Should I buy a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport or Ford Everest for towing?

QUESTION

Hi John,

I have just sent you a message through your website but I accidentally sent it before I had finished typing, about a 5-metre trailer we will be towing.

I’m looking for pricing on the Pajero Sport and the Everest.

Wheels magazine (July) thinks the Everest is worth the extra money. What do you think?

Thanks and ride safe,

Roger

CHOOSING THE RIGHT TOWING AND TOURING VEHICLE

Is the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport a good value towing vehicle?

Is it safe towing a large caravan with a ute?

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ANSWER

Hey Roger,

I don’t think anyone at Wheels actually owns a new car, so they are quite out of touch with spending their own actual money on a car. I would therefore take value-type assertions from Wheels in the domain of ‘worth it’ with rather a large grain of salt. Plus, that media group probably expects more advertising revenue from Ford than Mitsubishi Australia, and that’s always rather a poor incentive operating in the background while giving consumers like yourself advice when spending their own 50-70 grand.

As an example:

Ford Everest Titanium is roughly $79,000 drive away, undiscounted. Pajero Sport Exceed is roughly $63,000.

I’m using them as a barometer of pricing because both these vehicles' top the ranges, respectively. I know you’re after a GLS or GLX. At the bottom of the respective ranges, Pajero Sport GLX is about $52k undiscounted, and you can’t even buy an Everest for that price. The cheapest Everest is $55k (ish, undiscounted) and with it, you don’t even get AWD - it’s rear-wheel drive only, and has the same 3000kg braked towing capacity as Pajero Sport.

So, in the context of what you’re actually going to do with these hastily converted utes (hastily converted to wagons), what exactly is it about the Everest that’s worth the extra $16,000-ish? I’d suggest very little, or nothing. There’s nothing you’re going to ask the PS to do that it can’t handle in regards to a five-metre trailer/caravan - and towing more than about 2.7 tonnes with a 2.7-tonne Pajero Sport (or Everest) is insane, and dangerous.

I’m just not seeing how the Everest can be ‘worth it’, because Mitsubishi has added coils to the rear of a Triton to make it a Pajero Sport, plus an 8sp auto, and you get a very clever transfer case, and I think you get adaptive cruise as well (unlike Triton GSR) and there’s five more years of warranty as well, if you get the car serviced by a Mitsubishi dealer. Exactly what is so special about the Everest? Nothing.

There’s more power in Everest, sure, but only if you rev its tits off, and Ford’s 10-speed transmission coupled to the 2.0 twin-turbo is renowned for hunting when towing. Also, Ford is renowned for throwing you under the bus if you have a problem. So there’s that.

I’m posing these questions and comments to you in a genuine fashion. What is it, exactly? If there’s something I’m missing here, please let me know.

Sincerely,

John Cadogan

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