The Sunday News
My mechanic advised me to get rid of my Chariot GDI, any advice?
Mitsubishi Chariots came in their scores a few years back and at their peak they were the talk of town. Offering seven-seater capability, they were a good choice for many.
A few years down the line, there aren’t many of them still on the road — one can be seen once in a short while with the signature GDI Grandis smokey exhaust. That should say something about the Mitsubishi Chariot GDI. Now, is it a keeper or you are better off without it?
The model from the 2000s we are talking about is not bad looking; I wouldn’t mind driving it myself it’s quite nice with its boxy looks. Facelift models have crystal xenon lights.
Unlike other 7 seater minivans it never had the sliding doors at the back. It had the conventional doors of a sedan.
The downside about these doors on a minivan is that they are rather long and opening them in tight parking spots is a major mission. But that shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Comfort comes standard on these cars like most of the Japanese cars. The interior is usually light coloured fabric on the seats and side panels and of course you always find a few with leather interior.
Roll down windows are available on all 4 doors. Some minivans do not have roll down windows like the Elgrand, Granvia and the like so this is a plus.
Normally the chariot has a front-wheel drive set up with option for 4WD.
The engine is transversely positioned and driven by drive shafts infront and makes use of a transfer case, prop-shaft and differential at the back for 4WD.
Most of the chariots come with automatic transmissions that seem to survive the long haul. Their automatic transmissions have manual shift mode meaning you can manually shift gears back and forth or you can simply put it in automatic mode, whatever rocks your boat.
The engine driving this big baby is a 4G64 2,4 litre 4 cylinder engine and its GDI standing for Gasoline Direct Injection. Its strength is good fuel economy and good power delivery. Cars with direct injection deliver more power and use less fuel.
This Direct injection technology however, hasn’t worked that well with us here in Africa or narrowly in Zim.
It has been a problem so far and the list of cars with this technology includes the Nissan DD engines and Toyota FSE engines.
Basically, direct injection means the injector sprays fuel directly into the combustion chamber.
Cars can be judged in many ways; looks, performance, durability etc. I like to judge according to durability mainly because I do not see the point of having a fast and beautiful car only for a short while. I would rather have a car that’s not all that but lasts the mile.
That does not mean I fancy a Fiat Multipla type of car, the point I’m trying to make is that you just need to have the best of both worlds. The Chariot quite frankly is not that.
Simply put, it breaks down, it starts smoking, you will begin to hate it and soon enough you will give up. That’s why most of them are off the road now.
The problem is the GDI system. As I said earlier its gasoline direct injection. Again, that means the injectors spray gasoline directly into the combustion chamber.
That means the chamber has valves, spark plug and the injector. This magic doesn’t quite last the mile because excessive pressure usually affects these injectors.
The engine is the heart of the car, when the heart fails, you might as well use it as a chicken run or get another engine and wait for it to give in and believe me it doesn’t take that long for it to surprise you again. So if you come across anything that says GDI walk away.
Perhaps this is what your mechanic was trying to warn you about. Personally I think it’s wise to stay away from anything that has direct injection.
Normal Electronic Fuel Injection EFI has proven beyond doubt that it’s the best thing that ever happened in the automotive industry after the carburettor. The direct injection technology is good for power and fuel economy but saving the pennies and the planet as it may, hasn’t proven itself so reliable.
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