NEW - As it has just passed its forties, the Mitsubishi L200 is being renewed in a context of tighter taxation.
The automobile has become the hated beast of government. Not a week goes by without new taxes or restrictions on her freedom of movement. The pickup truck does not escape this new order. Considered until now as a commercial vehicle, this colossus of the road, which carries a dumpster behind the passenger compartment, was exempt from malus. The advantage has just partially fallen. Since July 1st, the 5-seater double cab model has been subject to the ecological supermalls of 10,500 euros. A double penalty for the same vehicles that were already subject to the TVS (company car tax) since January 1. Through these decisions, some people thought they saw a desire to punish a few evil spirits who were circumventing the malus affecting a 4×4 by falling back on a 5-seat pickup truck. Who can believe that people convert to this kind of automobile simply because they are avoiding a tax penalty?
Mitsubishi, like its competitors, would have done well without this regulatory tightening as the sixth generation of the L200 prepares to invest in the concessions. Under the pressure of the supply explosion, the market has almost doubled in a few years. Last year, France registered 26,200 units of these vehicles, which have established themselves in the landscape of wine estates, stud farms, and mountainous regions. But since the beginning of the year, the trend has been reversed, with the market down 7.7%. This is not the business of the diamond company, which readily admits that the L200 is the most profitable vehicle in the entire range.
Produced in Thailand
Sold to already more than 4.7 million units, the pickup truck is a true religion for Mitsubishi, integrated into the Renault-Nissan Alliance since autumn 2016. Bearing the global vehicle label, the L200 will be sold in 150 countries. The European versions will always leave the Sittipol factory, two and a half hours south of Bangkok, Thailand. At a rate of thirty-eight copies per hour and a high labor rate for the final assembly phases. Then, the L200s are transported to the port of Laem Chabang, located just ten minutes from the plant.
The new generation L200 will not go unnoticed. Converted to the manufacturer's new "Dynamic Shield" aesthetic signature introduced by the latest concepts, this line features a very expressive grille and additional headlamps embedded in the corner of each end of the shield. The result is an impression of robustness that echoes the "rock-solid" concept that underpinned its design. The slimmed LED optics are raised by 100 mm and positioned 700 mm from the ground. Still built on a ladder chassis, the L200 will be available with two bodies, the Club Cab with 4 seats and a half rear door with an opposed opening and the Double Cab with 5 seats exceeding its brother by 90 mm to reach 5.30 m long.
The more refined interior presentation is similar to that of an SUV. The center console forms a single block right down to the center tunnel. The dashboard is covered with foamed plastic and access to the touch-screen infotainment system is more intuitive. Escaped from the vehicle register of the field vehicle, the L200 accesses the latest driving assistance. It prevents the presence of vehicles in blind spots or the appearance of a vehicle when exiting the vehicle while reversing and detects vehicles and pedestrians thanks to its pre-collision system. The 360-degree camera controlling the surroundings of the pickup truck will unfortunately not be available in Europe. However, it allows following the evolution of the machine on an off-road course. Its performance has been revised upwards to face the hollow roads.
New 150 hp diesel block
The L200 features the HDC electronic downhill speed control system and a new off-road mode to avoid traps on all types of surfaces: gravel, snow, sand, and rocks. The damping of the rear suspension has even been recalibrated to preserve comfort in all circumstances. The adjustment is even a little too flexible, as we checked during a brief introduction.
The range has been simplified to the extreme since the 2.4-liter 150 and 180 hp diesel engine is replaced by a new 2.2-liter 150 hp diesel engine with an AdBlue tank. A new 6-speed automatic transmission will only be available with the double cab silhouette submitted to the supermalls.