ON desert dwellers are going to have a lot of fun with this one! The 2007 Mitsubishi L200 Diesel is a surprisingly agile vehicle in the best traditions of on-and-off road one-ton pickups. The vehicle combines a sense of style with an eminently practical approach to what it was designed to do: Work.
Aimed at the crossover market — five days for work and two days for family — the L200 gets away with being a very comfortable truck and a reasonable motorcar. With a utilitarian interior and a minimalist dashboard, the L200 has what, for example, a delivery driver would need to be comfortable and safe. This is not a luxury vehicle; it’s a reasonably priced workhorse with some panache.
The distinctive body styling with the sweeping curved rear passenger doors visually separates the cab from the work area — a result of the crossover idea. It has the longest cabin length of the market segment at 215.3 cm for the double cab.
The smooth front end with its commendable ground clearance and high angle of attack made the truck a nimble performer in the rocky wadis and sand where many buyers will use it. The rear of the truck sports very visible lights and a decently threatening chromium double fender.
The rounded edge of the hood provides the L200’s driver with an unobstructed view of the road. It also contributes to the truck’s low drag coefficient (0.46 to 0.51), the lowest in its class. The new model has the lower fuel consumption and a lower wind noise level than the earlier ones.
Even with the 2.05 pickup road tyres inflated to road pressures, it performed admirably offroad in the four-wheel drive high range, never once feeling as if it was going to bog down. Low transfer was rarely necessary — but was handy in deeper sand as the low revving engine, despite its torque low down the rev range, was not entirely comfortable with a light foot.
The common-rail 2.5-litre direct injection diesel engine produces 100KW/136 hp at 3,400 rpm and the torque was very evident and impressive — 314 Nm at 2000 rpm as opposed to 214 Nm for the 2.4 petrol engine version. Its target fuel consumption is set to be the lowest in its class and the service interval is now every 20,000 km. In local conditions oil changes might sensibly be more frequent.
All this conspired on the road test to give a few of the shebab (young Saudi men) in their El Cheapo GT Micro-Nasties pause for thought: Zero to 100kph in 12 seconds is not Formula One — but for a diesel family pickup with hay on the back?
As it is a truck, without a load and over the bumps of minor roads in the test route, it wallowed like a jet-ski. Two hundred kilos in the back however and the leaf suspension calmed down and the ride became a whole lot smoother with seemingly little effect on straight-line performance. The reinforced ladder chassis provides tremendous strength and rigidity — thus making it safer in the event of a crash and providing a hugely strong carrying platform. The chassis incorporates a hydro-formed box section and impact-absorbing beads. While these crumple zones absorb the energy of an impact, other reinforced structures direct impact energy away from the occupants. I am informed, the double walled galvanized cargo deck which takes a standard Euro palette and is rated at one ton capacity can carry considerably more; the lads at Mitsubishi it seems have done their local market research.
The L200 also has a 2.7 ton towing ability. The L200 drives more like a car than a truck on the highway. A great deal quieter at legal maximum speeds that some SUVs, it has a top speed of about 165 kph and you could easily hold a conversation without raising your voice while cruising effortlessly at 140 kph. Airbags fitted for front seats and a simple but perfectly satisfactory radio/CD player provide in-cab entertainment. On the test model, a centre-mounted box in the dashboard provides a sensible volume of space for pens, notebooks and the paraphernalia delivery drivers have to carry.
The low-ratio — four and a half turns from lock to lock — power steering leads to a little imprecision in guiding the L200 but you get used to that. Neither does it have at 5.9 meters the turning circle of a car but, given the 5m length and 1.8m width, reverse parking in town was easy — especially with the excellent all round visibility provided in part by — Oh joy! — handsome, large and very well positioned external mirrors. At last! A manufacturer who understands. European designers please take note: in many export markets overtaking — legal or not — takes place on both sides of a vehicle.
The manual gearbox — five speed and reverse — is light and for the main part positive. Reverse was at times a little tricky to find. The two/four wheel transfer however was simplicity itself and very easy to use with a separate lever neatly to hand alongside the gear lever. Flicking in and out of two/four wheel drive was smooth and positive at speeds up to 60 kph, sufficient to allow momentum to be maintained on approaching sand hazards.
The braking, achieved with ventilated discs at the front and drums rear, was soft but adequate and noisy. ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution packages are available and probably a sensible minimum. Perhaps we were under-loaded, but the Bridgestones the L200 was fitted with protested loudly and often, even during quite modest deceleration. The car never lost traction but I could have done without the diversion of the rustic chorus below.
After a week with this willing and very lively little truck, its attraction as a modestly priced and well thought out vehicle was obvious. It redefines the convention that trucks should be solely utilitarian. This one was fun. Visiting an official government establishment a confused security guard stopped me and phoned ahead. “But he’s in a pickup,” he wailed down the phone to a surprised official.
Well, sort of; there is going to be a whole re-education process starting with the new L200.
