[Traveler]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Hi Traveler,
How is your Pajero doing off late? Any offroading that you have done in it so far that you want to share?

One more query. You had mentioned that the front seats recline all the way to become flat beds. Does that mean that they merge into the middle bench like the ones on the Xylo for example? Can you post a few pics to clarify it please?

What are your city and Highway FE figures at now?

Hi Devdath,

The Pajero is a joy. I have completed 11K kilometers this week and the second service was done a few weeks back. Have posted a service update earlier. The fuel efficiency is stable at 9.6 kmpl. My driving is almost 100 kms daily in local traffic with 100% AC usage.

I will be officiating for the Raid De Himalaya 2011 in October and will have lot of off-roading updates then. I did go out for a small recce recently and was really impressed with the Pajero's capabilities. It just goes over everything without as much as even breaking a little sweat. You dont need to rev, shove or heave, just drive as you would normally do and it gobbles up everything you can throw at it. The best part I liked was the fact that even when you are stuck at an awkward inclined angle and you need to stop and go, the Pajero does not need to be pushed at all. Just slot in the right gear and gently drive off. The clutch is awesome and so is the low end power delivery. There is actually no need for the Turbo to kick in to get the grunt and hence it is just very very polite and gentle off the road.

I remember with the Safari, I really really had to get those horses kicking by revving up the engine and making the turbo spool, only then could I disengage the clutch and hope to get out of a sticky situation. This usually leads to clutch burn in the Safari. This is absolutely not the case with the Pajero. The Pajero will pull away cleanly even at idling speeds, you can actually engage the gear, disengage the clutch and then press the accelerator and it just walks off. In the Safari the routine used to be accelerator, gear and then dump the clutch to make it go over the obstacles.

The Pajero's front seats need to be moved all the way ahead and then reclined to make them align with the middle row seats. The headrests are removed and there is a special place to stow them away as well. This results in a two full length flat beds where one could sleep. Will try to get some pictures and post them too. The procedure is explained in the manual too, although it requires a little bit of experimenting to get it done the first time.

Cheers

[dkaile]

Great review Traveler and Congratulations on a great vehicle. More pictures are greatly anticipated especially of your upgraded tyres and additional equipment levels that you have added.

Cheers...

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Traveler

Have posted a service update earlier. The fuel efficiency is stable at 9.6 kmpl. My driving is almost 100 kms daily in local traffic with 100% AC usage.

Thank you for that prompt and detailed response.

While it is well known and accepted that there are very few vehicles that can beat the Pajero off road, do you, at any point/circumstance/situation "ON ROAD", in the city or the highway feel the lack of power in the Pajero Vs your Safari?

Examples could include, cruising, overtaking, red light starts...anything where the 140BHP Vs 118 BHP difference is felt.

I know I will get an unbaised genuine answer from you.

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Thank you for that prompt and detailed response.

While it is well known and accepted that there are very few vehicles that can beat the Pajero off road, do you, at any point/circumstance/situation "ON ROAD", in the city or the highway feel the lack of power in the Pajero Vs your Safari?

Examples could include, cruising, overtaking, red light starts...anything where the 140BHP Vs 118 BHP difference is felt.

I know I will get an unbaised genuine answer from you.

,

Hi,

There is absolutely no lack of power. The vehicle is perfectly balanced. Jack rabbit starts at Red Lights are something that cannot be performed on this vehicle. The IDI engine mated to a short ratio gearbox means you hit the redline pretty quick. I would account that more to the engine and gearbox setup.

Rest I have not felt any shortage of Power at all, you should experience the way the thing moves wirhin 70-120 even when loaded. It pulls like a locomotive.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Traveler

Rest I have not felt any shortage of Power at all, you should experience the way the thing moves within 70-120 even when loaded. It pulls like a locomotive.

Looks like it is time for me to take a detailed
test drive. At what top whack does it run out of breath on the highway and till what speeds above 120 kmph is it comfortable?

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Looks like it is time for me to take a detailed
test drive. At what top whack does it run out of breath on the highway and till what speeds above 120 kmph is it comfortable?

You should do a detailed TD for sure, it will really help you in your decision. I have driven it till 160 for a few minutes on the Karnal - Pipli stretch and I think that was the best it can do. It is absolutely comfortable between 70-120. It does 120-140 with ease as well but you can start feeling the engine. Did not seem under any strain even at 160 though and it was rock solid, I have driven other cars too and usually there is one or the other issue at high speeds either wind noise, or body vibrations, steering getting too light etc. I faced none of these things and it was going flat out plain and simple. No drama, it does what it is supposed to do.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Traveler

You dont need to rev, shove or heave, just drive as you would normally do and it gobbles up everything you can throw at it. The best part I liked was the fact that even when you are stuck at an awkward inclined angle and you need to stop and go, the Pajero does not need to be pushed at all. Just slot in the right gear and gently drive off. The clutch is awesome and so is the low end power delivery. There is actually no need for the Turbo to kick in to get the grunt and hence it is just very very polite and gentle off the road.

I always believed that there is no replacement for displacement. The older large cc diesel engines have a lot of grunt. The newer smaller engines with high bhp/torque are pretty much useless until the Turbo kicks in.

I had a few instances in my Scorpio Mhawk when I had to stop and take off on a very steep incline and the engine was gasping like hell. I had to then hit the clutch, rev it up hard and let go. Even after that it barely made its way up and I was just shocked at the lack of grunt these engines have in extreme cases. I guess majority of drivers rarely come across this scenario so they may not agree with my assessment of this.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I always believed that there is no replacement for displacement. The older large cc diesel engines have a lot of grunt. The newer smaller engines with high bhp/torque are pretty much useless until the Turbo kicks in.

I had a few instances in my Scorpio Mhawk when I had to stop and take off on a very steep incline and the engine was gasping like hell. I had to then hit the clutch, rev it up hard and let go. Even after that it barely made its way up and I was just shocked at the lack of grunt these engines have in extreme cases. I guess majority of drivers rarely come across this scenario so they may not agree with my assessment of this.

The torque is proportionate to the engine displacement, so a larger displacement will always have more low end torque compared to its lower displacement sybling. HP is torque x RPM x Factor. So even low torque engines can have high HP if they can reach higher RPM at peak torque. That is one of the reasons for the Pajero's excellent low speed grunt, it has torque where it matters.

As lower RPM range translates to lower wear and tear, high displacement low RPM engines last longer. That is one of the reasons for large DG sets and ships have very low RPM, huge displacement direct drive engines. They last longer and consume less fuel.

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I always believed that there is no replacement for displacement. The older large cc diesel engines have a lot of grunt. The newer smaller engines with high bhp/torque are pretty much useless until the Turbo kicks in.

I had a few instances in my Scorpio Mhawk when I had to stop and take off on a very steep incline and the engine was gasping like hell. I had to then hit the clutch, rev it up hard and let go. Even after that it barely made its way up and I was just shocked at the lack of grunt these engines have in extreme cases. I guess majority of drivers rarely come across this scenario so they may not agree with my assessment of this.

This is exactly the problem with the Safari 2.2 Dicor as well. I literally had to dump the clutch after revving up the engine to get the thing moving on an incline. Once the turbo kicks in it runs well, but the low end power just isn't there when you need it most in these new high RPM engines.

Originally Posted by Aroy

The torque is proportionate to the engine displacement, so a larger displacement will always have more low end torque compared to its lower displacement sybling. HP is torque x RPM x Factor. So even low torque engines can have high HP if they can reach higher RPM at peak torque. That is one of the reasons for the Pajero's excellent low speed grunt, it has torque where it matters.

As lower RPM range translates to lower wear and tear, high displacement low RPM engines last longer. That is one of the reasons for large DG sets and ships have very low RPM, huge displacement direct drive engines. They last longer and consume less fuel.

I totally agree, the low revving engines do last a lot longer. Ask any Pajero or Lancer owner and they swear at a minimum life that is upwards of 2 lac kilometeres.

Also the pressure at which the fuel is injected in Non-CRDI engines is much lower translating to less stress on the Engine Cylinder and Pistons. For a comparison in an IDI Diesel Engine like the one in the Pajero the fuel injection pressure is around 1500 PSI whereas in a CRDI Engine the typical fuel injection pressure is around 36,000 psi . See this article for more details Diesel engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by Traveler

I totally agree, the low revving engines do last a lot longer. Ask any Pajero or Lancer owner and they swear at a minimum life that is upwards of 2 lac kilometeres.

2 lakh KMs? It's nothing for Mitsubishi engines. I have a 2000 Lancer Diesel which has done 1.9 lakh KMs. I swear if anyone comes to my town, I will show you how the car starts. You so much as touch the key and the engines fires up. I have started lot of new gen CRDis and non-CRdis but I swear nothing comes close to a Mitsubishi. I have seen how new gen Innovas/Vernas/Swifts start. 2 to 3 cranks. My Lancer starts at half crank. Anytime of the day. Even in freezing winters. Heck, my brand new A-Star ( a petrol car ) doesn't start as well. Nearly 2 lakhs KMs on my Lancer and not a belt broken, not a single squeak, no rattle. Toyota/ Honda may be good cars but I think Mitsubishi is a dark horse which will put even Toyota and Honda to shame in quality. Every part screams quality. And, yes, there are two Lancers in this town which have crossed 5 lakh KM mark and they are still going strong with no signs of engine requiring re-bore/overhaul or whatever. I once met a mech who said they make longest-lasting diesel engines in the world. He said you will get bored with them and sell OR you will die of old age but these damn engines will just keep going. I think this guy has a point.

[noopster]

Great thread. Just happened on it today and read it end to end. Congrats Traveler on chronicling your experiences with one of my favourite vehicles. I remember vividly the fondness with which my ex-MD spoke about his prized possession the Pajero. Somehow the vehicle has captured the imagination of car lovers which is why possibly it sells even a decade and half later!

[n.devdath]

Proudly posting the 101th post on this thread which is slowly getting the place it should due to the vehicle featured and the regular updates by Traveler:

The more I come to think of it, the more I m convinced of the reasons the Pajero still sells in its old avatar in India and is possibly amongst the most sensible buys in the 20lac INR SUV segment.

It is built grounds up to be an SUV, is supremely comfortable, lasts as long as the Sun, is great off road and decent on it (it is an SUV, not a car) and most of all, is supremely reliable.

I am taking a TD of it tomorrow and will share my views on one of the most revered SUVs in the world.

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

2 lakh KMs? It's nothing for Mitsubishi engines. I have a 2000 Lancer Diesel which has done 1.9 lakh KMs. I swear if anyone comes to my town, I will show you how the car starts. You so much as touch the key and the engines fires up. I have started lot of new gen CRDis and non-CRdis but I swear nothing comes close to a Mitsubishi. I have seen how new gen Innovas/Vernas/Swifts start. 2 to 3 cranks. My Lancer starts at half crank. Anytime of the day. Even in freezing winters. Heck, my brand new A-Star ( a petrol car ) doesn't start as well. Nearly 2 lakhs KMs on my Lancer and not a belt broken, not a single squeak, no rattle. Toyota/ Honda may be good cars but I think Mitsubishi is a dark horse which will put even Toyota and Honda to shame in quality. Every part screams quality. And, yes, there are two Lancers in this town which have crossed 5 lakh KM mark and they are still going strong with no signs of engine requiring re-bore/overhaul or whatever. I once met a mech who said they make longest-lasting diesel engines in the world. He said you will get bored with them and sell OR you will die of old age but these damn engines will just keep going. I think this guy has a point.

That really is something.
5 lakh kms is phenomenal.
Kudos then to Mitsubishi for making a true gem of an engine.
Only wish Mitsu were more serious on India.
They needed to drop their current partners HM, and move in to India on their own a long time ago.
Its still not too late, hope they wake up and smell the oportunities.
The last part of your post was hilarious. LOL!

[pgsagar]

Thanks mdsaab. Yes, while Mitsubishi's quality is at North Pole, their India operations strategy is all the way down at South Pole. I see more Cedias peering out of the pages of auto-magazines' rallying sections than on roads. God only knows what they see in HM. Sure, this brand can be revived, if they put in some serious efforts. We saw how Yamaha pulled it off. Yamaha nearly went bust in India but they came back from the brink. Will Mitsubishi? Some day, may be.

[Traveler]

Got a few little mods done to the Pajero over the last couple of weeks. Had been thinking about these for quite some time but just did not get around to do them. Finally decided to take up the work and accomplished these long pending mods.

1. Added a pair of Hood Mounted Rear View Mirrors: Took a really long time to find something that looked nice. Explored the entire Karol Bagh market but did not find any hood mounted mirrors. Scoured the Internet for over three weeks and could only find used OEM mirrors in UK. Finally got hold of a pair of Type R - Chrome ABS Hood Mounted Mirrors from a car accessories dealer who in turn got them from the distributor. They just clip on to the hood edges, no holes no drilling required. It is a big relief to be able to change lanes now without turning your head. Will post some pictures soon. Total Cost Rs. 700/- .

2. I always felt that the front seat travel adjustment was just a little short of being optimal. Being over 6' has it's disadvantages. Kept looking for a reliable way of doing it while retaining original fitting and rails of the OEM seats. Finally last weekend did a very simple modification. Took the seat off by opening the 4 bolts that hold it to the floor. Got hold of 16 stainless steel mounting brackets from the hardware guy. The bracket is used to hold heavy wooden curtain pelmets and is about 2mm thick. One side had the right size of hole for the OEM bolt to pass through, got the other side drilled for the right size. Bought eight pair of OEM nuts / bolts and spring washers of the same type as the original bolts that hold the seat to the floor. That was it. Just bolted down eveything securely. Each original mount now has two stainless steel strips bolted for double strength and extending 5 inches backward from the original mount position. The seat is bolted on the other end with the same OEM bolts. So finally I have an additional four inches of travel for both my front seats. What a relief, I finally have the perfect driving position . I was particularly happy that I did not have to alter either the seats or the original mounting holes and no drilling was done anywhere in the vehicle. Will post pictures soon. Total cost Rs. 710/- .

These two small mods were the most difficult in terms of time and labor involved but also the most useful ones on my Pajero. The mirrors are a delight and the seat travel is pure indulgence.