It's disheartening to see the Pajero go, and I'm holding on to my V43 for a very long time. Still can't believe it's been almost 21 years since driving it off the showroom floor.
But I still remember the list of options presented at the time of purchase; 4 engine choices ranging from a 2.4L L4, 3.0L V6, 3.5L DOHC V6 and even a 2.6L or 2.8L diesel for starters. The option of a 5-speed or an automatic, selectable or part time 4WD, rear drum brakes or drum-in-discs, adjustable or standard shock absorbers, locking center differential, you could opt for an ABS delete if you wanted. Body styles included three door or five door, 7 seater or 9 seater with a spare fuel tank and carrier mounted on the rear, You had 15" aluminum wheels with Yokohama Super Digger off-road tires or 16" aluminum wheels with Yokohama Geolandar highway tires on higher trim levels, the narrow bodies got 15" steel wheels by default - heck you could even choose leaf springs or coil springs in the rear and a wide body or narrow body. You even had the option of bouncy seats up front, a fridge, wrap around push bar or two different bumper covers up front, headlamp washers, single ton or two tone paint jobs. Felt like a kid in a candy store just going through the options list.
When the new version came out in 2001, a lot of the innovation and exciting options went the way of the dodo bird. Not saying the third generation was bad, but I personally didn't like it as much as the first and second.
That being said, Mitsubishi went from being a very innovative manufacturer to producing some of the most boring vehicles on the road. They started dying out towards the late 90s. I remember cars like the 3000GT, Diamante (or Magna in Australia and the Middle East), Starion, etc. Then you had specialty vehicles like the Evo series, and even the likes of the Galant VR-4. Even the little Colts they produced in the 80s and 90s were great little cars, and they were relatively fast for what they were.