That was the beginning of a successful vehicle that raised the Mitsubishi's flag twelve times in the most challenging race from those times, the Paris-Dakar Rally Raid.
Its rugged, simple appearance had a charming look, and it sold like hot cookies in the middle of the winter. The Japanese carmaker didn't see that success coming, and it was overwhelmed by orders from all the markets where it introduced the car, with different names such as Pajero/Montero or Shogun.
It might have a minimalist design on the market. That simple design came with low production costs. Despite its short length, it offered five seats inside. The three-door version featured a side-hinged rear tailgate. The wrapped-around metallic bumper protected the small, squared, and corner-mounted taillights.
Inside, the minimalist design continued on the dashboard with a flat panel and a grab-handle on the passenger side. The instrument panel offered two dials and two gauges, each in an individual cluster. Even though the center stack was a new interior item for cars, the Pajero/Montero featured one for the ventilation unit and the stereo. The carmaker offered a clinometer and two additional gauges for oil pressure and ammeter on a separate cluster over the center stack as an option. The car provided good interior room for the front passengers but limited for the rear ones. Despite its almost flat floor in the rear, the car's width was too small to provide enough shoulder and hip-room. As for the trunk, it was big enough for a briefcase.
The body-on-frame construction made the Pajero a trustworthy partner in harsh off-road situations. Under the hood, Mitsubishi installed diesel and gasoline engines depending on the market. All of them sent the power to a 4WD system with a low-range transfer box. At the front, the car featured independent suspension, while in the back, Mitsubishi installed a live axle.