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144 
itsubishi 4x4s are now truly fit dork
Page 13
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• by Colin Barnett Any thoughts that Mitsub shi had abandoned the working vehicle market in favour of the "lifestyle" sector have been thoroughly dispelled with the launch of a greatly expanded range of CV products. In its new 21-variant "4Work" VAT-friendly line-up, every one of its 4x4 range is now available as a van, and the working versions of its pickup range have effectively been re-launched.
There is now truly a van for everyone, from the three-door Shogun Pinin as just under 111,000 to the five-door Shogun proper, which will need only a couple of ticks on the options list to take it past 128,000 (all prices here are ex-VAT).
The increased scope of the range has been helped by the VAT man's recent warming to the use of opaque glazing for the rear side panels, avoiding the need to replace it with steel, a technique already used by Land Rover and Tata. As well as being easier to produce, it gives the attraction of a van that looks like an estate car with privacy glass. Mitsubishi has used it on the three new long-wheelbase models, the existing short-wheelbase, three-door Shogun and Shogun Pinin Commercials keeping their existing steel panels.
Ail models apart from the Sport and the pickups are available with automatic transmission, and both Shogun models and the Shogun Pinin LWB can be had in high-spec Equippe versions. We sampled various examples of the 4Work range, both on road and on a challenging off-road course that, surprisingly, offered simultaneous views of Heathrow and Northolt airports. Before this re-launch and without any apparent heavy-duty marketing initiatives, Mitsubishi made an astonishing start to 2002 with the L200. It now reckons to have settled down at around 40% of the UK pickup market. A pair of nofrills single cab models, with either 4x2 or 4x4 drivelines, kick things off below, moving on to four more highly trimmed double cab versions, including the wonderfully named Animal and Warrior models.
We sampled the basic 4x2 model on the road only to find that basic doesn't have to mean spartan. The equipment and trim levels were surprisingly high. Standard interior features include cloth trim, twin airbags, rev counter, power steering and a decent radio/cassette player. The outside is well protected by a cab protection frame, doubleskinned load bed and tailgate and a reinforced sump guard.
The 4x2 has the same 2.5-litre, balancer-shaft charge-cooled diesel as
the 4x4, but lacking variable geometry technology On its turbocharger, the difference being 88hp instead of 113hp. Not having the low transfer box ratios of the 4x4, the gearing is necessarily rather low, and cruising in ffth has you reaching for the non-existent sixth, but the legal limit is reached with ease.
Unlike virtually all the other pickups on the market, including its own 4x4 siblings, the 4x2 200 has coil-spring, doublewishbone front suspension, rather than torsion bars. The unladen ride, normally a pain with this type of vehicle, is surprisingly good, unlike the brakes. Although they eventually worked adequately, their initial feel was the worst we've experienced in a long while.
Shogun Pinin
The smallest model in Mitsubishi's CV line-up bucks the established trend somewhat by not offering any diesel versions. It is powered either by the 113hp 1.8-litre MPI engine, which comes with permanent four-wheel drive, and the 127hp 2.0-litre GDI directinjection unit, with selectable 4x4. A brief drive off-road in an MPI version revealed it to be surprisingly flexible for a petrol engine, which combined with a highly manoeuvrable chassis to create a very versatile on/offroad van.
Shogun Sport
Before gaining its current identity, the Shogun Sport effectively began life as a passenger-bodied pickup, the Challenger, But the change is so well done that you'd never suspect its humble origins, especially when treated to a generous helping of "automotive timber" around the interior. We tried the Shogun Sport on the off-road course, and were impressed by its flexible engine and the excellent articulation of its suspension, front torsion bars and coil-sprung live rear axle. Progress was limited only by the firmness of the ride.
Shogun
The range-topper is one of those rare beasts, the van that wouldn't invoke a sneer from the doorman at the Savoy. We have to admit to wondering who it's aimed at, but maybe the MD of a small haulage firm who occasionally needs to move bulky spares could be tempted. The glazed look means that if you're a bit smartish getting your golf clubs out of the back, no-one would ever guess you weren't driving the 135k real thing.
The example we tried on the road proved to be quite the most luxurious van we've ever sampled, cosseted by a sophisticated climate control system, entertained by a high-tech audio system and guided by an excellent fully-integrated sat-nay system, all controlled via a multipurpose colour display screen. The big four-pot turbo-diesel, producing a monstrous 373Nm of torque, provided effortless performance through the smart five-speed auto-box. The only downside was its surprisingly high noise levels at low speed.