With the Land Rover Defender not long for this world, the Mitsubishi L200 pick-up truck is in with a shout of being the world’s most serious old-school 4x4 very soon.
With off-road ability to potentially embarrass a NASA moon buggy, and a go-anywhere/carry anything attitude for less than £30k tested, it’s a Swiss Army knife among cars. But can it do the everyday as well as it deals with the apocalypse? Read on for the CAR verdict.
I’ve always secretly liked the idea of a pick-up truck like the Mitsubishi L200
If you’re into the subject, you’ll know the L200 has a reputation among pick-ups like AK47s have among rifles – it’s a veteran, but still a dependable, useful piece of kit. As far as reliability goes, an L200 is about as likely to go wrong as an egg-timer – just the ticket if business depends on your do-it-all 4x4 getting to the job on time, whatever the weather or terrain.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi combines Bear Grylls-esque hardiness with all the toys a man could want on, well, a Swiss Army knife. Special edition L200s all sport aggressive names (Animal, Warrior, Trojan) but our test car brandishes the ‘Barbarian’ name on its illuminated steel kickplates. So while on the outside you’ve got a steel-toed hobnail boot, inside it’s a branch of Curry’s.