How often do you plan to use the 3rd row? If you are going to use the car more as a 5 seater, then the Pajero would be a soild choice, mainly because of its cavernous passenger and cargo space due to its boxy design, true 4×4 capability, and tough-as-nails durability. But once you put in more than 5, the 3rd row passengers will be complaining of its narrow and short seat that severely lacks knee and legroom.
Explorer on the other hand has seats that could fit 7 adults comfortably, and cabin thats way polished and advanced compared to Pajero. My concern would be the exaust fume issue which has been plaguing this generation of explorer since 2012, has not been completely resolved yet based on what i've been reading (hoping current gen explorer owners could clarify this).
If between these 2, Pajero would be my pick, especially if I won't be needing more than 5 seats. Or if you can hold on, I'd suggest wait until the new Mazda CX-9 comes out
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