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Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Media Test Drive


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#1
TheGunner

Posted 23 June 2009 - 10:34 PM

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Tomorrow morning, invited members of the press will be convoying to Penang in a special media test drive session for the Pajero Sport organised by Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia.

Prelude to the full test drive report appearing on the Autoworld Blog, I will be posting some quick comments and thoughts here in this thread.

Meanwhile, YS' coverage of the launch can be read here: http://www.autoworld...d=RT.ATC.CAR.PV
The Gunner

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#2
TheGunner

Posted 24 June 2009 - 09:57 PM

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I'm currently in Batu Ferringhi, Penang at the end of a long and exhausting day test driving the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport with members of the media. MMM hosted 21 journalists, and spread them into 5 cars.

I was placed in the same car as veteran writers LeePS (of Auto International), Yamin Vong (of CBT) and BH Chan (of Motorcar).

After being flagged off from MMM HQ at 9:30am, we were taken to the Selangor Fruits Valley at Bkt Bestari, Rawang for a special off-road "taxi-ride" with MMM Dakar Rally driver Hiroshi Masuoka.

The next exit off the PLUS highway was for lunch at Ipoh's Indulgence Cafe, before barreling down the PLUS highway heading to Penang.

Here's a brief photographic record of our adventure today.

DSC_0043a.JPG
Flag-off from MMM HQ

DSC_0204a.JPG
"Taxi-ride" at Selangor Fruits Valley

DSC_0296a.JPG
Lunch at Indulgence Cafe, Ipoh

Brief thoughts about the car.
- A little underspecced compared to similarly priced competitors (the Captiva we tested over the weekend is a good example).
- Famous Super Select 4WD would appeal to the hardcore Pajero fans.
- Rolls quite a bit at bends and corners, but acceptable for a car this tall.
- Road undulations can be felt when driving, but dampers do well to quieten the intrusion.
- NVH is excellent.
- Powertrain refinement is good. The diesel clatter is barely audible, but the engine takes a while to respond to throttle jabs.

Stay tuned for a full report.

The Gunner

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#3
SplitFire

Posted 25 June 2009 - 12:11 AM

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QUOTE (TheGunner @ Jun 24 2009, 09:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm currently in Batu Ferringhi, Penang at the end of a long and exhausting day test driving the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport with members of the media. MMM hosted 21 journalists, and spread them into 5 cars.

I was placed in the same car as veteran writers LeePS (of Auto International), Yamin Vong (of CBT) and BH Chan (of Motorcar).

After being flagged off from MMM HQ at 9:30am, we were taken to the Selangor Fruits Valley at Bkt Bestari, Rawang for a special off-road "taxi-ride" with MMM Dakar Rally driver Hiroshi Masuoka.

The next exit off the PLUS highway was for lunch at Ipoh's Indulgence Cafe, before barreling down the PLUS highway heading to Penang.

Here's a brief photographic record of our adventure today.

DSC_0043a.JPG
Flag-off from MMM HQ

DSC_0204a.JPG
"Taxi-ride" at Selangor Fruits Valley

DSC_0296a.JPG
Lunch at Indulgence Cafe, Ipoh

Brief thoughts about the car.
- A little underspecced compared to similarly priced competitors (the Captiva we tested over the weekend is a good example).
- Famous Super Select 4WD would appeal to the hardcore Pajero fans.
- Rolls quite a bit at bends and corners, but acceptable for a car this tall.
- Road undulations can be felt when driving, but dampers do well to quieten the intrusion.
- NVH is excellent.
- Powertrain refinement is good. The diesel clatter is barely audible, but the engine takes a while to respond to throttle jabs.

Stay tuned for a full report.



smile_thumbup.gif
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SplitFire

#4
TheGunner

Posted 25 June 2009 - 06:06 PM

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Just got back from Penang. Today was a free & easy affair. Five journos took part in a mini-golf game. I contemplated joining them too, but decided to take the car out for some photos instead. Unfortunately, the strong sunlight limited the amount of good photo angles for me.

For the return journey the pack was reshuffled, and each car set off on their own to head back to MMM HQ. Yamin and I was in the same car again, but accompanying us this time were Ong Siew Lam (fr Sinchew) and Salihin (fr Berita Harian Auto).

Yamin got us off the island to Juru Auto City, where we stopped for lunch, before I took the wheel. We had a coffee break at Tapah before our last driver change taking us all the way back to MMM HQ.

More comments for today.
- Changes direction well enough, but its height prevents over-enthusiastic approaches to corners.
- Rear seats reconfigure easily, though snapping them back into position occasionally takes more than 1 try.
- Interior has no clock.
- On the highway, NVH was well insulated. Everyone had a good sleep when not driving. smile_tongue.gif

Full report to follow. Stay tuned.
The Gunner

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#5
SplitFire

Posted 26 June 2009 - 12:59 PM

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QUOTE (TheGunner @ Jun 25 2009, 06:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Just got back from Penang. Today was a free & easy affair. Five journos took part in a mini-golf game. I contemplated joining them too, but decided to take the car out for some photos instead. Unfortunately, the strong sunlight limited the amount of good photo angles for me.

For the return journey the pack was reshuffled, and each car set off on their own to head back to MMM HQ. Yamin and I was in the same car again, but accompanying us this time were Ong Siew Lam (fr Sinchew) and Salihin (fr Berita Harian Auto).

Yamin got us off the island to Juru Auto City, where we stopped for lunch, before I took the wheel. We had a coffee break at Tapah before our last driver change taking us all the way back to MMM HQ.

More comments for today.
- Changes direction well enough, but its height prevents over-enthusiastic approaches to corners.
- Rear seats reconfigure easily, though snapping them back into position occasionally takes more than 1 try.
- Interior has no clock.
- On the highway, NVH was well insulated. Everyone had a good sleep when not driving. smile_tongue.gif

Full report to follow. Stay tuned.



Pajero all the while since 1st gen already not a good corner taker mar....
Ram me if you can!

SplitFire

#6
TheGunner

Posted 27 June 2009 - 11:01 PM

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No doubt that's true, but it's a characteristic of the car, so just make a mention of it.

I'm still working on the write-up about the whole media test drive event, but as of now, I only managed to write about the journey till Ipoh. The full write-up may take a while, as I'm running in the KL Marathon tmr. *pengsan*

Until the full article arrives at the blog, here's a preview of what's to come:

QUOTE
My leg of the journey behind the wheel takes us, much to my delight, through the winding and sloping stretches of the PLUS highway at Jelapang. Here, I had to call on the manual shifting function on the INVECS-II four-speed automatic transmission for added traction at the bends. It allowed for more confident cornering, but at a lanky 1.8-metres in height, the Pajero Sport wasn't going to pull off any physics-defying moves.

Along the straights, the Pajero Sport was a civilised cruiser. Even having only four ratios to play with, the auto gearbox was able to keep the tachometer ticking at just over 2,000rpm at the national speed limit. There's a slight lag in throttle response when prodded, but when it gets on song, all the torque of the diesel engine is delivered in smooth and seamless fashion, evidenced by a steady but relentless march of the speedometer into the triple-digit range.


It's still at the draft stage, so might be subject to change. smile.gif
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#7
TheGunner

Posted 29 June 2009 - 02:28 PM

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Alright folks, it took me a while, but the full write-up of my experience in the Pajero Sport media test drive is out on the blog. Enjoy the read. smile.gif

http://blog.autoworl...dia-test-drive/

Any questions and comments welcome. Cheers. smile.gif


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#8
TheGunner

Posted 29 June 2009 - 02:50 PM

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Additional photos taken during the media test drive that didn't make the cut for the final article:

DSC_0010a.JPG
Members of the press gather at MMM's conference room, all dressed up to become walking billboards for Mitsu.

DSC_0115a.JPG
The cars lining up at the Fruit Valley

DSC_0127a.JPG
Journalists whacking durians by the gulps.

DSC_0157a.JPG
Tail lights might have been inspired by Audi.

DSC_0171a.JPG
Expect to see versions of this photo appearing in local mags next month.

DSC_0188a.JPG
Cargo carrying capacity of the Pajero.

DSC_0191a.JPG
"When's the Japanese guy coming?"

DSC_0218a.JPG
Photographers scramble!

DSC_0243a.JPG
All the Pajero has to show for after a hard day's work.

DSC_0286a.JPG
Let's see who can get the best photos of each other!

DSC_0322a.JPG
Don't be alarmed. This was taken using a very low shutter speed. smile.gif

DSC_0369a.JPG
This signal light looks familiar.

DSC_0371a.JPG
Looking to the sea.

DSC_0423a.JPG
Seriously, what was he/she thinking?




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#9
SplitFire

Posted 29 June 2009 - 02:55 PM

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DSC_0423a.JPG
Seriously, what was he/she thinking?


Is that a Hilux in the 1st place? smile_big.gif
Ram me if you can!

SplitFire

#10
TheGunner

Posted 29 June 2009 - 03:07 PM

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QUOTE (SplitFire @ Jun 29 2009, 02:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Is that a Hilux in the 1st place? smile_big.gif


Definitely Hilux. Luckily I wasn't driving that time, would have missed this wonderful photo opportunity. smile_big.gif smile_thumbup.gif
The Gunner

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