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I know you've said you want to keep it, but I figured I'd pose the question anyway - some mods are in opposition to a vehicle's utility. What do you get if you lower an SUV, put narrow LLR tires on it, remove the cargo attachment points (roof rails), and downsize the engine?
Google tells me the petrol GV has a fuel consumption of 10.5 L/100. A Honda Jazz Shuttle ends up having similar cargo space and seating capacity (and here, a lower price, even) with a fuel consumption of around 3L/100. What it lacks compared with the GV is that it's lower, has narrow tires, a downsized engine, and no rooftop cargo attachment points.
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That said, if it's a vehicle you love (which is the best reason to buy and keep something), to me the biggest fuel eater appears to be the automatic transmission. I'm uncertain how many gears are in yours, but a search seems to suggest the autos available for that generation are not very economical gearboxes.
My experience has been that a V6, if geared correctly, isn't much of a penalty over a smaller i4 when cruising on the highway. The biggest increases in fuel consumption for the larger engine are around town, and on cold starts. With like-for-like gearing the v6 will consume more fuel in all scenarios, of course.
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