Mitsubishi Pajero 4x4s imported from Japan, including the short-wheelbase and canvas-top versions the U.S. Montero never offered. Every Pajero here is either in Houston now or on its way from Japan and available to reserve.
The Pajero is Mitsubishi's full-size body-on-frame 4x4, sold in the United States as the Montero and in Britain as the Shogun. The second generation, launched in January 1991 and built at Mitsubishi's Pajero plant in Gifu until February 1999, was the vehicle behind Japan's 1990s "RV boom": it became the only cross-country 4x4 ever to top Japan's monthly sales chart, won the special award at the 1991–92 Japan Car of the Year, and took a 1-2-3 finish at the 1992 Paris–Dakar. Americans only ever got the four-door long-wheelbase Montero. The two-door short-wheelbase Pajero, the canvas-top J-Top, the diesels and the wide-body 3.5 V6 with a manual gearbox were Japan-only, and they are why people import one. Every second-generation Pajero is old enough to import today, and third-generation cars built from September 1999 through December 2001 qualify as well.
What makes the Pajero different
Super Select 4WD. Introduced on this generation and billed by Mitsubishi as a world first: rear-wheel drive, full-time 4WD you can use on pavement, a locked center differential and low range, all from one lever (details below).
Bodies the U.S. never saw. The 3-door metal top and the 2-door J-Top canvas top on a 2,420 mm (95 in) wheelbase, plus the 5-door mid-roof and kick-up-roof wagons with seven seats.
Diesel options. The 2.5-liter 4D56 and 2.8-liter 4M40 intercooled turbo-diesels, with up to 32 kgf·m (314 N·m) of torque at 2,000 rpm on the later 4M40.
A real truck chassis. Ladder frame, torsion-bar double-wishbone front suspension, a coil-sprung live rear axle, 205 mm (8 in) or more of ground clearance and a 75-liter (20 gal) tank on short-wheelbase cars, 92 liters (24 gal) on long ones.
Which Pajeros can be imported
U.S. rules let a vehicle that wasn't built to U.S. standards be imported once it's at least 25 years old, counted from its month and year of manufacture. In 2026 that means Pajeros built in 2001 or earlier. The second generation (V20 short wheelbase, V40 long wheelbase) is eligible in full:
Reading the code: the second digit is the wheelbase (2 = short, 4 = long), the third is the engine (1 = 2.4, 3 = 3.0, 4 = 2.5 diesel, 5 = 3.5, 6 = 2.8 diesel), and the suffix is the body: W for wagon, C for the J-Top canvas top, V for the commercial van. The letters in front (E-, Q-, KD-, KC-, GF-, GH-) are emissions codes, not model identifiers. Third-generation Pajeros built from January 2002 aren't eligible until 2027 or later.
2WD or 4x4?
Every Pajero wagon is a 4x4, and most have Super Select, so the real choice is how you use it. The lever next to the shifter has four positions: 2H (rear-wheel drive, for dry pavement and best economy), 4H (full-time 4WD with an open, viscous-limited center differential, safe on pavement and the setting for rain, gravel and ranch roads), 4HLc (center differential locked, for mud, sand and snow) and 4LLc (locked and in low range, for steep climbs, crawling and towing a trailer out of a pasture). You can shift between 2H and 4H on the move at up to 100 km/h (62 mph); low range has to be selected at a standstill. A rear differential lock was a factory option on Japanese cars and standard on some J-Tops, so look for the switch on the dash. The XE and GE commercial vans used simpler part-time 4WD instead of Super Select. The 1999-on third generation moved to Super Select 4WD II with an electric transfer, a 33:67 center differential and independent suspension all round.
Versions you'll see
Metal top: the 3-door, 5-seat short-wheelbase wagon, 4,030 mm (159 in) long. Narrow-body cars (1,695 mm wide) carry grade names like XJ, XR and XG; wide-body cars (1,785 mm, with overfenders, and blister fenders from the May 1997 facelift) are the VR (3.0), ZR (3.5) and the diesel XR-I and XR-II.
J-Top: the 2-door, 4-seat canvas top with a roll-down rear, as the XS and VS at launch, the J-Top Wide ZS with the 3.5 V6 from 1994 and the J-Top JS with the 3.0 V6 or 2.8 diesel from 1997. Never sold in North America.
Mid roof and kick-up roof: the 5-door long-wheelbase wagons, 4,650 mm (183 in) long with seven seats, including the leather-and-wood Exceed and Super Exceed luxury grades and the 5-seat G-I and G-II with round headlights.
Rookie: the budget 2.4-liter short-wheelbase car from 1996, with Recaro seats on the SR-I and SR-II.
Field Master and Snow Athlete: special editions sold for several seasons in the mid-1990s.
Evolution: the 1997–1999 Dakar homologation special with the 280 PS MIVEC V6, independent rear suspension and flared body.
XE and GE van: 5-seat kick-up-roof commercial versions with part-time 4WD.
Any Pajero that's in Houston can be inspected and test driven at our lot.
Questions buyers ask
Is it the same as a Mitsubishi Montero? The long-wheelbase Pajero is: the 1992–2000 U.S. Montero shares its 107.3-inch wheelbase, transfer case, 3.5 DOHC V6 (in SR form), automatic, suspension and brakes with the Japanese V45, so driveline and chassis parts largely cross over. The U.S. never had the short-wheelbase car, the J-Top, the diesels, the 2.4 or the 1997-on GDI engine. The Montero Sport is a different vehicle (the Challenger, built on a pickup chassis), and the 1987–89 Dodge Raider was a first-generation Pajero.
Can I title and register a Pajero in Texas? Yes. Imported vehicles 25 years or older are titled with their import paperwork, a law enforcement VIN inspection (Form VTR-68-A) and Form 130-U at your county tax office. Our Texas title and registration guide walks through the steps, and your county office can confirm what it needs. Other states have their own rules, so check with yours before you buy.
What fuel does it use? Premium unleaded for the 3.5 V6 (MPI, GDI and MIVEC), regular for the 3.0 V6 and the 2.4, and diesel for the 2.5 and 2.8. Mitsubishi's Japanese catalogs didn't print fuel-economy figures for these cars; for scale, the U.S. EPA rated the 3.5-liter Montero SR at 14 mpg city and 18 highway.
Timing belt or chain? The V6s and the 2.5 diesel use timing belts; the 2.8-liter 4M40 diesel uses a chain.
Will it keep up on the highway? Yes. A 230 PS 3.5 V6 Pajero has more power than any U.S. second-generation Montero except the 1994–96 SR, and the diesels cruise comfortably on torque. The short-wheelbase cars weigh 1,710 to 1,900 kg (3,770 to 4,190 lb), the long ones 2,010 to 2,160 kg (4,430 to 4,760 lb).
Is the odometer in miles? No. Japanese vehicles read in kilometers, and our listings show the odometer in km. 1 km is about 0.62 miles.
Is it right-hand drive? Yes, like every Japanese-market vehicle.
Can I buy one that's still on its way from Japan? Yes. Reserve an In Transit Pajero with a $1,000 deposit. See how buying works.
Written by Farhad Musazada, Skyline Kei Trucks. Published October 19, 2026.
