The Multi Meter — the Pajero’s dash-top cluster of off-road gauges — is one of the SUV’s most loved signatures. Over four decades it evolved from a set of analogue needles watching the engine, to an off-road navigation pod reading altitude and incline, to the fully digital, reconfigurable display arriving on the 2026 model. Here’s the full history, generation by generation.
What is the Pajero Multi Meter?
The Multi Meter is the auxiliary instrument cluster Mitsubishi fits in addition to the main speedo and rev-counter — a small pod, traditionally mounted high on the dash or above the centre stack, that feeds the driver real-time terrain and vehicle data: incline, altitude, compass heading and temperature. Multi Meter is Mitsubishi’s own name for it (and no, it has nothing to do with an electrician’s multimeter); owners usually shorten it to “MM.” More than a gadget, it became visual shorthand for serious off-road intent — a promise that the truck was built to be read like an instrument panel out on the trail.
Generation 1 (1982–1991): the engine-watch cluster
The story starts with the original Pajero. On the top trims, Mitsubishi added an auxiliary cluster of three analogue gauges — an inclinometer (tilt), a voltmeter and an oil-pressure gauge. The emphasis here was watching the vehicle itself on long, remote drives, not navigating terrain. It suited the first Pajero’s billing as an unusually civilised, instrumented 4×4 for 1982, a vehicle that also offered a turbocharged diesel, double-wishbone front suspension and power steering when rivals did not. This is the cluster some recent coverage of the new model mistakenly described as “the” classic pod — in fact it was only the first of two very different setups.
Generation 2 (1991–1999): the icon arrives
This is the pod almost everyone pictures. The second-generation Pajero moved the auxiliary gauges into a dedicated binnacle above the centre stack, and the focus shifted decisively to the trail: it read the vehicle’s pitch and roll angle, a compass heading and an altimeter, with outside temperature and, on some units, barometric pressure. In an era when an inclinometer was genuinely useful kit for the places these trucks were sent, the pod became a badge of honour for anyone who actually went off-road.
For restorers, this is the era worth knowing by part number. The combined altimeter-and-inclinometer display on the V31–V43 models carries the OEM code MR749863, with companion compass and thermometer panels (part numbers in the MB775503 / MB775504 family) — components that South African and UK owners still hunt down today, often at a premium. It’s also the generation that includes the sought-after 1998–99 “blister fender” variant, the pick of the bunch for local collectors.
Generation 3 (2000–2006): refined, and now optional
The third-generation Pajero (CK in South Africa; NM and later NP in Australia) kept the off-road pod — altimeter, compass and temperature — but it became a trim-level feature rather than standard equipment. Base models went without; higher grades got the “MM” display, by now sometimes tied into the climate and trip-computer systems. The name Multi Meter was already owner shorthand by this point. One bit of local trivia: the South African facelift switched the compass background to blue around 2004, a handy way to date a Gen 3.
Generation 4 (2006–2021): the pod goes quiet
The big 2006 redesign reorganised the dashboard around a binocular-style main cluster and a raised colour display atop the centre stack. The standalone binnacle of analogue needles effectively dissolved into the multi-information screen — the data didn’t vanish, but the distinctive separate pod did. That quiet retirement is exactly why the 2026 car frames the Multi Meter’s return as a revival rather than a continuation: for most of the Gen 4 run, the icon simply wasn’t there in its classic form.
Generation 5 (2026): the Multi Meter reborn
The all-new Pajero — sold as the Montero in the Americas and Spain — revives both the name and the look. The new Multi Meter is a reconfigurable digital display reading altitude, outside temperature, roll angle, pitch angle, compass heading and, new for the modern era, left-to-right torque distribution across the axles. The round-dial styling deliberately echoes the Gen 2 and Gen 3 analogue gauges, and Mitsubishi has even released a teaser video tracing how the display evolved across the generations.
There’s a twist this time: the Multi Meter is becoming a brand-wide signature rather than a Pajero exclusive. Versions of it now appear on Mitsubishi’s Destinator and on the XForce in some markets, turning what was once a flagship party piece into a family-wide off-road cue — and fuelling talk of a compact Pajero iO revival built around the same idea.
Why the Multi Meter matters
Part of it is pure function — knowing your incline, altitude and torque split is genuinely useful when you’re picking a line up a climb or reading the weather at altitude. But most of it is identity. The Multi Meter is a visible promise that the Pajero is built to be navigated across real terrain, not just driven to the shops, and it ties the 2026 car straight back to the Dakar-era roots where that reputation was forged. For owners of the older trucks, the original analogue pods have become collector pieces in their own right — a small cluster of needles that still says, at a glance, exactly what kind of vehicle this is.
The Multi Meter at a glance
| Generation | Years | What the pod showed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | 1982–1991 | Inclinometer, voltmeter, oil pressure | Engine/vehicle monitoring; top trims only |
| Gen 2 | 1991–1999 | Altimeter, inclinometer (pitch & roll), compass, temperature (some barometric) | The iconic pod; OEM altimeter/inclinometer = MR749863 |
| Gen 3 | 2000–2006 | Altimeter, compass, temperature | Trim-dependent; owners’ “MM” |
| Gen 4 | 2006–2021 | Folded into the multi-information display | Standalone pod retired |
| Gen 5 | 2026– | Digital: altitude, temperature, roll, pitch, compass, torque split | Reconfigurable; name and look revived |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Mitsubishi Pajero Multi Meter?
The Multi Meter is the Pajero’s auxiliary off-road gauge cluster, fitted in addition to the main instruments. Traditionally a dash-top pod, it shows terrain and vehicle data such as incline, altitude, compass heading and temperature. Owners often call it the “MM.”
What gauges were in the original Pajero Multi Meter?
It depends on the generation. First-generation models (1982–91) used an inclinometer, voltmeter and oil-pressure gauge. The famous second-generation pod (1991–99) read pitch and roll angle, a compass and an altimeter, plus outside temperature and, on some units, barometric pressure.
Which Pajero generations had the Multi Meter?
All but the fourth, in some form. Gen 1 had an engine-focused cluster, Gen 2 introduced the iconic off-road pod, and Gen 3 carried it on as a trim option. Gen 4 (2006–21) folded the data into a multi-information display, and Gen 5 (2026) revives it as a dedicated digital Multi Meter.
What is the part number for the Pajero altimeter and inclinometer gauge?
The combined altimeter-and-inclinometer display on second-generation models (chassis codes V31–V43) carries the OEM part number MR749863, with companion compass and thermometer panels in the MB775503 / MB775504 family. These are the units restorers most often search for.
Is the Multi Meter coming back on the new Pajero?
Yes. The all-new Pajero, due for an autumn 2026 world premiere, brings back a digital Multi Meter that reads altitude, temperature, roll, pitch, compass heading and torque distribution — a modern, reconfigurable take on the classic analogue pod.
Is the Montero Multi Meter the same as the Pajero’s?
Yes — the Montero is the Pajero under a different market name, so the Multi Meter is identical. Mitsubishi sells the same vehicle as the Montero in North America and Spanish-speaking markets.