FOR those on a budget looking for a medium SUV that can handle the rough stuff, there are slim pickings these days. The Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Prado have become $60k propositions in the favoured mid-level spec, leaving a void in the $40k price bracket that a dwindling number of genuine off-road capable SUVs fill, especially since the BL Kia Sorento has gone. The Mitsubishi Challenger adds an attractive, well-equipped alternative to the off-road wagons from Jeep and Nissan.

THE PA Challenger arrived in a five-seat, five-door configuration and 136kW/265Nm 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine to slot in under the Pajero in Mitsubishi’s off-roader range. Sharing its platform with the Triton, the Challenger even shared Triton’s leaf spring rear suspension until 2000 when they were replaced by coils as part of a facelift of the model, which included revised front-end treatment.
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