Our Vans: Mitsubishi L200 2.4 MIVEC
20 July 2016: Family fortunes
The Details
| Current mileage | 4424 |
|---|---|
| Claimed economy | 42.8mpg |
| Actual economy | 33.6mpg |
The L200 is a great weekend vehicle. Big, brash and spacious enough for a family of four, it simply needs a wash down and clear out to be transformed into a family wagon. All double cabs are the same and it’s the key reason that they are the most popular pick-up bodystyle in the UK.
Obviously, if you have read my regular updates, you will know that the L200 is not a cheap thing to drive on a daily basis. Far from it, with fuel economy ranging from 30-35mpg, it can get quite expensive and a full tank of fuel will cost the best part of £70, but only last about 500 miles.
That said, the big Mitsubishi is fun to drive and loved by kids of all ages, owing to its macho image and thunderous engine note. Over the past few weeks I've been putting the L200 into force as a family vehicle, with regular shopping trips and days out to London. For the most part it fulfils its duties, even if parking can be somewhat of a chore owing to the L200's gargantuan size.
For the weekly shop, the L200 isn't that great. Given that it is a huge pick-up, with a one-tonne load bed, that might sound strange, but when it comes to storing your shopping bags there really isn't much space. You see, that huge load bed isn't much use for storing your fruit and veg, or weekend supply of vino. On the contrary, in the load bed, your shopping will be smashed to bits, owing to the fact that it will roll all over the place. This means everything has to go in the back, between the back seats.
The L200 load bay is great for work, but rubbish for carrying the weekly shop
Loading five or six Tesco bags in the back can result in squashed passengers too. It also sees things falling out. Just last week I found that I couldn’t move the driver's seat back. The cause? Two tins of bake beans, jammed under the seat.
On the plus side, the L200 is rewarding to drive at the weekend, especially when it involves heading off the beaten track for cycling. I'm quite a biker and regularly take my pick-up to Thetford or Hunstanton for a Saturday mountain bike session. For this, the large load bay is perfect, so long as you tie down the bikes beforehand. Otherwise they’ll bounce along (or out) of the load bay, causing damage to both.
My rural runs have also given me a newfound appreciate for the navigation, with the colourful touchscreen and simple directions making it simple to get to your destination. Regular readers of Our Cars will know it is rare that I ever find a navigation device that I like. But the L200 has impressed.
Given that I've been carrying four passengers for much of the past two weeks, fuel economy has dipped a couple of points to 33.6mpg. If truth be told, I've given up ever reaching Mitsubishi's claimed figures and succumbed to the fact that my weekly fuel costs will be in the £45 ballpark.
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