King of the Road

SEVERAL motor companies seem to like giving their cars numbers as in the Audi A4, likewise Volvo with their C30; Peugeot 208 and so on.

I find all the numbering a bit confusing and prefer a proper name for a car like a Focus, Scenic or Civic. But did you ever hear of the Mitsubishi L200?

Well I drove the new version of the L200 last week and it was massive.

I don’t know what the L200 stands for, but it sure was a powerful 4×4.

In other countries Mitsubishi has used names like: Triton, Storm, Rodeo, Magnum and Warrior for the L200. Yeah, I like the last one, I think Warrior sounds appropriate.

When picking up the L200 I asked Gavin Flood, Mitsubishi Motors Marketing Manager, what type of person would buy one. He said that the L200 has always had a loyal and broad customer following and is purchased by people who need to reach difficult locations. When you need seating for five, carry a lot of equipment and need to get to your destination, no matter what the ground conditions are, then it looks like the L200 is the vehicle for you. The L200 is used by Irish Coast Guard, Fire Services and Mountain Rescue teams.

The big problem with driving a pick up like the L200 in Ireland is our unpredictable weather. A pick up is fine in the US or Australia where the driver can call in to his or her local store and place the purchased goods in the open area at the back. Imagine in Ireland trying to bring home a bag of cement in a pick up truck with an open back. The cement would be washed away by the time you get home. Thankfully the L200 I drove last week was covered in and the cement would have been dry, if I was in the building game. The cover spoils the

‘country’ look of the pick up, but unfortunately in Ireland it’s necessary.

This is a powerful truck with a 2.5 litre engine now producing 178 brake horse power. Most of my driving was on city streets, but being a farmer’s son I know the various jobs it could be used for and you should able get up half up a mountain if you need to feed those sheep.

It’s was smooth enough on the open road and I felt like the King of the Road because of the high driving position. In the double-cab version I drove there is room for five people. It was wet last week and having passengers in the back made it very cosy. It’s a really long motor and you need to be careful when reversing as there are no parking sensors. And it’s extra long if you leave down the door at the back which can be very useful if you are trying to lift something heavy into the cargo area.

Prices start at

?¬32,742 for the 2.5 litre double cab manual version.

The automatic version will cost you around

?¬3,000 more. If you live in a remote area or need to get to a remote area, then you will appreciate the power that this massive pick up offers and road tax is only

?¬310.