Mitsubishi Colt Rodeo 2.8 TDi
More Power & Performance | Cylinder Head Conversions | Turbo Diesel Tuning

GENERALLY speaking, car enthusiasts would measure the efficiency of an engine modification as a percentage of the standard vehicle's performance figures. By the same token, they would measure the price of said modification as a percentage of the original vehicle's cost. Taking the above as a guideline, the technicians from Steve's Auto Clinic in Johannesburg have just created the bargain of many decades.

Adding their SAC Super conversion to the Mitsubishi Colt Rodeo 2.8 TDi comes to R7,150 - just more than 3,4 percent of the standard Colt Rodeo R240,400 purchase cost. And, tested on a dynamometer, the SAC Super Colt Pioneer 2.8 TDi produces 85,7 woof power on the rear wheels - almost 25 percent more than the standard bookie's 68,7 kW. There is more. The SAC Pioneer TDi goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 14,0 seconds versus the standard bakkie's 17,25 seconds, and from 80km/h to 120 km/h in 10,45 seconds versus the standard vehicle's 13,17 seconds - both improvements of over 20 percent. In terms of grunt per Rand, that makes in-credible sense. "We consider the Colt 2800 turbodiesel as one of the most robust diesel leisure vehicles in the country, but in standard form there are areas that can be improved," says SAC power guru Mark Jones. "We came up with an engine package that improves performance, reduces fuel consumption and increases reliability by lowering the unit's exhaust gas temperatures," he adds.

To achieve the above, the SAC engineers gas-flow the engine's inlet ports, re-profile the camshaft to suit the improved air-flow and replace the standard exhaust with a low-pressure free-flow system. Finally, the engine's injector pump settings are optimized via a careful, pain-staking dynamometer tuning procedure. "Try it - you will probably find it impossible to go slowly," Steve said when delivering the Super Colt. 

What he did not mention was the reason - other bakkie drivers would react to the vehicle like a bull to a red flag. With "108 kW Power - 11,5 km/I Fuel Consumption" emblazed on its side and back, the SAC Colt is an open invitation for every other vehicle owner of likewise figures to test its steel.

Staring straight ahead at robots, carefully avoiding eye-contact and pulling away extra-gently only lasted one trip. After that, we figured that the Mr. Nice-Guy act and the bakkie's looks did not match. And, taking up the next few challenges brought a brilliant surprise from the Super Colt. Kept between 2 500 and just over 4 000 rpm, the bakkie pulls like a tug-boat in every gear including fifth. Revving it higher avails one nothing - you have to Think Torque to go quickly - and, while going quickly, it would give drivers of various larger, petrol-engine double cab bakkies a serious wake-up call.

We believe all of SAC's performance figures - the Super Colt is without doubt the most drivable, enjoyable diesel-powered bakkie that we have ever laid our hands on. Likewise with their fuel consumption figures. We do not possess fancy equipment to monitor fuel usage, but thinking that the fuel gauge is broken by the third day of the test is always a good indicator of frugality. With this evaluation mainly concerned about engine performance, we did not stretch the 4 x 2 long-wheelbase Colt's handling capabilities. However, we can report that it handles like every other Colt we have driven - initial under steer when cornered briskly, accompanied by rapid over-steer / front-end brake lockup in the wet.

Like all of the Steve's Auto Clinic conversions, this one carries a standard warranty of six months or 20,000 kilometers. It must also offer the best value for money in the market.

The SAC Colt 2, 8 turbo diesel conversion is available countrywide - to find out more, go to the SAC website on www.steves.co.za.