With a million inhabitants, Turkey's multi-storey resort of Antalya is expanding as quickly as concrete can dry. As you leave, rough tarmac gives way to asphalt, asphalt to gravel and gravel to glorified goat track. The perfect setting, therefore, for Mitsubishi's latest assault on Bob the Builder.
What's with the radical new shape?
The all-new L200, on sale this month, is a crunch car for Mitsubishi. The predecessor triggered a 354% market surge since 1998 and led the entire pick up segment since 2001. Three in ten Mitsus sold in Britain are pick ups, so the replacement must sustain that appeal.
What of the details?
It's an all-diesel, one-engine affair. Starting at �12,249 for the two-seater 4Work, the new L gambols in with 21PS more grunt (now up, to 134bhp), being propelled by a Euro 4-compliant common-rail 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine. It promises 31% more torque and significantly less vibration and rattle than before. Standard spec includes ABS, electronic brake distribution, a limited slip diff and CD player with MP3 compatibility. Fitted with fold-down jump seats, Club versions of 4Life and 4Work models are available, along with full, four-seater Double options. The 4Life spec, from �13,499 for the Single, includes air con, central locking, keyless entry and electric windows.
And further up the range?
The loftier Warrior spec adds stability and traction control (so helping to harness the power increment, now boosted to 160bhp) and has automatic air con, an electric rear window and 17-inch alloys. This model can be chosen only as a Club or Double (for �16,999), while the top level Animal and Elegance packages, which include leather, sat nav and automatic gearing, are available only as Doubles, the latter priced at �19,999. Mitsubishi says Double cab sales, incidentally, will take up 80% of the chart with Single cabs accounting for just 5%. Builders clearly have friends.
So it's the spec that sells it?
It'll fare well, value-wise against Nissan's increasingly popular Navara and Toyota's forthcoming Hilux. But it isn't all about contents, of course. The new L200's killer punch may well reside in its looks: in a world of boxy, sharp-cornered pick ups, it stands out like a peach. Someone, some time, had to tear up the dreary old Lego template for pick ups and Mitsubishi is the first, signalling a curvy, organic shape that promises to put the fun back in functional.
And inside?
The designers say it was crucial to banish any notions of bog-standard transport and cosset the occupants with true car-like comfort. Job done: from every seat in the four-seater versions (now longer by 150mm and loftier by up to 250mm) this is a wonderful place to scowl down on all those inferior saloon cars. From the driving seat though, there is one caveat: as before, the L200's seating position feels like your bottom's too close to the floor and your toes too high, disturbingly akin to the optimum position for tobogganing.
A jack of all trades then?
Like the builder who starts two jobs and finishes neither, there's always a danger that the L200 might be too posh to be a proper pick up and too brown-collar to take out for the evening. Yet that's not an issue here. For a start, in does its day job exceptionally well, even on goat tracks, where you can quickly switch from two-wheel drive to four (or crawling super-low range) with minimal fuss. It's now fitted with a stronger ladder frame and feels tough as nails. Back in the town, despite the bulky proportions, the new model has a 5.9 metre turning circle, so you can do a nimble turnaround in the city without triggering mass road rage. It also means it can be parked, rather than berthed.
And good to drive?
It's not easy to determine how sophisticated the L200 is on open roads when tarmac is scarce, but driven at 60mph through a quarry, things remained fairly calm and quiet inside with no consequent dentistry bills to report. The steering is nicely weighted and precise, the suspension never flustered and - even when negotiating boulders that burst the tyres of several test models - the entire cabin remained squeak-free.
Who'll sign up?
With 1000 advance orders taken already, Mitsubishi says the target for sales is 12,000. If you're a 42-year-old man who isn't allergic to tabloid newspapers, requires a tough vehicle for work AND leisure, yet expect a pick up to be safer, faster, cleaner and friendlier, you might as well paint a red spot on your chest right now. But even if the only thing you've ever built is a sandcastle, this newcomer might make sense: with around 30mpg being achievable and (as long as you buy a four-seater) the VAT all refundable, the L200 is an appealing proposition, whatever the colour of your collar.
Tiscali rating: 8/10 Comes loaded with attitude as standard
