Outside the performance figures given above it's difficult to quantify the performance other than saying that when you put your foot down, the big 'Cruiser just gets up and goes. You certainly can't detect any lag, although with the automatic transmission any lag that may be present would be masked.  

Turbochargers work best under load and I guess that 2000kg worth of 'Cruiser and typically poor 4WD aerodynamics provide all the load that the turbo needs.  

In the past, when you turbocharged an engine, you usually lowered the compression ratio to prevent detonation or knock damage when the engine was working under boost conditions, the end result being poor off boost performance. Contemporary engines like the 4.5 have built in knock sensors, so there's no need to drop the compression ratio and hence there is no loss in off boost performance. Peter Luxon does however recommend the use of premium grade unleaded fuel to ensure the engine will deliver its best on boost.  

The engine also offered a good match to the automatic transmission although it was probably over keen to kick back to first or second in urban driving conditions.. Conversely, on the highway it seemed happier, and it worked better as a result, to hold on to overdrive or third in situations where the standard engine/transmission combination can be indecisive and change down unnecessarily.  

As mentioned, the fuel consumption differed little from standard, but this would depend on driving style and driving conditions. I averaged 16.5 1/100 km for the Sydney-Melbourne back roads trip, about 10 per cent up on what I could expect from a standard vehicle operating under the same conditions. I've no doubt that the turbo 'Cruiser driven at the same speeds as a standard vehicle would use no extra fuel. But as the extra power is there you tend to use it when overtaking and on hills, and that's when more fuel is used.  

In closing, I was also very impressed with the Safari Turbo Systems 'Cruiser's handling.