BUSINESS TRAVEL
Mitsubishi goes back to basics
REVIEW:Mitsubishi L200 4Life Club Cab BY SUE COOKE
J
ust a note for any car designers who might read this article. It’s not very easy to negotiate a touch screen while happily bowling along the
road, particularly if you have large fingers. To have an audio volume controlled by a simple button that you twiddle and a station selection which is controlled by a tune-in button, as in the new L200, is marvellous. Sometimes it is very good to get back to basics. But in terms of practicality, performance and safety, Mitsubishi Motors L200 Series 5 is most definitely not basic and the pick-up has been winning awards since before it was launched in the UK in 2015. Auto Express magazine named it ‘Pick-Up of the year’ in 2015, a title which it retained in 2016. The L200 also won ‘What Van’ magazine’s ‘Pick up of the year’ title in 2016. New for 2016 are Single Cab 4Life and Club Cab
4Life variants which have improved specification, fuel economy and driving dynamics over its predecessor. I found it quite easy to access the interior using the
stylish silver side step in the Club Cab model and an inside hand hold. And it wasn’t far to slide down onto the tarmac for my 5’6” frame. To access the very upright rear seats with headrests which flip up in the Club Cab, a small rear hinged door with hidden opening, gives a wider access for larger passengers. Head room and leg room are a little compromised in the rear. The cargo space is huge and very usefully there are drainage holes, so after a night of hard rain you won’t find a swimming pool of water. Storage throughout the cabin is excellent with a particularly deep space between the front seats. The introductory model has no satellite navigation and as a female I missed a mirror on the sun visor. And again, going back to basics, the L200 has steel wheels and a full size spare wheel, but there is state-of-the-art technology with active stability and traction
control, hill start assist and trailer stability assist. In the cabin, technology includes Bluetooth with music streaming. Once behind the wheel the L200 feels very car-like
to drive and it was surprising to see that in my local supermarket it occupied 1.5 car parking spaces lengthwise. Pick-up trucks are fundamental to Mitsubishi Motors.
Globally, the company has six decades of pick-up production, accounting for the sale of more than 4.1 million vehicles. An entirely new vehicle from the ground up, the L200 has seen significant improvements in 330 areas, with the result being the ultimate vehicle for commercial duty, combined with SUV-like refinement in quality and dynamic performance. Mitsubishi says that the L200 Series 5 driving experience is a generation ahead of any other pick-up on the market and I did find the 2.4 litre engine performed very well on tarmac with a slick six speed manual transmission. Unfortunately I did not get the chance to drive off
road, but Mitsubishi says it is as competent climbing up a mountain or navigating a building site as it is comfortable on a motorway or around city streets. The vehicle retains the marque’s reputation for ruggedness and durability, and continues to have the best easy to select 4WD system. Indeed, it is the only pick-up that can be driven permanently in 2WD and 4WD on tarmac and off road and has a towing capacity of 3,000kg (braked). The Mitsubishi L200 enjoys new technology, performance and practicality, but retains the best of the simple, easy to use basics.
MODEL:Mitsubishi L200 Series 5 Double Cab
PRICE £23,083.80 – Inc VAT
ENGINE: 2.4 litre turbo diesel 151bhp
PERFORMANCE: 0-62 in 12.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 105 mph
CO2 EMISSIONS: 180 g/km
COMBINED FUEL CONSUMPTION: 40.9mpg
You can follow Sue Cooke on twitter @cookecars
intelligence PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 insight 29
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