Super Select 4WD Explained

Super Select 4WD is the clever drivetrain that makes a Pajero so much more usable than an ordinary part-time 4×4. Mitsubishi’s system gives you four distinct modes — 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc — and, crucially, lets you run four-wheel drive on dry tar without binding up the transmission. For South African owners who mix daily commuting, gravel passes, wet highway runs and serious off-road work, that flexibility is the whole point of buying a Pajero.

This guide explains exactly what each Super Select 4WD mode does, when to select it, how the centre differential works, why it beats a basic part-time system, and how Super Select II on the Pajero Sport refines the idea. It sits alongside our broader Pajero Technical Guides, so you can match your driving to the right mode with confidence.

What makes Super Select 4WD different

A simple part-time 4×4 locks the front and rear axles together solidly. That is great in the dirt, but on grippy surfaces the front and rear axles cannot rotate at slightly different speeds through corners, so the drivetrain “winds up” and binds. You must drop back to two-wheel drive on tar. Super Select solves this with a centre differential between the front and rear outputs. In its on-road four-wheel-drive setting, that centre diff allows the necessary speed difference, so you can safely run 4WD full-time on any surface — including dry tarmac.

When you need maximum traction, you lock that centre differential, sending power firmly to both axles. And for steep, slow, technical terrain you add a low-range reduction. That combination — an open-then-lockable centre diff plus low range — is what gives Super Select its four modes.

The four Super Select 4WD modes

The selector marks the modes as 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc. Here is what each one means and when to use it in real South African conditions.

2H — your default on tar

In 2H the Pajero drives the rear wheels only. This is your everyday setting on sealed roads: it is the most economical, gives the lightest steering and reduces drivetrain wear. There is no reason to use anything else for ordinary commuting.

4H — full-time 4WD for everyday grip

4H drives all four wheels through the open centre differential. Because the diff allows front and rear to turn at different speeds, you can use 4H on any surface, including wet tar — which is exactly why it is so valuable in a Highveld thunderstorm or on a fast gravel district road. Most owners shift between 2H and 4H on the move at moderate speeds; check your owner’s manual for the speed limit.

4HLc — centre diff locked, high range

The “Lc” stands for “lock centre”. Locking the centre differential forces an even torque split to both axles, so if one axle starts to slip the other still drives. Use 4HLc on genuinely loose or slippery surfaces — deep sand, mud, snow — where you still want to carry some speed. Do not use it on high-grip tar, because with the centre diff locked the drivetrain will bind exactly like a part-time system.

4LLc — centre diff locked, low range

4LLc adds low-range gearing on top of the locked centre diff. This multiplies torque and slows everything down for control, which is what you want for steep, rocky climbs, controlled descents, deep mud and recovering a stuck vehicle. You must be stopped (and usually in neutral) to engage low range. This is the mode for the hardest terrain.

The viscous coupling and centre differential

On classic Super Select systems, the centre differential is paired with a viscous coupling unit in 4H. As the front and rear axles begin to turn at different speeds — for example when one end loses grip — the viscous coupling progressively tightens and shuffles torque toward the axle with traction, all automatically and before you even reach for the lock. It is, in effect, a self-acting limited-slip behaviour in the high-range full-time mode, which is a big part of why a Pajero feels so planted on slippery roads compared with a basic 4×4.

The simple rule: centre diff open (2H or 4H) for grippy surfaces, centre diff locked (4HLc or 4LLc) only where the tyres can slip. Locking on dry tar is what causes transmission wind-up.

Why Super Select beats part-time 4×4

• Full-time 4WD on any surface — 4H is safe on wet or dry tar, so you get four-wheel traction in sudden rain without stopping to engage or disengage hubs.
• One system, four jobs — economical rear drive, all-surface 4H, locked high range and locked low range cover everything from the school run to a Sani Pass climb.
• Automatic torque management — the viscous coupling reacts to slip before you do.
• Less drivetrain abuse — because you only lock the centre diff off-road, you avoid the wind-up that punishes a part-time system used carelessly.

This drivetrain works hand-in-hand with the engine under the bonnet. If you are running an older 2.8 turbo-diesel, our Pajero 2.8TD (4M40) Engine Guide explains how that low-down torque pairs with low range for sure-footed crawling.

Super Select II on the Pajero Sport

Super Select II is the evolved system found on the modern Pajero Sport. It keeps the same familiar 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc layout and the same centre-diff philosophy, but updates the hardware and integrates it with electronic traction aids. Instead of relying on a viscous coupling, Super Select II uses an electronically managed centre differential, and it works together with the brake-based traction control and selectable off-road drive modes (such as gravel, mud/snow, sand and rock on equipped models). The result is the same do-anything flexibility, now backed by electronics that brake a spinning wheel to send torque where it grips. The operating logic for the driver, though, is reassuringly unchanged from the original Super Select 4WD.

Frequently Asked Questions

For the rest of the picture, work through the full Pajero Technical Guides hub and, if you are shopping, our Used Pajero Buying Guide: The 20-Point Inspection. Got a mode question of your own? Ask the regulars over at the SA Pajero Community.