http://www.bangkokpost.com/141108_Motor ... otor58.php
MITSUBISHI PAJERO SPORT VS TOYOTA FORTUNER
PRINCE OF ROCK
The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport aims to knock Toyota Fortuner off the mass SUV throne with loads of practicality. Can it succeed?
Why are they here?
Forget Isuzu MU-7 and Ford Everest if you care to prioritise comfort on your upcountry holidays (see sidebar at the bottom).
The first pickup-based SUV that has taken advantage of new PPV (passenger pickup vehicle) rules for some years now is the Fortuner which just received a facelift a couple of months back. The range-topper tested here is the 3.0V Navi version with 163hp 3.0-litre turbo-diesel, four-speed auto, full-time 4WD, DVD player and GPS navigator costing B1.419m.
Now a new contender has arrived in the form of Mitsubishi's Triton-based Pajero Sport with rear coil springs.
This one is also the top of its range; 3.2 GT 4WD with 165hp 3.2-litre turbo-diesel, four-speed auto with manual shift, part-time 4WD and DVD player for B1.24m.
They are both seven-seat SUVs primarily targeting one-car families seeking a multi-purpose vehicle for both daily commutes and weekend holidays on all types of terrain. Less so but not neglectably do they serve as cost-effective weekend getaway vehicle for families with one or more passenger cars in the driveway.
What do our hearts say?
Four years on and the Toyota Fortuner is still good-looking - partly due to the recent facelift - thanks to its first-generation Lexus RX300/Merc M-class-like exterior design. There's no doubt the Mitsubishi Triton base vehicle is a looker among all the eight pickup manufacturers here today. But the Pajero Sport is not that captivating in the flesh, especially when compared side-by-side with the Fortuner, as we did.
But inside, it's a different story. Whereas the Toyota looks so mature and boring, the Mitsubishi feels fresh, young yet elegant in a classier SUV kind of way.
Get moving and the story is different again. We learn of the Fortuner's superior performance in a straight line despite marginally lower horsepower and full-time 4WD that was theoretically supposed to sap away more power from the engine than one running on RWD, as the Pajero Sport was in our runs.
Then all the lane changes and high-speed corners we encountered on the way from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi confirmed our suspicion that the Fortuner still holds its own in the steering and handling departments.
On the sealed tarmac, the Toyota has better control over changes in direction and braking within the legal speeds. Now it's the Mitsubishi that is average in brake feel. Both come with harsh ride. Before you ask, we can answer straight away that yes, the Mitsubishi has a comfier ride, but only if you are okay with its rather unshapely front seats. However, fellow testers swear that the Pajero Sport's second row seats are better than in the Fortuner.
We wish we could test out the differences the two types of drivetrains offer. But in the kind of real-world driving, we did include 99% on-road and 1% off-road, which is representative of the majority of SUV owners residing in Bangkok.
Space is sufficient, despite smaller size. Seats are a tad more comfortable here.
Our hardest on-road trial was a steep incline of approximately 45 degrees with concrete surface barely taken by any vehicle.
Both managed to climb it with engine speed at a steady 2,000rpm in D and 4L.
In 4H, the Pajero Sport needed a little more throttle than the Fortuner with its permanent 4H. But in 2H, it could still make it provided you get some run-on approaching the ascent. Just that the Mitsubishi engine makes more annoying clatter at the same rev.
Take them off-road and the differences are more clear. Rocky terrain puts off the Toyota more with its more sensitive steering, so the steering wheel constantly kicks in your hands. The Mitsubishi is more at ease on the same stuff inspite of being rack-and-pinion type as well.
The 50mm longer wheelbase of the Mitsubishi over exactly the same 4,690mm body length enabled it to go bumps with more control and comfort. It is possible, in theory, for an experienced off-road driver to gain from the Pajero Sport's unique feature of locking the centre differential.
In short, both should be able to go where most owners dare to take them.
What do our heads tell?
The Pajero Sport's almost flat floor when the second and third rows are flipped and folded is one of the practical features that would appeal to quite a few buyers who use an SUV to shove some furniture and garden items once in a while.
At city speeds, though, driving the Pajero Sport in RWD mode is easier with less steering effort required and the 10cm tighter turning radius than the Fortuner. No one needs full-time 4WD in the city and on the dry. But if fuel consumption is not worse, then that is no bad thing. On identical routes, our test Pajero Sport did 10.6km to a litre of diesel in RWD/2H mode while the Fortuner managed 11.9 in its permanent 4H mode. This kind of result could be attributed to the Mitsubishi's aging engine.
Does that hidden advantage justify the B179,000 price difference?
Not really, even when you consider that it has a built-in touch-screen navigator function on its 7-inch screen - something you can get for less with after-market systems.
But then the Fortuner has more tricks up its sleeve - stability control and brake assist - safety systems standard in the range-topping V variant not found at all in the Pajero Sport whose ABS and EBD are otherwise on par with the Toyota.
That also explains the Fortuner's higher price.
What do we really care for?
We expect many casual drivers to be taken away by the Pajero Sport's appeal, interior feel, practicality and, for those who have actually driven it, ride comfort. Some would even buy it just to be different, or because it sells for less than the Toyota.
We do not possess an ego consistent with the former, but one argument for the latter would be the non-navigator V variant that goes for B1.309m yet retains all drivetrain and hardware as the range-topper's.
Money aside, with the Fortuner you get better on-road driving manners - which is where the majority of your driving takes place - better level of safety hardware and better fuel consumption. The latter two qualities can justify the extra money spent.
And so it seems the Toyota Fortuner cannot yet be rightfully replaced as the prince of SUV in Thailand.
Jadi kalo menurut bro aldy lebih mantap mana nih antara Fortuner 3.0 dan Pajero Sport? 
