Pick-up trucks are hairy masculine vehicles for rufty-tufty types with names like Hank, Luke or Digger who all wear rigger boots and Stetsons and say ’Howdy’. ’Only baccy chewin’, ’red-necks’ who fly the Confederate flag and live at Dry Gulch Farm at the end of a mile long rutted track could even handle one of those’, I hear you say. Well, I say’ How wrong you are’. The new L200 Barbarian long cab pick-up from Mitsubishi that can double as a work vehicle (which some might call a truck) is not only easy for little Annie Oakley to drive, but is luxurious and comfy enough for her to drive to the High School Prom - dressed up an’ lookin all pretty like. At £26,935 it’s the dearest version of the L200 - the biggest selling pick-up in the UK. It’s not only popular here with Bob The Builder, but with anyone who wants a multi- purpose vehicle that will do just about everything - and it’s so much fun too, with a ’wow factor’ to impress everyone from Hell’s Angels to Eddie Stobart drivers. It offers a trunk load of goodies inside, like sat-nav to stop you getting lost on the Lonesome Pine Trail, a reversing camera to stop you reversing over the vicars wife’s Micra, super comfy leather seats for you and three large buddies (It’s a ’double cab’), a top quality sound system, air conditioning and power windows. There’s a general feeling of well-being and ’bigness’ - thanks to the spacious front and back accommodation which is insulated from the lumps and bumps over which you will, no doubt, drive at breakneck speed on your way to the metalled highway where you will be able to cruise surprisingly quietly at speed. As well as being capable and competent off- road thanks to switch-able four wheel drive, a set of well chosen low ratios and a ruggedness that could make a charging rhino think again about arguing with that ’tough truck with the separate ladder chassis and one tonne payload capacity’, the Barbarian is quite civilised and cosseting on long main road journeys - where you can set the cruise control and climate control and just relax and listen to Dolly Parton. The powerful 175bhp 2.5 litre diesel is simply splendid and will take you to 111mph if you want - but the walloping 295lbs/ft of torque at just 2000rpm is memorable. You can tow giant boats, caravans, horseboxes and even elephant boxes - and they do say that some dentists are considering using Barbarians to extract stubborn teeth. When not flexing its biceps and just moseying into town with no load on-board the Barbarian returns a pleasing 34/35 mpg overall. (Readers might like to know that a recently tested Ford Fiesta with an atomic gearbox only managed 32mpg overall!) - So let’s not hear any protests from the lettuce munching ’Green Lobby’. Surprisingly for a big vehicle with leaf spring rear suspension, it’s safe and secure on twisty roads and - loaded or unloaded - you can cut quite a pace through bends. In todays modern times even the Barbarians adopt a civilised form. It might not be subtle to the nth.degree with its 17" alloys and glittering chrome and stainless steel exterior details but it has all the vigour and poise of a Barbary steed and - on another continent and in a bygone age - if Hannibal had been equipped with a few of these, the Romans would have stood no chance, such is the overall capability on or off road. This is one Barbarian that will deliver the goods without brutalising your wallet. Hannibal would have really appreciated that trunk load of goodies and ’Alp-eating’ capacity - and while it packs more punch than a pachyderm, it’s invested with the style and poise of a catwalk model. So there you have it. The new Barbarian is as versatile as a batallion of brainy octopuses with so much grip to spare as to make suckers of its rivals.
Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian Auto
On fleet since: June 2010
Official combined mpg: 30.1
Performance: 0-62mph 13secs / 109mph
Power/Torque: 175@4,000rpm / 258@1,500rpm
List price: £27,346 (inc VAT)
Insurance group: 9E
Options: fitted Tow bar with single electrics (£264.38), aluminium load liner (£511.13), aluminium gas lift load cover (£1486.38), 4x bike racks (£235)
Price as tested: £29,842 (inc VAT)