Vehicle Tests > Holden Jackaroo v Mitsubishi Pajero v Toyota Prado

Old verses new
For the technically minded, much of the interest in this comparison centres around the contrast between the Mitsubishi's all-independent suspension and monocoque construction and the more traditional rear live axle and separate chassis construction of the other two. Mind you both the Prado and the Jackaroo make some concession to car-like design practice with independent front suspension, the Prado via coil springs and the Jackaroo via torsion bar springs. The first thing you notice with the Pajero is that its monocoque construction doesn't isolate the cabin and its occupants from road harshness as well as the body-on-chassis construction of the other two. The Pajero also rides more firmly than the other two thanks to spring rates probably better suited to carrying heavier loads, although this firmer ride is more noticeable at lower speeds and on smaller bumps than at higher speeds on the highway and back roads.

The flip side to all this is the Pajero's vastly superior stability at speed on rough roads. Both the rear live axle vehicles suffer from bump steer on potholes and corrugations and neither offer the high-speed poise or balance of the Pajero whose high-speed stability is akin to that of a good car than a traditional 4WD. The difference in handling and stability between the other two is less noticeable although the Prado does win out over the Jackaroo thanks to its more direct and precise steering. The Jackaroo's steering in the straight ahead position is very vague and unfortunately our experience with other examples of the breed is that this only gets worse with age. Like the Pajero, the Prado also offers the benefit of full-time 4WD which helps with stability and surefootedness on rough gravel roads. The Jackaroo's part-time 4WD has a shift-on-the fly function that allows you to engage 4WD on the move but if you wish to engage 4WD on dirt roads to help with traction and stability you have to remember to disengage it on sealed surfaces. Of course this is not a big problem but on back roads that constantly alternate between sealed and gravel you can't beat the convenience of full-time 4WD. With the Pajero you can run it in 2WD which may bring marginal improvements in fuel consumption on longer highway runs.

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Getting dirty
The Pajero's fully independent suspension is also an significant feature off-road but where it helps with on-road stability it's a negative off-road. Despite the fact that's there's reasonable wheel travel it can't match the live axle vehicles on eroded and washed out trails. Put simply, it will too easily lift diagonally opposite wheels and when a wheel's not on the ground there's no traction. Sure the Pajero's excellent limited-slip differential helps but it's not enough. In this sort of terrain the Pajero needs some sort of traction control, or fully locking differentials. On a more positive note the Pajero's 'tiptronic-style' auto is a real bonus off-road while other strong points include useful low range gearing, excellent over-bonnet visibility, reasonable ground clearance and a good approach angle. Like its predecessor its departure angle could be better. If the Pajero does get stuck at least it has two recovery points at each end while both of the others have just one front and one rear recovery point.

Thanks to its live rear axle the Jackaroo will out perform the Pajero off-road but its low-range reduction is poor, as is its ramp-over angle thanks to a low-slung transfer case. Like the Pajero it has a good limited-slip rear differential and a commanding drive position. Its rear wheel travel is nearly as good as the Prado but its torsion bar sprung front end can't match the Toyota's for travel. Overall the Prado is the off-road king. It has the best wheel travel at both ends, low-range gearing to match the Pajero and reasonable ground clearance. Throw in the optional electronic traction control and it will keep going when the other two have given up. Even without the electronic traction control we suspect it would still out perform the other two in more difficult off-road going thanks to its superior wheel travel.

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