Leaderboard

Very well said points @knightjp, however, I like to add a bit more transparency from diff angles. The video seems a perfect rant when a manufacturer stops giving cars for review and he admitted the same in the second video. We have seen such bad bad bad cars from famous car reviews sites here in Dubai too when they end up with a sour relation by being a critic for paid reviews. In the end, their car reviews sound like three liners of the pros and cons. Using diesel Pajero with loaded roof rack and 7 passengers expecting it to fly off on every dune, then his experience of "SAND" offroad is in the different field probably. No comments. What I seriously believe is what I see from my eyes and not through the paid reviews or advertorials of so-called legends, celebrities, influencers, champions etc. as those are most of the time is biased and motivated either by money or by the competitors. I won't even start about my model Pajero, as it's a different species altogether but keeping it specific to Gen4 Pajero, we have tons in our offroad club and almost all of them have driven through a fewbie level drive ------- Faaaaaaaar more than what this guy claiming to be challenging and getting stuck or refusal. Off course 3.8 (275 hp and 393 Nm torque) is much better than 3.5 (190 hp and 306 Nm torque) by great value and we have seen @WiLfY and @hossein driving there 3.8 almost everywhere without even a refusal. Petrol + remove abs and traction fuse + bumper trim + 3.8 Pajero = Great value for money offroader Petrol + remove abs and traction fuse + bumper trim + 3.5 Pajero = Good value for money offroader @Julien V even managed Sweihan fewbie drive with his 3.5 Pajero two week back - totally commendable, but of course, he didn't have 200 kgs stuff on the roof rack, nor he had 500 kgs as a passenger. https://carnity.com/gallery/category/112-afternoon-fewbie-desert-drive-sweihan-1st-march-2019 P.S. I'm not saying the Pajero's are the greatest offroader, but instead I'm saying they aren't as bad as it sounds in this video.

I am a bit dissapointed to see that "your" take on it is exactly the same as the old grumpy guy 🤐 There are indeed only very few standard 4x4's that are good for the desert in stock form, and that is no different for the Pajero. I fully agree that for proper off-roading the current generation Pajero could benefit from some tweaks and mods. What i honestly think about this guy is that he is indeed an old rambling has-been, and i know that he has lots of off-roading experience but moaning about the middle seat of the second row ? Come on, if that is the only thing you can find.... Yes.... The Pajero's interior is a bit dated in comparison with its Japanese rivals,but it has been around since 2008 and we all know Mitsubishi is not bringing out new models every 2-3 year. Of course the Prado and 100 Land cruiser are more capable vehicles, but that translates into much higher purchase price also. Bang for the Buck the Gen4 Pajero is unbeatable. I've paid peanuts for my wife's 2008 full option 3.8. No Prado or LC came close to my budget The oil and gearbox issues are unknown to me, but there are a myriad of reasons why people suffer from these things. I am probably biased towards Mitsubishi as i currently have two in my garage, but having owned at least 15-20 other brands in my life, my fair opinion is that Mitsubishi is a pretty good brand with proven reliability, no frills, and the Pajero has proven itself through the years as an affordable 7-seater with decent off-road capability to the likes of what most people expect from it.

There is tons of reviews on the internet about all the cars but you can't make most of them as a reference, I have my car since 2008 and after these years still I'm happy with it, thanks God after this long I never had issues about the engine, leakage or...only routine services, any cars needed, If you compare about price and quality of the pajero, I can say it's best valued 4x4 suv for families, daily use and offroad, off course if you do not care about it even the tank will get damaged, I'm sure if I change my road tires to a/ts offroad capability of 3.8 will beat other cars easily

Your primary concern is your back, and that cannot be fixed by a particular car brand or type of seat. It is a for manufacturer a huge challenge to build seats that fits all. In some cases, the most basic cars can deliver more seat comfort than some advanced multi adjustment seats in high end cars. For example, my wife who is 5ft, and weighs about 45kg sits very comfortable in her 2017 Lexus RX350. I am 6.3ft, way to heavy, and cannot find a good seating position/comfort in this SUV and will not last a ride to Abu Dhabi. But I feel very comfortable in the much bigger seats of my 2018 Silverado; I can drive a whole day without complaints. I see here a lot of support here for Pajero's; they are great SUV's, but they are of an old design and do not set high standards on overall comfort. However, depending on your posture it could be that your back may feel very comfortable in that seat. You just have to try it during a long test drive. I am also quite sensitive to a good seating position and quality, and found 3 brands that did very well for me in providing me seating comfort. Volvo (the best), Chevy and Mercedes. The worst in my experience are Ford Explorer, to short and narrow and Toyota Landcruiser, to short and bad backrest). Many people may disagree, and that is correct... its personal. Test drive a lot of different cars and take your pick....

Frankly I used to have a lot of respect for the Mitsubishi Pajero. I still do in some sort. The Pajero as a standard car I would say is bad for off-roading if you are going to look at the using it in the desert. The middle seat in the second row is hard and uncomfortable. So if you're a family person, you will get complaints from the person sitting there on long journeys. If you want to know how the current shape Pajero is going to handle off roading and what you should look out for, here is a good video for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn10rNuMDi4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCXcKkUqAAU Now this sounds like an old guy rambling on and on, but bear with it and listen all the way through. Some Pajero owners will not agree with some of the things, but the test was real and well documented. The guy is a well known off roading enthusiast who has been to Dubai many times for off roading as well. So he knows what he is talking about. In my opinion, the Pajero is a great family wagon. However the interior needs to be addressed in that it feel of far cheaper quality these days compared with its other Japanese rivals. The likes of Toyota and Nissan are well far ahead of the game on that. The Pajero also suffers from oil and gearbox issues. 2 - 3 users I know have had issues where the feel their engines are basically drinking oil and need regular top-ups and well gearboxes need replacing. I would not worry if you do a proper break-in cycle and you do regular maintenance with all the checks. If you are looking to do a far bit of off-roading, and you need a 7 seater in the Pajero's size scale, I would suggest a Toyota Prado or look at may a used 100 series Land Cruiser. These are excellent and well recommended vehicles. My only gripe with buying a Toyota is dealing with the local Toyota dealer. Their work is subpar at best and all my dealings with them have been negative. I always laugh every time the "toyota sponsored" radio ad comes on advising us to do maintenance only with the dealer. I've seen better maintained vehicles in these backstreet garages in Um Ramool. #RantOver That's my take on it.

Just saw a Lincoln SUV on the road and it was so awfully designed that I almost did an emergency break. Couldn’t find the model on google image but instead I found this Fiat. OMG. Do you know worst ?

Different opinion here... they were great, and their time way ahead in terms of looks, air suspension and unbelievable comfort....

My opinions aren't just based on the ramblings of the youtuber. Similar conclusions, Yes. I still maintain that the Pajero is a great family wagon. I used to watch the old rallies, see the Pajeros dominate. We have a friend who has an old 90s boxy shape Pajero and that thing still goes strong. It so rugged and durable. The Pajero has always been a great vehicle, (bang for buck wise). If your budget is tight and you need a good 4x4 you'd do well with a Pajero. However, in recent years, I've come to expect less and less. Having been in numerous 4th Gens over the years, the ramblings aren't unfounded. I have friends with who have Mitsubishi Pajeros and Montero Sports and have faced mechanical issues from vehicles just over a year old. One had to replace his entire engine after just 4 years. Another keeps having oil leaks and the best part is that all these vehicles are maintained by the dealer. I've sat in the middle of the rear seat myself and I could tell you that after a couple of hours driving, my butt was sore. This was all on road. Now imagine sitting there while driving through dunes. It would not be comfortable at all. I'm not telling someone to take my word for it. Try it and you'll find out for yourself. Every one is different and you might like it. If that's so, that's excellent. I'm just saying, if you're buying a Pajero, you need to know what you're getting into.

Hands down the most ugly car i have ever seen, although Nissan Sunny comes very close

Almost every European or Japanese car before the 80s

Every drive has a separate album in the Gallery section, you can upload yours here too https://carnity.com/gallery/category/113-absolute-newbie-desert-drive-maliha-8-mar-2019

Sure will do will do. Have fun.

That bull had both front and rear diff locks.

Trip report - thank you to all participants who did well, most importantly kept their cool and calm and followed instructions to make my day a wonderful one. We started on time with 17 cars. Upon reaching the deflation point we went through our newbie brief and heart warming to see all participants knew exactly parts of our brief. Everyone has been paying attention and realize every point we have carefully jotted are important to our off road structure. Started our drive after the convoy numbering was made. A few refusals and stucks kept us all engaged and emphasized one point. If we keep calm and think rationally and listen to instructions we can make it through any terrain together. This was a perfect drive at the right time to do a few small to medium dunes to experience the small thrills and improve ourselves by learning new tricks or putting our briefing to good use. We later settled near the camel farm in the shade for breakfast where it was clear that everyone felt a little challenged and learned something new. Besides this one thing done differently on this drive was instead of the leader slowing down or stopping, the rest of the convoy had to make an effort to keep up. This was also managed well and my congratulations to everyone for managing well on this trip. I also felt @Emmanuel plight as he was in sweep for a change and I was in the thick of all the action. There was also plenty of food and drinks to go around, my winner would be the idli and sambar, the sandwiches made by @Javier M wife and @Emmanuel sweet little treats. It was now time for hitting the Fossil Rocks and I was impressed with the smart route selected by @Gaurav bhai which meant we were at the top within no time. I was also impressed with all the first timers to make it to the top on their first attempt. Well done everyone. Big question now was could we head down the steep way? With a nod of approval from @Emmanuel and @Gaurav bhai the first one down to check and guide everyone properly, we started to brief and check all cars to guide them down. With everyone down safely and time being the essence we moved swiftly back to the road. One of my most enjoyable experiences due to an amazing bunch of people. I would love to repeat many more such amazing trips with a wonderful bunch of like minded people. Love you all and until next time. Adios.

Good idea @Barry @Vinod Abraham do some DIY you may save some dirhams. Since it not working there is no problem to cut open and try something. ☝️This vedio will help you to remove the sensor.

Really? I didn’t know that. But there must be a way of opening the unit, changing the batteries and gluing it back together.

I have no hatred for any of these cars. I used to dislike the fiat multipla but it grew on me. It’s quirky and quirky is cool. Totally functional too. I used to date a girl who’s mother had one and lent it to us on weekends. Having 3 seats in a row up front comes in handy sometimes. The CX is also a cool car. Citroens are equivalent to the cars America were turning out in the 50s with space age influenced design. The only difference is Citroen had the newest technology to back up the funky looks. The minx and sprite had their own coolness too. Think of the minx as a European 57 Chevy and it makes sense. The sprite was what it was, small light and nimble and designed for the roads it was on. I cant think of anything I’d call ugly. I appreciate things for what they are

For me the best and most comfy seats are from a P38 range rover, so much so that I even retro fitted them in my Land Rover discovery and another friend after checking them out fitted them out in his Jeep XJ. I also have the latter next gen of Range Rover the L322 but still prefer the seats of the older one. Personally having sat in many generations of the Pajero I dont find them anything to write home about. Just your average run of the mill basic stuff.

@Jayakrishnan & @Praveenmp would appreciate if you could share your thoughts on the below thread.

@Rahimdad you are simply amazing man in the team and I was felt like I am in a place were I was on my day to day newer felt like I am in a new group and thanks to all those who provide valuable guidance and safe drive with no loss of machine and man and it was a wonderful feeling and looking for next drive @Gauravthanks for the radio and the drive TBT just now bought my radio for next interesting drive with you guys

I think TPMS in this specific models are sealed type. Need to be replaced. @Vinod Abraham you just give a try as Barry said. If you can replace battery then relearn is not required.

Dear Team , Thanks again for the wonderful newbie drive had on 08th March. It was gr8 with all new learning opportunities. I have few good photos and would like to share it on the group. Would like to know how i can do it in the group. Please advise. Jay

I think we need to invest in a good bull for our upcoming drives. Watch. VID-20190313-WA0006.mp4

Wilfy Smile. I can do Gabbar Singh too.. :)

Sometimes old school technology just works.

I like all 3 but in reality, none of the above. I’d probably have some old school mid sized European RWD Ford like a Capri, preferably a 280 Brooklands. I like a lot of cars. I don’t think in reality I could just pick one. Cars are like beer, you have to try a glass of everything.

This reminds me of my travels in Africa.

As Salam O Alaikum @syedyaseer. My wife has a Mitsubishi Pajero top of the range 2014 model, driven about 126000 kms. She wants to sell it now for AED 45000. It has been maintained by Al Habtoor Motors and she has the full service history. It's the 3.8 litre engine with Rockford Fosgate premium sound system and leather seats with lumbar support which is going to help your back trouble. Doctor told me my C2 to C7 have discs bulging inwards pressing on my spinal cord, but with the Pajero I've been on full day around the UAE drive with full comfort and no pain. Let me know if you're interested.

I had a psycho friend who owned a Jimny long back. He would travel to England just to get mods until it sounded like a bee in the desert. It was pretty light so easy to push off any stuck situation. It's just passable as an off road vehicle since it can do a bit, but give it a massive dune and it will fail to impress. I would say in our current structure it will be useful till Fewbie level only. Like @Frederic said when momentum is there it can travel a bit, but any break in momentum and it might find it difficult in a hard spot. @Gaurav bhai once told us a story of a Jimny getting stuck in a small bowl, the giant in the desert had it as cereal the next morning. Hahaha.

Including and not limited to Pajero rear bumper plate reinforcement Pajero abs fuse Genius deflator Creative flag Wilfy smile

That's ok @WiLfY it can be about combustion engines, rotary engines, clutch plate, thrust bearing, grease, radiators, etc. Hahaha. You are more than welcome to contribute in any way and anything you are comfortable with.

So true, totally agree. Btw before buying my first sports/fast car to tick the checkbox, I drove a couple of faster Golf and EVO from friends and then end up buying a Mustang V8 with 5.0, you will love it every time you start the engine and it's a noise of well tune and balanced V8.

Thanks Everyone! Look forward to more drives with the Team. I owe it all to my lucky Flags

My experience with friends always ended up with there choices to stay, bbq, live cooking, than actual drive. Hence since the beginning, I was very happy with club discipline that everyone gets together to drive and nothing else. Off course after drive we do chill, cook, bbq and relax but not during the drive. No matter how much you plan and organize with friends but one guy wants to sit back and enjoy so the whole group has to suffer. I have endless stories with guy change his mind and opted to do the photo shoot of his wife, kid and car and leaving all of us to wait for 3+ hours in the best dunes. Other time, one guy change his mind to stay overnight on one island, so I have to split and drove the rest of the way alone to keep my hotel booking during Eid holidays. As everyone mentioned, with clubs you will explore more places and learn faster due to collective experience on board and in offroad you can never learn enough. I and Rahimdad still leaning after decades of experience. The second best thing with clubs is you get to meet different nationalities and talk to them about there country offroad experience, try their cuisines, share jokes and know more about there culture that you rarely get to see with friends and families. In Carnity I guess we have over 20 different nationalities in the offroad club and I always look forward to sitting with them in the end. I rarely eat my own food, as I love trying different cuisine while listening to their own interesting and colorful stories. You will actually see how cheerful people are in offroad rather than at work culture because at work everyone is serious and busy with their routine but in offroad it's more of a vent out and relaxes for everyone so you will enjoy there jovial side more often. Thirdly in most of the offroad clubs here in UAE, safety is paramount so chances of you getting into unsafe recovery/mishap are very less, as they always have trained Marshals and Crew to take care of extreme recoveries and accidents. Looking forward to seeing your clan and don't worry about the noisy animals as Jungle is already filled with many.