Pajero iO: Compact but powerful 4WD

With rivals such as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, and the Land Rover Freelander, the Pajero iO joins the family of the small four-wheel drive wagon vehicles.
Aloysius Mukendi, a car enthusiast, says that buyers need not be confused by the Pajero name.
“This is a smaller car built on a way smaller platform. Nonetheless, there are a few parts resembling those found in the Lancer range such as the lights,”he emphasizes.
Stability
While some may say that this little road master is not so good off-road, Matthew Mukwasi whose way home is filled with bumps and the situation gets worse in the rainy weather, with skidding, is thankful for the choice he made to buy the iO. “When other small cars are skidding and failing to move, switching from two-wheel drive to four wheel drive is all I need to manoeuvre. There is never a day that I get stuck irrespective of the road condition. That is also due to the great ground clearance.”
Apart from the four-wheel drive and clearance, Mukwasi says shifting into low range gives the vehicle adequate engine braking to deal with some serious uphill or downhill drives. “The underbody protection it has also means you don’t need to ‘baby’ the car when the going gets tough on trails and in bushes.”
Emma Magezi, a mechanic in Wandegeya, also applauds the Pajero iO because of its impressive “Super Select” four-wheel drive system that is akin to that of its bigger version. “That allows the Pajero iO to be driven in either two- or four-wheel drive. That is something its rival small 4WD wagons cannot do. And for that, it stands out on wet and soggy roads, where extra traction is needed to prevent unwanted wheel spin, as well as add to the car’s stability.”
Other perks
This impressive small 4WD is available as a three-door, with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder or five-door with 1.8-litre four cylinder. Richard Male drives the five-door iO and he says: “It came with air-conditioning, remote locking, a driver’s airbag, power windows, power mirrors and good looking alloy wheels.” However, he is not happy that there are no passenger airbags. More to that, if he were to seat adults only, they would struggle for leg room, more so for those in the second row.Interior
Andrew Musoke, a frequent traveller, has to make do with the available luggage space but wishes he would get more. “For a family of four, the iO does not do us good because its luggage space is wanting. That calls for some of it being put on the second row seat, which crumples the occupants there. But we have learned to make do with it because of its 4WD pecks,” he says.
Erica Natasha, a stylist and car owner, hates the strip of carpet trim on the dashboard. “Whoever thought about doing that was not serious. First of all, it traps dirt so bad, something that gets worse in hard to reach places. Then, the colour combination is so dull. I wish they had used hard plastic instead.”
Martha Mondua is unhappy about how the plastic in her car is starting to flake. “I wonder if the manufacturers had the tropics in mind. It’s been just a few years of having it and the plastic behind the rear driving mirror is flaking. I wonder if the driving mirror won’t fall off someday.”
While Mercy Musana loves the fact that the vehicle makes manoeuvring through town easy, she wishes it were more comfortable. “It is bouncy when driving off-road as bumps are felt as though the shock absorbers were worn out, even after replacement.”
Fuel consumption
Adrienne Kiwanuka cries about the amount of fuel she has to use for the iO when compared to other 1.8 litre cars. “With cars of its engine, I would spend no more than Shs50,000 a week for town travels, but with this one, that amount is done by Wednesday which is so costly for me,” Kiwanuka says.
Magezi explains that, “The 1.8-litre is underpowered for the 1330kg weight of the automatic iO. That means you need to use a lot of power. The four-cylinder, which is what it uses regularly to keep things moving along, is also a little harsh at its maximum power seeing that its moderate torque peak of 165Nm is at 4000rpm.”

Specs
Front: Disc - ventilated
Rear: Drum
Suspension:
Front: Independent, McPherson struts with coil springs & anti-roll bar.
Rear: Five link rigid axle with coil springs.
Transmission: Five-speed manual or four-speed automatic
Steering: Rack and pinion.
Fuel tank 53 litres
Equipment: Airbags for the driver but optional for the passenger; anti-lock brakes; central locking; power mirrors; power windows; security; sound system, four speakers.