Three Mitsubishi GDI PAJEROs, a new model powered by a 3.5-liter V6 GDI engine and launched on May 7, recently covered the 880km journey from Tokyo to Sapporo (Hokkaido) without refueling. The GDI PAJEROS left Tokyo on June 3 and arrived in Sapporo on June 5. This demonstration of the outstanding fuel efficiency of the GDI engine follows that by a GDI GALANT sedan, powered by a 1.8-liter GDI engine, which drove the 1,100km from Tokyo to Fukuoka without refueling in September last year.

The GDI PAJEROs that completed the journey without refueling were the PAJERO V6 3500 GDI Exceed and PAJERO V6 3500 GDI Super Exceed long body versions (tank capacity of 92 liters) and the PAJERO V6 3500 GDI ZR-S short body version (75 liters). All three vehicles were fitted with Mitsubishi's new INVECS-II with Sport Mode 5-speed smart automatic transmission. The three new GDI PAJEROs were accompanied by a PAJERO V6 3500 (port-injection) long body model for comparison. Each vehicle carried a two-person male and female crew, ages in the twenties or thirties, who took turns at the wheel.

The GDI PAJEROs set off from Mitsubishi Motors' head office showroom at 10am on June 3, taking the Metropolitan and Tohoku Expressways en route to Aomori at the northern tip of Honshu where they spent the night. The next day, the GDI PAJEROs boarded the ferry and crossed the Tsugaru Straights to Muroran where they spent the night. On the third day, June 5, they arrived at the head office of Hokkaido Mitsubishi Motor Sales in Sapporo at 11am. None of the GDI PAJEROs had refueled on the way. The PAJERO V6 3500 had retired at the Iwateyama service area on the Tohoku Expressway on the first day after the fuel warning light came on, 584km out from Tokyo.

The amount of fuel consumed and average mileage for the three GDI PAJEROs was as follows: GDI PAJERO Exceed, 68.7 liters (12.8km/l); Super Exceed, 65.2 liters (13.54km/l) and ZR-S, 66.3 liters (13.3km/l). On these figures, the Super Exceed could have driven almost as far as Kushiro (1,246km) at the eastern tip of Hokkaido before completely emptying its fuel tank.

The V6 3500 GDI engine powering the GDI PAJERO series is an environment-friendly unit that returns 30% better mileage, delivers 10% more power and cuts the CO₂ emissions that contribute to global warming by 30% compared with its port-injection counterpart. Mitsubishi Motors intends both to further develop the environment-friendly GDI engine and to use it power a wider range of models in the company's lineup.