TECH TALK By Ralph Longley
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Overall , I was most amazed at the ease with which the Pajero Sport towed the caravan . With a little effort at the start , the turbo kicks in assisting in maintaining reasonable acceleration up to the posted speed limit . Freeway cruising was also impressive , maintaining a comfortable 90km / h with the cruise control being activated on the flat sections . The overall ride with the caravan on tow was smooth though , some sections of rough roads does send the shock waves through the vehicle . Luckily the very comfortable cabin isolates the road noise absorbing most of it . The Pajero Sport brakes were a bit of a surprise . I found the brake pedal is very sensitive providing a very positive stopping result with little pressure . In fairness , it didn ’ t take long to adapt .
Pajero- Independent - multilink coil springs and stabiliser bars . Note , the suspension has been lifted 50mm using Lovell ' s heavy duty springs and shock absorbers with Polyair air bags also fitted . The well proven 3.2L 4 cylinder diesel still has the power to comfortably tow the caravan well in most situations . Off from the lights , the strong torque of the motor maintains excellent acceleration to the posted speed limit . The 5 speed gearbox changes are extremely smooth both in auto or when using manually . The climbing of hills is achieved at a steady pace with the usual lower gear and more right pedal . One thing to be aware of in all automatic vehicles is the rapid increase in gearbox temperature when towing , especially in hilly terrain . I do have a torque converter lock fitted to the Pajero which vastly reduces gearbox temperature . You can physically watch the gearbox temperature gauge needle drop when switching the torque converter lock on . For the sake of trying to balance the test between the Pajero Sport and Pajero , the Pajero torque converter lock was not used during the actual recorded towing test .
Fuel - Diesel
The Pajero Sport has a smaller 68 L tank V the Pajero ' s 88L tank . The fuel usage can be an important factor when considering the capabilities of both vehicles . The overall fuel usage of each vehicle towing over the test route was very close , thus the larger capacity fuel tank in the Pajero was most beneficial .
Economy – ‘ Before Towing ’
First off , a disclaimer ! The Pajero being tested can be described as typical of a Pajero that has modifications for both towing and exploring off the beaten track . The Bull Bar , Winch , Underbody Protection and Rear Cargo Racking add approximately 150k to the overall weight . The bull bar also greatly reduces the frontal aerodynamics .
PRE-TOWING , I tested both vehicles over a 35k circuit over a 7 day period ( 245k total ) comprising local suburban and freeway driving . Both vehicles were driven as smoothly as possible to gain the best fuel economy . Additionally , both vehicles were fitted with standard all terrain tyres , and were driven at various times in both 2 and 4WD .
30 Vol 34 No . 6- AUG / SEP