Cartrade Comparison Test
The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport was introduced in India in March 2002 as a CBU, but in 2012 Hindustan Motors re-launched the vehicle as locally assembled model in March 2012. The vehicle is assembled at Hindustan Motor's Tiruvallur facility in Chennai.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor launched the Fortuner SUV in 2009 to compete against the likes of the Ford Endeavour and the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. The vehicle is locally assembled at the company's plant in Bidadi, Karnataka. It is one of the largest passenger vehicles available in India today. Here we bring you a brief spec based comparison between the Fortuner and the Pajero Sport.
Styling - Exterior and Interior
The Pajero Sport features a traditional SUV like looks and qualities, thanks to its huge size and aggressive profile. It features a chrome-plated vertical bar type front grille and huge headlamps. The SUV sports a silver front skid-plate, front fog lamps, black roof rails, chrome-plated outside rear view mirrors and a high-mounted stop lamp. The SUV is now available in two dual-tone paint jobs - flame red with white and lemon yellow with white. The cabin of this spacious SUV features beige leather upholstery. It is loaded with lots of features such as a 2-DIN audio system, a new infotainment system with navigation, reversing camera and automatic climate control. Other features include windshield sunshade, door courtesy lamp, vanity mirror with lid for sun visors, chrome door handles and lots of cubby holes like cup holders and bottle holders.
Like the Pajero, the Fortuner looks like a proper old school SUV with high ground clearance and tall riding stance. Upfront is a triple-slat chrome grille, projector units for huge headlamp console, air scoop on bonnet and wide airdam complemented by traditional fog lamps. At the rear, the SUV gets lots of chrome and clear lens tail lamps. The Fortuner SUV is equipped with various features as standard. Feature list include air conditioning with climate control, leather upholstery, steering mounted audio controls, 2-DIN music system with touchscreen display and rear parking sensors with camera.
Engine Specifications
The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is powered by a 2.5-litre intercooled turbocharged DOHC common rail DI-D engine that produces 175bhp of power and 350Nm of torque. The automatic variant, however, offers 300Nm of peak torque. Power is transmitted to all-wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox; however, the AT variant is only available with rear-wheel drive option.
On the other hand, the Toyota Fortuner is available in two diesel engine options - 2.5-litre and 3.0-litre. The former is capable of producing 142bhp of power and 343Nm of torque, the 3.0L unit is good for 169bhp of power and 343Nm of torque. The vehicle is paired to a five-speed manual and five-speed automatic gearbox driving power to either the rear wheels or all-4 wheels.
Verdict
Both the Fortuner and the Pajero Sport are capable SUVs, and offer high performance and spacious, feature-loaded cabin. If you are looking to buy a SUV that provides excellent off-road capability, the Pajero Sport is a lot better product than the Fortuner.
