Last Updated: 10/09/2009
MITSUBISHI L200 - Long Bed fits the bill
Does 180mm of extra load bed length make any difference? Certainly in appearance you do notice that the back end of the new Long Bed Mitsubishi L200 looks slightly extended, but can you really make good use of that extra capacity?The answer is yes, if you actually want to put something in the back, which is let’s face it the main reason for buying a pick-up. In many ways the L200, like every other pick-up on the market, has been a victim of it’s own success in terms of cab choice. While you can order a single cab, or even the half-way-house club cab, the majority of buyers, particularly in the higher specification Warrior and Animal versions, opt for a double cab.
The problem for all manufacturers is that having convinced their ‘lifestyle’ customers to buy a pick-up, they found that those same customers actually wanted to imitate the advertising and carry things in the back, from tools and equipment during the week, to off-road bikes and jetskis at the weekend.
But as the cab gets bigger, so the load bed has to shrink to compensate for the extended passenger area. Either that or the vehicle just gets longer in overall length, which is exactly what has happened to the Mitsubishi now, with overall length going up from 5m to 5.18m. However as the firm points out, that is still 3mm less than a standard Nissan Navara.
Having abandoned their cars in favour of a pick-up, complete with big alloys, body graphics and air-conditioned leather interiors, many people found that a double cab simply wouldn’t accommodate their weekend toys in the way that they had hoped.
Certainly I have never been able to carry a trials bike in the back of a double cab without the back wheel resting on an open tailgate, which is neither particularly safe nor secure. But as the pictures show, with Mitsubishi’s Long Bed Warrior, not only will the bike go in easily, but you can shut the tailgate too. This is something that you simply cannot do in a standard bed double cab.
It’s not just the length of the bed either. Where the standard truck’s rear end curves in slightly at the top, following the rounded lines throughout the design, the Long Bed’s rear end is far more conventional, its tailgate rising vertically to square off the back of the bed.
Not only does this look better to my eye, but in combination with a bit of extra height at the rear, it results in increased load volume, which is always useful. Mitsubishi says that it will sell the Long Bed alongside the conventional pick-up, but if it proves popular I wouldn’t be surprised to see the older design gradually being dropped.
The Warrior specification provides a useful lift over the more basic models, with 17” alloys, stability and traction control, super select 4WD, cruise control, chrome door mirrors and handles, climate control, a leather clad steering wheel and gear shift, and a chrome rear bumper bar all coming as part of the package. If you want leather, sat-nav or Bluetooth though, you will need to stretch to a few options or the more expensive Animal L200.
The good news is that while the Long Bed costs £750 plus VAT on most models, including the Animal, it only adds £250 plus the VAT to the price of a Warrior, and that includes the engine upgrade. Money well spent indeed.
That gives the L200 Warrior double cab, long bed, truck a CV list price of £18,649 plus the VAT. Alternatively you can order it with an auto box for £19,449, or with leather trim for £19,849.
An extra 180mm might not sound like much, but for the L200 it is a valuable addition, particularly to those who need as much carrying capacity as possible. Throw in a considerable power hike and this is a major mid-life improvement for one of the best selling pick-ups on the market.
UNDER THE BONNET
Of course in today’s ultra competitive market, a 180mm stretch in bed length is not going to be enough to make many customers part with their cash. So Mitsubishi has also upped the ante under the bonnet.
In the past Mitsubishi has offered a number of power upgrades for the L200, but from now the line-up has been simplified, with all Warrior and Animal high grade trucks getting 176hp as standard, up from 134hp and 166hp respectively. The regular 4Life and 4Work L200s will continue with the basic 134hp.
That 176hp now makes the L200 the highest powered standard truck on the market, just ahead of Nissan’s 171hp Navara. Certainly the Warrior has plenty of get up and go, though for me the more powerful engine simply highlights the fact that the truck would really benefit from a sixth gear in its manual box.
Though it pulls really well, and will cruise happily with the traffic, the engine does drone a bit. That said, the standard cruise control does make the Warrior an easy truck in which to cover the distances.
Be prepared to pay at the pumps though, 27-28mpg on a run to Lancashire and back was not particularly impressive, though to be fair the engine was still fairly new and things would improve with a few more miles under its wheels. Given that we got better results from an automatic Hilux last month though, the L200 would have to improve by quite a bit.
The 176hp motor has the same 12,500 mile/12 month service intervals as before though, and the truck is covered by a three year/100,000 mile warranty with three years of European breakdown cover. You can also purchase Mitsubishi’s Service Plan with the L200. This covers the first three scheduled services at a fixed cost of £395 plus VAT.
