My car was on display at the Pajero Club stand. As it was close by, the guys offered to install it for me. Plug and play
they tell me. They did explain the process, but it went over my head. I was more than happy for them to do it. All I
can tell you about the installation really is that it took one guy literally just a few minutes to complete. No more.
I was given these basic instructions by the installer. Set it to AC for normal driving (Automatic Control), U1 for
offroad driving (Ultimate)and E1 for towing (Economy). There is one setting on AC and 9 settings on each of the U
or E modes. Economy was recommended for towing because it eases the pressure on the hitch.
I initially went against his advice and set my unit on U1 on the advice of fellow club member Ed Reddick, who already
had one in his FJ Cruiser. So off I went. Almost immediately, the difference in acceleration I felt was amazing. The
response was instant. Quite a sudden and unexpected ‘burst of power’ is what I felt. My car didn’t even think about
going. It just went. Instantly responding to my command.
It didn’t take too long before I noticed my trip computer showing my fuel consumption hovering around 20 to
30L/100km. My car normally travels at around 11 to 13L/100km. Even less on a freeway. So, as you could imagine,
this was a bit of a concern for me. Yes, I was excited about the throttle responsiveness, but I now had new concerns
around fuel consumption. I did a bit more research when I got home and again came across mixed responses. No
real answer. Some people stated fuel economy was poorer and others claimed it improved. I knew the only way to
be confident was to conduct my own evaluation.
‘Let’s be clear that this is not a professional or scientifically controlled evaluation. This experiment was
conducted by me alone.’
The vehicle used was my 2015 Mitsubishi PC Challenger running on diesel. During this experiment, I made sure too
consistently source my fuel from the same service station. I ran a full tank on each of the different settings
comparing the mileage. I did my best to avoid changing my driving style but admit that it ultimately would vary
between modes mainly due to the responsiveness of the car.
Mode KM Litres KM/Litre Litre/Km
U1 385 50 7.7 0.130
AC 380 48 7.9 0.126
None 365 45 8.1 0.123
U4 373 49 7.6 0.131
E1 362 47 7.7 0.130
0.14
0.12
0.1
Litre/Km
U1 AC None U4 E1
In conclusion
When it comes to fuel economy, bottom line for me, the difference in fuel consumption between each of the modes
was insignificant. Interestingly, and for whatever reason, it became clear that the trip computer in my car was
initially playing games with me as the fuel economy was now showing more realistic numbers.
‘In theory, you should expect to use more fuel with a throttle controller as throttle lag is the main factor in
achieving better fuel economy.’