Weekly Treasure: 1995 Mitsubishi Pajero Mini VR-II

We're all familiar with the Mitsubishi Pajero, aka the Montero. Sadly, the Japanese automaker announced late last summer thePajero SUV was being discountedwith no direct successor planned. The Pajero/Montero hasn't been sold in the US since the end of the 2006 model year, leaving SUV duties to theMitsubishi Outlanderwhich is really a crossover. It has nowhere near the same off-roading capabilities as the Pajero.

The Pajero, like most old school body-on-frame SUVs, is thirsty for fuel and that made it unattractive to many buyers, even in its home country of Japan. Japan is also the one country that takes pride in ultra-small vehicles, called kei cars. Back in 2013, kei cars held a 40 percent market share in Japan, but have dropped ever since because the government increased the kei car tax by 50 percent in 2014.

Kei cars are not limited to ultra-mini city cars but also include SUVs, such as older generations of theSuzuki Jimnyand the Mitsubishi Pajero Mini. Sold only in Japan from 1994 until 2012, the Pajero Mini rode on a different platform than the regular Pajero but received very similar exterior styling. But don't let its diminutive dimensions fool you; it's a highly capable 4x4 powered by naturally aspirated and turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engines. It was also extremely lightweight, tipping the scale at around 1,900 pounds.

经典迷你也完美的rival for the second and, later, third-generation Jimny. A few years after it debuted, Mitsubishi widened and lengthened the Pajero Mini in accordance with new kei car regulations.