Is The 2016 Pajero A Good Buy In 2026?

On the day I wrote this I could find exactly three 2016 Pajero 3.2 DI-D cars for sale in South Africa. One on surf4cars at R479 900 with 153 011 km. Two on Cars.co.za, both a shade under R500 000, at 130 000 km and 156 000 km.

A 2014 with the same engine, same gearbox and same drivetrain asks R310 000.

So the real question is not whether the 2016 Pajero is a good vehicle. It is. The question is what R170 000 buys over a 2014, and whether the answer changes depending on which 2016 you look at. It does, and the thing that changes it is a badge on the tailgate.

The 2016 Pajero is mechanically a 2014 Pajero

Start here, because it kills a lot of wishful thinking.

Mitsubishi launched the NX series Pajero in South Africa on 28 October 2014. New nose, revised grille, LED daytime running lights, new alloys, reworked spare wheel cover on the five door. Local pricing at that point ran R569 900 for the 3.2 DI-D GLS three door, R639 900 for the GLS five door and R659 900 for the five door Exceed.

Nothing changed under that car for 2016. Same 4M41 3.2 litre four cylinder turbodiesel, 140 kW and 441 Nm. Same five speed automatic. Same Super Select II with 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc. Same six airbags, ABS with EBD, stability and traction control, ISOFIX points, reverse camera and park sensors. Claimed consumption stayed at 10.1 L/100 km from an 88 litre tank.

One line on safety. ANCAP rates this Pajero five stars, 33.41 out of 37, for build dates from April 2013 onward. A 2016 has it. So does a 2014. A 2012 does not. Our Gen 4 buyer’s guide and the full specs page cover the rest of the range.

The Legend II is the only reason 2016 exists as a separate answer

At the end of June 2016 Mitsubishi South Africa launched the Pajero Legend II. Three door at R659 900, five door at R759 900. Cars.co.za later road tested a five door built off the higher Exceed trim at R819 900, so list prices moved during the year. What you got was roughly R40 000 to R50 000 of hardware fitted before the car left the dealer.

Engine and gearbox protection plates.
Heavy duty rock sliders on the five door. The three door skipped them because its breakover angle does not need them.
Bosal heavy duty tow bar and a chrome nudge bar.
Yokohama Geolandar dual purpose tyres on 18 inch wheels, 265/60 R18.
Garmin nuviCam with a built in dash camera and Tracks4Africa mapping.
Rockford Fosgate audio, heated leather seats and rubber mats.

Price that kit today. Bash plates and rock sliders fitted by a competent workshop, plus a tow bar and dual purpose tyres, cost real money on top of a standard car. The Legend II arrived with all of it, professionally installed rather than bolted on by a previous owner over a weekend. This is the only model year in South Africa where you can buy that, and it is the whole case for paying 2016 money.

What a 2016 actually costs against 2014 and 2018

Every figure below is a live South African asking price I pulled in August 2026 from Cars.co.za, surf4cars, MyCars and Auto.co.za.

Model year	Live asking prices found	Mileage on those cars
2014	R309 990, R328 400	280 000 km, 252 506 km
2015	R419 600, R539 890	116 878 km, 94 700 km
2016	R479 900, R499 900, R499 995	153 011 km, 130 000 km, 156 000 km
2017	R464 995	182 000 km
2018	R549 900, R579 900, R579 900	190 000 km, 88 000 km, 149 974 km

Read the odd numbers, not the neat ones. A 2017 with 182 000 km asks less than a 2015 with 94 700 km. Two 2018 cars ask the identical R579 900 with 88 000 km and 149 974 km on their clocks. Between 2015 and 2018 the badge sets the shelf and the odometer barely moves it. That is dealers pricing a year, not a vehicle.

So the 2016 sits about R170 000 above a typical 2014 and about R80 000 below a typical 2018, for a vehicle mechanically indistinguishable from both.

What has already happened to a 2016 by now, and what has not

The 2016 cars on the market sit between 130 000 km and 156 000 km. That is an awkward point. Most of the cheap jobs are behind them. The expensive ones are not.

Usually already done or overdue.

Inlet manifold and EGR carbon. Diesels past 100 000 km commonly clog the intake with baked oil vapour unless a catch can or EGR management was fitted. Ask whether it has been cleaned and whether anything was fitted to stop it coming back.
Automatic transmission fluid, transfer case and diff oils. These fall due every 40 000 km, so a 150 000 km car should show three or four of them in the book. Missing entries here cost more than they look.
Shocks and bushes. Ten years and 150 000 km of South African road finishes the originals.
Air conditioning. Failures on this generation often need the dash out, so confirm it works on a hot day.
Driver’s seat bolster, which collapses on almost all of them.

Still ahead of you.

Injectors and the high pressure pump. Wear typically shows from around 200 000 km to 250 000 km. A 150 000 km car has that bill in front of it, not behind it.
The crankshaft pulley. It is a harmonic damper with bonded rubber and it fails on age rather than distance, typically past ten years. A 2016 has just crossed into that window. Idle it, shine a torch on the pulley face and watch for wobble.
Timing chain guides. The Gen 4 guide design is better than the Gen 3 unit, but it is still the item to inspect any time the front of the engine is open.

Our 3.2 DI-D common problems guide covers each of these in detail, and the maintenance schedule lists what is due when.

The DPF question, answered for South Africa

Your South African 2016 Pajero does not have one.

CAR magazine’s launch test of the SWB Legend II describes the engine as 500 ppm diesel compatible. An engine with a diesel particulate filter cannot live on 500 ppm sulphur fuel. Mitsubishi South Africa also kept quoting 140 kW right through to the final Legend 100 run in 2021, and elsewhere in the world the 2017 update dropped peak power by 4 kW precisely because a DPF went on.

Other markets are a different story. Australian NX cars built from about October 2016 picked up a DPF. So the year on the licence disc does not settle it. The origin of the car does. If it is a grey import from Japan or Australia rather than a Mitsubishi South Africa car, check before you buy. On our fuel and our short trip driving a DPF is a liability, not a feature.

Warranty, service plan and recalls

The 2016 came with a three year or 100 000 km warranty and a five year or 100 000 km maintenance plan, serviced every 10 000 km.

Both are gone. The 100 000 km limit ended them long before the calendar did, and every 2016 on the market is well past it. There is no factory cover left on a 2016, and none on a 2014 either. Nobody in this cluster has an advantage here.

The recall picture is one genuine tick for 2016. Mitsubishi South Africa ran a Takata passenger airbag campaign covering roughly 7 449 vehicles, and CAR magazine reported the affected window as 2007 to 2013 cars. A 2016 sits outside it. Run the VIN through Mitsubishi South Africa anyway, because campaigns get extended and it costs you a phone call.

Parts

No difference by year. The Gen 4 ran in South Africa for about fifteen years, which built a deep local parts pool, and Japanese importers supply most mechanical items well below dealer pricing. Transfer case internals are the one awkward category. Our parts availability and cost guide has the detail. Do not let anyone sell you a 2016 on the argument that parts are easier than for a 2014. They are the same parts.

2016 against 2014 and 2018

Against the 2014, a standard 2016 gives you nothing mechanical. Identical engine, gearbox, drivetrain, safety kit and DPF answer. The R170 000 difference buys around 120 000 fewer kilometres and nothing else. On a vehicle that comfortably runs past 400 000 km, that works out near R1.40 for every kilometre you are buying back, which is more than the injector job, chain job and gearbox service you are theoretically avoiding.

Against the 2018, the 2016 saves you about R80 000 for the same vehicle again, but the 2018 cars on the market have wildly inconsistent mileage for identical money. An R579 900 2018 with 88 000 km is a better buy than an R499 900 2016 with 130 000 km. An R579 900 2018 with 149 974 km is not.

Which is the whole lesson of this cluster. Across 2014 to 2018 the Pajero did not change. The odometer and the service book did.

The verdict

Buy a 2016 Pajero if it is a Legend II. Do not buy a standard 2016 GLS.

The Legend II justifies its money because you buy hardware you would otherwise fit yourself at today’s prices, on a car set up properly the first time. That is a real, model year specific reason to choose 2016 over 2014.

A standard 2016 GLS or Exceed at R480 000 to R500 000 is the weakest buy in the Gen 4 range right now. You pay a 2016 badge premium for a car identical to a 2014 asking R310 000, with the injector bill and the crank pulley window still in front of you rather than behind you.

Want the cheapest sound Gen 4? Buy the 2014 with the thick service file. Want one already prepared for the Kalahari? Hunt a Legend II and be patient, because there are not many. Want low kilometres above all? Look at 2018 and 2019 and price by odometer, not by year. Our best generation to buy guide sets the wider context.

FAQ

Is the 2016 Pajero more reliable than the 2014?

No. Same 4M41 engine, same five speed automatic, same Super Select II transfer case, same known weak points. The only reliability difference between two Gen 4 Pajeros is how they were serviced and driven.

Does a 2016 Pajero have a DPF?

South African cars do not. The engine was sold here as 500 ppm diesel compatible and Mitsubishi South Africa quoted 140 kW right through to 2021. Imported Australian cars built from around October 2016 do have one, so confirm where the vehicle came from.

How many kilometres is too many on a 2016 Pajero?

Nothing under 250 000 km should scare you if the history is complete. The 2016 cars on the market run 130 000 km to 156 000 km, which is low for this vehicle. Worry about gaps in the book, not the number on the clock.

Is the Pajero Legend II worth paying extra for?

Yes, if the kit is still on the car and in good order. Protection plates, rock sliders, tow bar and dual purpose tyres cost real money to fit now. Check the plates for damage and the sliders for crush, because that hardware only counts if it was maintained.

Was the 2016 Pajero affected by the Takata airbag recall in South Africa?

The South African campaign covered 2007 to 2013 vehicles, so a 2016 falls outside it. Check the VIN with Mitsubishi South Africa regardless. Note that no 2016 has any factory cover left, so budget for a full baseline service on top of the purchase price.

The short version

A 2016 Pajero is mechanically the same vehicle as a 2014. Same engine, same gearbox, same safety rating, no DPF on South African cars, no factory cover left. Live asking prices put a 2016 around R480 000 to R500 000 against R310 000 for a 2014 and R550 000 to R580 000 for a 2018, and across that span the odometer and the service book decide the vehicle, not the year. The Legend II is the one thing that makes 2016 genuinely different, because it arrived with about R40 000 to R50 000 of off road hardware already fitted. Buy that one. Skip the standard 2016 and put the R170 000 you save into a documented 2014 and a thorough baseline service.

Own a 2016 Pajero, or a Legend II? Tell us the mileage, what it has needed so far and what you paid. We are building a real picture of what these cost to run in their second decade.

Is The 2016 Pajero A Good Buy In 2026. The Honest Answer Depends On One Badge