Mitsubishi revealed an all-new Pajero Sport large SUV over in Thailand earlier this week. The rugged 4X4 is due to go on sale across Asian markets next year, but it may also be coming to the UK before too long with a Shogun badge on the back.
After the reveal of the striking Pajero Sport, Mitsubishi’s UK Managing Director Lance Bradley tweeted Auto Express claiming that it was “far from impossible” that the model could be homologated and converted for European release at a later date. He went on to say the previous Shogun Sport, that was axed in 2006 and never replaced, “sold well” over here.
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The Japanese firm’s current Shogun SUV is based on a design and platform that’s now 16 years old, although several updates have been made over that lifecycle. Company sources have previously told us a new model is on the way this year, but that looks to have been delayed slightly. When a new full-size Shogun does arrive (probably early in 2016), it’s likely to be heavily or entirely based on the Pajero Sport and Bradley’s comments suggest a smaller Shogun Sport identical to the Pajero could follow that.
The front-end design on the Pajero Sport, similar to the recently unveiled Outlander SUV facelift, is Mitsubishi’s new family face that will be used accross its future model range. Side-on you can see the Pajero Sport’s pick-up roots, with a similar ride height and door profile to the new L200. A large rear overhang translates into seven full-size seats and a huge boot, while the back-end gets unsual stretched tail-lamps.
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The interior is also similar to the L200 pick-up and looks to have taken a step upmarket from recent Mitsubishi efforts. Features such as the central touchscreen infotainment system, 360-view camera and Forward Collision autobraking mark it out as less of a rough-and-ready model.
The only engine currently on offer in Thailand is a 2.4-litre ‘MIVEC2’ four-cylinder diesel engine, which puts CO2 emissions under the 200g/km barrier. But Europe could see the Outlander PHEV’s plug-in hybrid powertrain added to bring emissions down further.
We’ll have more details of the next-generation Shogun later this year and we’ll keep you updated on the prospects of the new Shogun Sport coming here.
Take a look at our round-up of the best 4x4s on sale now…
