ONE MORE THING . .
Page 45
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• I was very interested to read the road test on the new Mitsubishi L300 which you published in the week ending February 21 issue of Commercial Motor.
Under the heading of Performance', with regard to the gear change the editorial states: "For some it is a convenient, space-saving device that presents no problems" and yet under the summary heading, the vehicle is criticised for having a poor gear change — obviously a bias in favour of those Commercial Motor staff who felt "that a floor-mounted lever is infinitely preferable."
However, more important than this relatively minor criticism, is the fact that, in Commercial Motor's own words, the "light construction of the L300 will not endear this van to the fleet operator, whose drivers may not afford the L300 the respect it needs." Ever since the original L300's introduction in 1982 it has been a success with fleet as well as private users and in this respect I can mention just one company, 'Hometune', which has to date purchased some 350 L300 vans.
No reference whatsoever is made about the longevity of the vehicle, by way of the fact that it is the only van to carry free three-year, 160,000 kilometre warranty, which covers the entire construction and manufacture of the L300.
This is contrary to the terms given on the specifications page which states that the three-year warranty is on major driveline parts. In addition to the foregoing, the vehicle is also covered by a six-year anti-corrosion, perforation guarantee, which is mentioned under the terms of the warranty scheme, but is not highlighted within the editorial comments, and therefore vehicle operators could be forgiven for not being aware of both the three-year and six-year waranties, unless they happen to study the specification details which are printed on page 42.
In terms of price competitiveness, we see no reason why the Mitsubishi L300 should not appeal to the fleet operator as much as to the owner/driver, for the simple reason that at the end of the day "vehicle downtime" is the factor which can vastly affect business profitability, and the peace of mind of our unique warranties must be an important consideration in any purchasing decision.
I therefore suggest that the L300 is both affordable and requires no less respect than any other commercial vehicle. C J Peirce FIMI Divisional Marketing Director Mitsubishi Motors The Coll Car Company Cirencester