- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport covers 14 000 km in first two months
- Leading vehicle in soft sand (Westcoast), harsh off-road (Moolmanshoek) and fun & games (Alberton)
- Outstanding fuel consumption in real-life conditions
As an off-road specialist with five decades of conquering wild routes throughout southern Africa, Rossouw partnered with Mitsubishi in a Pajero Sport based on his trust of the Superselect II 4WD system for his off-road excursions in faraway places.
“We bonded right from the word go,” said Rossouw, renowned for his 4x4 expertise over many years. “I have driven everything with four-wheel drive, including previous versions of the Mitsubishi Pajero with its 12-victory Dakar history. It has always been a competent off-roader, but the latest 2.4L MIVEC Turbodiesel 8-speed A/T is nothing short from amazing.”
Returning from a seasonal 3 500 km roundtrip to the Westcoast where he hosted 28 vehicles with 58 occupants, the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport clocked 14 000 km after Rossouw received the keys.
“Before returning from Paternoster, I also hosted an outing to Moolmanshoek in the Free State in August as well as a charity family day in Alberton, where I live. Three earlier Pajero versions and a family in a Triton joined us on the Moolmanshoek trip, and three more Pajeros on the Westcoast trip.”
Although Rossouw had to recover “quite a few vehicles” on both trips with drivers mostly getting stuck in the sand, none were Mitsubishis…
According to Rossouw, the Pajero’s advanced 8-speed automatic transmission suits him extremely well. “It’s amazing in the sand and on the tightest and most demanding off-road twists and turns, and on the routes where we used only high-range all-wheel drive, the average fuel consumption came to around 9L/100 km. If you consider that the vehicle was loaded to the brim with all our equipment, including two-way radios for each of the vehicles on the route, medical emergency equipment, our personal luggage, water, and food, this is astounding. On the technical side, the Pajero is also the workhorse carrying tyre pumps and tyre repair kits.”
As part of Rossouw’s regular off-road excursions where he hosts his guests in a variety of vehicles, every participant gets a goodie bag with a cap, torch, pocketknife and some documentation – all carried in the Pajero before handed out to guests.
“The drive is extremely soft and comfortable, yet firm in turns at highway speeds. The leather seats are tremendously comfortable, and I absolutely love the wide range of seat adjustments.”
The Moolmanshoek and Westcoast trips in August and September covered some extremely challenging off-road tracks, which the Pajero handled in style.
“Nothing came loose, and nothing fell off! The power door mirrors that fold sway, came in very handy in some extreme conditions. Apart from that, the air-conditioning helps to create a relaxing atmosphere inside the vehicle, and I can’t wait to properly put that to the test in one of our upcoming adventures in the summer!”
Nic Campbell, General Manager of Mitsubishi Motors South Africa, says Rossouw’s excursions in the Pajero Sport prove Mitsubishi Motors’ message about all their products, especially the Pajero Sport: Elevate your Journey.
“This campaign is 100% in line with the real-life experiences such as this. Francois chose the Pajero based on his experience with our brand over the decades as well as many of his clients joining him on local excursions. He said the deciding factor was safety and reliability – two outstanding features of the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.”
Mitsubishi Motors South Africa is currently offering various 0% deposit and other deal-assistance offers for customers wanting to elevate their journey.
“We’ve had such a positive feedback on all our special offers, including our no-deposit deal, R65 000 off on the Pajero Sport 4x2 and instalment specials for the Triton that we extended the special offer.
The Pajero Sport Rossouw took on his adventures to the Westcoast, Free State and Gauteng and soon the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland and other venues, is the 2.4L MIVEC Turbodiesel 8-speed A/T, powered by the renowned 2.4-litre MIVEC DOHC Intercooled Turbo Diesel engine with common rail direct injection offering 133 kW and 430 Nm.
The vehicle is equipped with the latest version of Mitsubishi Motors’ 8-speed automatic transmission coupled to the Super-Select II 4WD System, offering four different drive modes.
“I have driven many 4x4 vehicles over my nearly five decades in off-road adventures, and the transmission on the Pajero is by far the best in the business.”
The 4H drive mode distributes torque in a 40:60 ratio between the front and rear wheels via a Torsen limited-slip device for safer on-road driving in slippery conditions including gravel and wet roads; 4HLc (4WD High Range with CD locked) distributes torque equally between the front and rear wheels for improved traction on sand, dirt and snow; the 4LLc (4WD Low Range with CD locked) provides greater torque for extreme off-road conditions.
