As a bit of a getting know the Pajero, I took it yesterday on some nearby dirt to try it out. These are a variety of trails running in a massive arroyo that I actually have some sites in for work, so it was a chance to directly compare it on trails I run in my work truck.
Holy rear suspension travel is this thing good on dirt. I was grinning like a little kid as it billy goated up a number of hills in 2wd that my 2016 F-150 work truck requires a 4wd mode to negotiate (and the rear diff locked to do with dignity on the undulations). I’m definitely a fan of the five link, coil sprung rear end and it’s articulation, and the factory limited slip in the rear is significantly more effective than I thought it might be. Overall, I’m tickled at how small it is. The wheelbase is so much shorter, and the geometry so much better, than the 1/2 ton to 1-ton trucks used to driving around the dirt. Throw it in 4-low and that little diesel seem to idle over just about anything at a snails pace.
It was a good little dirt session, and it confirmed that this adventure mobile is going to get anyplace I really want to take it, and without any modification needed. I have no interest in rock crawling, or running trails just for the sake of running trails, but rather I like to get to seriously remote camping and hiking places out in the desert or up in the mountains where other people aren’t a thing. This should do nicely.
About half of yesterday was spent Svending the interior. The truck has been smoked in at some point, and it had that layer of tar/whatever on just about everything. Many hours of scrubbing, cleaning, shampooing and detailing later, the interior looks almost like new save for a few wear surfaces. It smells a lot better, too.
The plan today is to work on Svending the outside.