This 2026 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution Rendering Lives In Fantasy

In the pantheon of high-performance Mitsubishi legends, the Pajero Evolution sometimes gets overlooked. Based on the regular Pajero (sold in the US as the Montero), the Pajero Evolution got a larger engine and bodywork inspired by the Rally Raid trucks Mitsubishi fielded with the goal of winning Dakar. The short-wheelbase, wide-body SUV (think of it like a Bronco Raptor minus two doors) was sold only in Japan, and it’s finally starting to get the attention it deserves from motorsports fans all over the world. That includes the Philippines, where the genius behind Enoch Gonzales Designs turned a pen toward a speculative 2026 model rendered with hopes and educated guesses.

An Evolved Evolution Of The Past

Gozales said he was inspired by the original Pajero Evolution’s two-door body style, a configuration that’s grown increasingly rare among most SUVs – the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler notwithstanding. The shorter wheelbase would mean greater maneuverability and an improved breakover angle off-road, even before adding the Evolution goodies. The imaginative 2026 model looks undeniably like its 1997-1999 forebear, with a stubby rear end that’s at odds with the longish hood. Gonzales’ Pajero doesn’t quite have the same wide-body stance as the original, with arch extensions instead of chamfered fender flares, but there are still several clues it’s an Evolution.

For starters, the hood maintains the same, nostril-style pair of air intakes, and there’s a brush guard–aping front bumper with integrated LED foglights and a obvious, robust skid plate. A triangular fender intake just in front of the doors is another retro touch, as are the finned venturi generators on the trailing edge of the roof. Unlike many modern SUVs, the Gonzales Pajero has massive sidewalls and comparatively small-diameter wheels, which are done up in the OZ rally style that became synonymous with Mitsubishi performance in the 1990s. And thank goodness for that externally mounted spare. Breaking from tradition, the theoretical 2026 Pajero Evolution has sharper-edged bodywork and razor-thin lighting elements, a testament to the progress of LEDs versus halogen headlamps.

Could There Be Some Nissan DNA Under The Evo Skin?

To reiterate, this 2026 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution is purely a fan rendering, but we do see a fair amount of Nissan coming through the design. The recently revealed Patrol (an overseas twin to our Armada) has the same sharp front window opening, and the overall proportions match the Nissan SUV with its midsection removed. Speculation had abounded that Mitsubishi would revive the full-size Pajero – discontinued in 2021 – using parts and platforms sourced from its Japanese partner, and the rendering takes those rumors into account.

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If that were the case, the Evolution featured here would probably get a NISMO-tuned version of the Patrol and Armada’s twin-turbocharged, 425-horsepower 3.5-liter V6, perhaps with as much as 500 hp to fit its Ralliart heritage. The body-on-frame SUV would also probably get some adjustments to its full-time four-wheel-drive system, with torque vectoring to help it kick around tight, dirty corners in the far reaches of Morocco or Patagonia. Alas, we’ll probably never know. With Nissan in dire straits and the Mitsubishi brand an afterthought in the US, the odds of a reborn Pajero Evo are slim to nil. Still, that won’t stop us from dreaming.

Source: Enoch Gonzales Designs