in the ability to catch up with speed. The suspension system is stiff so that going on the highway does not feel floating. PWR sports mode is quite interesting when the driver can express his personality with sudden acceleration to overtake or escape the crowd. Not many cars can adjust the gear level just by the accelerator pedal.

New Mitsubishi Pajero Sport priced from 1.3 billion VND. Photo: Luong Dung

In return, the Pajero Sport operates better on terrain and in areas with frequent steep slopes. The 8-speed automatic transmission combined with the V6 engine should be smooth at all rpm ranges. Driving in the city, the car sometimes feels a bit sluggish, but that is because the gearbox shifts to a higher gear early to ensure stability and fuel economy.

When going downhill, the multi-speed gearbox allows the driver to choose the appropriate gear for better speed. Not to mention the Pajero Sport's steering wheel-mounted gearshift system is similar to a sports car, not shifting in the direction of the steering wheel, so it is easy to operate and rarely makes mistakes.

With the advantages and disadvantages intertwined like a comb, customers have to spend a lot of time choosing. The price of Pajero Sport is 1.48 billion VND while Fortuner is 1.3 billion VND. Mitsubishi is not a popular brand like Toyota, so the higher price is a big obstacle, although the difference is entirely due to the much more equipment.

The origin of Fortuner is Indonesia, where the automobile industry is less developed than Thailand. Therefore, customers will have to take time to evaluate while Pajero Sport has certain trust in quality when imported from Thailand.

According to VNE