Big things coming soon: If the Mitsubishi DST looks this good, just wait until you see the all-new Pajero Sport

Mitsubishi this week tore the covers off a new seven-seat SUV concept called the DST, simultaneously deflating millions of hearts who were hoping the top-secret reveal would be of the new Pajero Sport.

The DST is something else entirely – a three-row, mid-size SUV that rides on a monocoque platform and is powered by its front wheels. Hardly the off-road-conquering ladder-frame 4WD we've been waiting for.

But that wait could soon be over. CarsGuide understands that, while the DST (or its eventual production name) is yet to be entirely ruled out for Australia, it's also not the next product the brand here is salivating over, with a large, ladder-frame SUV still under development.

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That would be the Pajero Sport, with a new version of the brand's Triton-based workhorse primed for reveal, ahead of an on-sale date either late next year or early 2026.

We also have some idea of what might be powering it, with international media pointing to the model beginning life with the recently upgraded powertrain form the current-gen Triton, meaning a 2.4-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine producing maximum outputs of 150kW and 470Nm.

But Nissan also recently spilled that Mitsubishi is working on a plug-in hybrid powertrain that will find its way into the next-gen Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton - and so presumably the next-gen Pajero Sport, too.

“We need to make sure that if we electrify, how we electrify. I think it will be a two-step approach, first with a PHEV solution, then later on with EV. That will be the two-step approach," Nissan’s Chairperson of the AMEIO Region, Guillaume Cartier, recently told media of the new Navara.

“That’s what we’re looking at, but first it will be with a diesel approach.

“On the first (PHEV) one we are with Mitsubishi, but the next one we are looking at. Because there is also technology we have in-house, which is solid-state battery, but that will take time."

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport render. (Image: Carscoops)

It will also likely feel made for Australia, with the Pajero Sport expected to undergo the same testing and validation for our market as the Triton ute.

“Towing, straight-line ability, and on-centre handling was very important, and of course safety equipment”, Chief Product Specialist for the Triton range Yoshiki Masuda previously told CarsGuide about the Triton testing.

“In order to get a higher level of steering feel, we had to tune in Australia.”

“We did many tests, we used test courses, we drove on-road, off-road, and combined with MMAL (Mitsubishi Australia) to discuss what was good [for Australia]. We dispatched many engineers [from Japan] over a long time for the ride and handling test."

But one thing we can learn from the DST is that the new Pajero Sport will likely look boxy and tough, in keeping with the brand's recent design direction.

This concept might be a front-wheel-drive SUV, but it's flared arches, boxy dimensions, bold grille and sharp body creases give it a much more rugged appearance than its powertrain promises.

Will the Pajero Sport look tougher still? You'll have to watch this space.