The mighty trio of off-roading, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Land Rover Defender, and Mitsubishi Pajero, is… well, no longer a trio. The German SUV is the only one that’s currently on sale and it will soon be joined by the new Defender. Where’s the Pajero? It will be discontinued in August this year with the Final Edition special model in Japan but will live on through these interesting renderings.

They come from Motor1.com reader Enoch Gabriel Gonzales and propose a successor to today’s model for the year 2021. At a glance, it’s a bit cartoonish but if you take a closer look you’ll see the proportions and details are done right. Take for example the overall boxy shape – it’s reminiscent of the Pajero that’s on sale today but it’s also slightly modernized at the same time.

Gallery: 2021 Mitsubishi Pajero renderings

38 Photos

The designer explains his idea for the front end: “In front, it follows the current ‘split-headlight’ design trend where the main headlight is slotted below the LED DRLs. But this one's actually a parody of that trend, while most manufacturers disguise the main headlight as an intake or a fog light, I placed it way above the level of the wheel arch and gave it a bold and massive rectangular shape, you won't mistake it as a headlight.”

The rear end is probably our favorite part. It’s wide and very simple in design but underlines the rugged character of the Pajero. Still, the distinctive LED light signature makes it recognizable and the stylish quad exhaust system integrated into the bumper hints at V8 power under the hood. We can also imagine this vehicle using an electrified powertrain.

Unfortunately, all of this will remain just in the virtual world. We haven’t heard anything about Mitsubishi resurrecting the Pajero but we can keep hoping for a successor. And if it looks anything like this SUV here, we won’t be disappointed.

Source: Enoch Gabriel Gonzales on Behance