Torque about pulling power
ACOUPLE of weeks back we tested the Isuzu D-max XTR pick-up truck. Brute of a thing, a vehicle to give Greta Thunberg nightmares. Freaked out a few of our neighbours, too.this week another pick-up truck.why? Because I love them and because this Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian is new.
It’s the sixth generation L200 and it’s big news for Mitsubishi in the UK because a third of all the company’s vehicles sold in this country are L200s. Big news for Mitsubishi as a whole because we Brits buy almost half the L200s sold in Europe.
That’s because builders love them and so do farmers.there’s a common perception that farmers, when the harvest comes in and they’ve a bit of spare scratch in their pockets, rush out to buy new Range Rovers.
The new Land Rover Defender is being launched in a few months’ time and lots of my colleagues in the press are wondering if farmers will like it. Not at over 40 grand they won’t.the farmers I know own Ford Ranger pick-ups or the Toyota and Mitsubishi version of the same thing.
So here we have the L200 Barbarian X Double Cab, the top of the range Mitzi pick-up that will set you back £32,200 plus VAT. Four-wheel drive and leather standard.
So what’s changed over the previous Gen 5 model? For starters the engine has dropped a couple of hundred ccs in displacement from a 2.4 down to 2.2 litres. It produces 148bhp which is 15bhp less
W£32,200 Diesel – 2.2 148bhp
0 to 62mph in 12.7 seconds, 106mph top speed than the old one but the peak power arrives at 500rpm which, along with 295lb ft of torque, makes up for that. The important thing is that the engine meets EU regs and is quieter and smoother than the old ’un.
Mitsubishi hasn’t messed too much with the styling and has just given the front end the latest family look. Mitsubishi calls it ‘Dynamic Shield’. Goes with the Barbarian bit I suppose.
HILE the L200 isn’t anywhere near as aggressive looking as the Isuzu XTR, it is much more hardcore looking than before.the bonnet is higher, the headlamps have been raised 10cm and the wheelarches are squarer.
Equally important, the interior has received a serious spring-clean with improved fabrics and materials, more comfortable seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, bright trim and an infotainment that includes smart phone mirroring. It’s as good as systems that you’ll find in SUVS and saloons of the same price.
On the road the Mitsubishi feels a lot more sophisticated than the Isuzu. Like the latter it has a ladder chassis, independent front suspension and a leaf-sprung live rear axle.
Mitsubishi has put a lot of effort into making the new L200 as calm and quiet on the road as possible.they’ve done well.we’re not talking saloon car levels of quietness but there’s not too much road or wind noise.
And that smaller diesel engine has more than enough grunt to keep up with the motorway traffic.the automatic gearbox fitted to our test truck worked well, too.
I didn’t get a chance to drive it off-road but I suspect the four-wheel drive system with four different modes and hill-descent control would enable it to tackle most situations.the last L200 was pretty competent and not much has changed.
Most pick-ups will be asked to do towing duties at some point in their lives; a job the Barbarian X won’t shirk at thanks to a braked maximum towing load of 3,500kg.
Talking of weights, the payload is
1,075kg which comfortably puts the L200 above the 1 tonne cut-off that qualifies it as a commercial vehicle.
On top of that the all-up weight is below the 2,050kg threshold for commercial vehicles, which means that it isn’t restricted to 60mph on motorways. Not all of its rivals can comply with that.
Another point in the L200’s favour is that it’s narrower than the Volkswagen Amarok and Mercedes-benz X-class which makes country lanes less of a sweat.
The Mitsubishi isn’t as posh as those rivals but it’s as smart inside and out as it needs to be. It isn’t as exciting looking as the Isuzu XTR but it’s a much easier pick-up to live with.
36.2mpg 206g/km Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-max, Ford Ranger 7/10