So far, the Mitsubishi Destinator has been met with a fair bit of fanfare. Judging by the reactions on social media, it’s been generally positive, although some have poked fun at the name.
That said, we saw a couple of comments expressing their disappointment, thinking that it’s the successor to the Montero Sport. Perhaps it’s a knee-jerk reaction, but the Destinator, clearly, isn’t.
Where did the confusion come from? Perhaps it’s the angle of the photos, making it appear larger than its dimensions suggest. It could also be due to the fact that an even larger Mitsubishi SUV model was spied recently, allegedly the Pajero revival. To clear the air, we’ll tell you where this new crossover sits in the Mitsubishi model hierarchy.
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The Mitsubishi Destinator is classified as a compact crossover. With dimensions of 4,680mm long, 1,840mm wide, and 1,780mm tall, those measurements firmly place it in that category. To give you a general idea of its size, the Honda CR-V is 4,691mm, while the Toyota RAV4 is at 4,600mm.
What about the Montero Sport? It’s a much bigger vehicle at 4,825mm long, 1,815mm wide, and 1,835mm tall. That puts it in a completely different size classification, and because it’s a pickup-based model, it’s as far removed from the Destinator in terms of vehicle class since it’s a midsize SUV.
To simplify, the Destinator slots in between the XForce and Montero Sport. That’s not just in terms of size, but also its market positioning. It’s better to say that it’s a smaller alternative to the Montero Sport, but not an outright replacement.
The differences are even clearer under the hood. The Destinator uses a 1.5-liter turbopetrol mated to a CVT, which has become commonplace in the compact crossover market. For the Montero Sport, it’s a 2.4-liter turbodiesel paired with an eight-speed automatic. Again, totally different powertrains aimed at vastly different target demographics.
If it’s still not clear enough that the Destinator is not the Montero Sport replacement, well here’s a bit of news for you. Mitsubishi itself has confirmed that an all-new Montero Sport/Pajero Sport will arrive soon. In fact, that was confirmed years ago by the company. They specifically said Pajero Sport, and not ‘a successor to the Pajero Sport.’ As for the that model, it’s expected to debut sometime in 2026.
So, for those who want a Montero Sport-sized SUV from Mitsubishi, it already exists. It’s called the Montero Sport.
