Alternative review of MitsubishiI L200 Pick-Up

As you probably already appreciate, pick-up trucks are not the most feminine of vehicles. Their popularity is based on the rough 'n' ready image, the chunkily imposing road presence and the theoretical ability to tackle some seriously arduous terrain. Everything on a modern pick-up seems to be oversize, chrome-plated or both, then you have the fact that they're officially classed as commercial vehicles not cars. So why would anyone want by a pick-up truck to serve as family transportation? It's a question that I asked myself more than once before taking delivery of Mitsubishi's latest L200. I was expecting something that was seriously rough around the edges, a handful to drive and uncouth in the extreme. I have to tell you, however, that the vehicle which turned up outside my house proved not to be lumbering beast that I had marked it down as. In the past, my less than favourable pick-up preconceptions may not have been confounded quite so thoroughly but this L200 is one of the latest breed of pick-up. These models retain the snarling outward appearance while incorporating a softer side beneath. You can safely think of the L200 as a family 4x4 featuring an open loadbay on the back without being too far from the truth.

The L200's great strength is its versatility. The L200 is a commercial vehicle but Mitsubishi have carefully devised a range of models that can cater for the full range of requirements from business to domestic. The versions that family buyers will be interested in are the double cabs - models with a full row of seats behind the driver and passenger - and, more specifically, the higher specification double cabs. The version I tested was called the Warrior, an L200 derivative that fits this bill well. The double cab's five-seater layout provides a decent amount of legroom for the rear passengers and seat backs angled at 25 degrees which make a pleasant change from the staunchly upright seating provision found in older double cab pick-ups. The load area is shorter that in the more utilitarian single cab L200s but at 1,325mm in length, can still be described as massive by family 4x4 standards. The problem with the load bay is that it's exposed to the elements but this drawback is easily remedied by the range of load cover options that Mitsubishi can supply. With a full hard-top load cover on the back, the L200 can offer the kind of cavernous carrying capacity you would get in a large estate car with its rear seats folded down - the advantage being that, in the pick-up, you still have room to seat five people. If you have the kind of family which always seems to have assorted bikes, dogs, sporting equipment and other bulky items in tow, the ability to just chuck it all in the back without worrying about folding seats down, removing them completely or muddying upholstery is not to be underestimated.

If you expect the worst combination of roly-poly body control and agricultural engine, the L200 will be a revelation. Pick-ups of old just weren't up to scratch when it came to serving as comfortable family transport but this model is massively superior to those. If you're comparing the L200 to the best driving experiences in the family 4x4 sector, it's still a fraction off the pace but when you look at the other advantages the pick-up delivers, it seems churlish to be overly-critical. The L200 has a 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine which is available in 138bhp or 165bhp forms. The model I tried had 138bhp and this seemed adequate for the kind of relaxed cruising around I was doing. The vehicle corners quite stably considering how far it's jacked up on those oversize wheels but it really comes into its own on pot-holed streets and over speed humps. The heavy-duty suspension on the L200 takes this kind of urban obstacle in its stride having been designed to bounce off boulders and ford rivers out in the wilderness. Undulations in the road can set off a bouncing motion in the springs and you can imagine this provoking travel sickness in children on longer journeys. The cabin is very comfortable with a pronounced futuristic feel to the dash and controls. Everything seem solidly put together and there's nothing obvious that little fingers could pull off, although more storage space would have been nice. The driving position is just like that of a conventional car except that you're a good two foot higher up. Wind noise is quite prominent at motorway speeds and the engine isn't the most refined diesel out there but it's no more than you would expect from many family offroaders. It's easy to forget that you're at the wheel of a commercial vehicle.

The L200 is a vehicle that can fulfil a number of roles and as such, it's an easy vehicle to live with. From the school run and trips to the shops to motorway journeys, towing a trailer and even serious offroad driving, it can do it all. Perhaps it's not as adept across the board in these situations as some other products but few can do all this with the same carrying capacity as the L200 and fewer still can do it at an equivalent price.