Mitsubishi L200 road tests and consumer car reviews

Mitsubishi L200 2003

What a load of rubbish! I had a Pajero before and thought it might be as good. The cylinder head blew at 38000, just 6 months out of warranty. Mr Mitsubushi said go away! Now at 72000 the engine is knocking. For goodness sake Mitsubushi own up to your mistakes and help the customers stuck with your lemons!! Just take a look on ebay at how many 03/53 plate L200s have blown engines! My advice? Never ever buy a Mitsubushi!

Mitsubishi L200 Animal 2003

I bought my truck 5 years ago. After 4 months of ownership the engine blew on 43000 miles. The dealer replaced the lot in Weston Supermare and since then there have been no problems and it has gone through MoTs without a problem. I also changed the cambelt 10000 miles ago, which the dealer quoted £750 for so I went to a local specialist who charged £300. I’m just hitting 115000 miles and I think it is possibly the best I’ve ever had. I’m only selling it soon cause I want a newer model. The L200 is like any car, you get a good one and it’s great, the next one off the production line could be a dog. All I can say is it’s got Japanese reliability, which is good enough for me.

Mitsubishi L200 Raging Bull 2007

This is the second L200 I have owned from new and this one is now four years old. All the red paint is fading. I will never give Mitsubishi any more money as they think that it’s acceptable for a £22,000 vehicle’s paint to fade within four years. I don’t think much of the company or their cheap paint!

Mitsubishi L200 4LIFE 2006

In 2009, I purchased a new shape L200, 2006 4Life model, having covered 98k in three years(all motorway mileage). FSH up to 80k. My first service bill was £800, this was with two new rear leaf springs! Which I failed to notice one had broken. This is a common fault apparently. The truck to date has been fantastic, pulling a two ton trailer @ 8.5 metres long was all in a day’s work for L200! Pulled like a train and still does. Still on original clutch too. What a towing machine! Well capable. Two years on, it’s still going strong with no major problems! So you can keep your overpriced and under powered Hiluxs (thanks to Top Gear!). I will stay with what I consider to be a damn good workhorse.

Mitsubishi L200 LWB 1988

I bought the L200 new in March ’88 and I have used the vehicle every day to carry heavy loads in extreme conditions without any bother or breakdown. Except tyres, batteries and exhausts it’s needed nothing. It’s now coming up to 300,000 miles and I still use it every day for work. Sadly theDVLA have informed me it has to be off the road by 3 Jan 2012 because it cannot meet low emission zone requirements. Without question this is the best motor I have ever owned.

Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian 2010

I bought a new Mitsubishi L200 BARBARIAN in Decemeber 2010 and in March 2011, about 4 months after the clutch burned I took it to Mitsubishi and they said to me that is not covered by the Mitsubishi warranty and I have to pay myself for all cost, a new clutch and labour about £1250.

Mitsubishi L200 Warrior 2006

Bought truck from a garage with an all singing and dancing warranty. After 6 months and 5k miles it started to overheat. Took to local dealership and they explained that the head gasket on the early ones of the new shape had a thin gasket same as the older model which was prone to the problem. Claimed on warranty and £2,200 later it was fixed; garage insisted on a 3500 radiator to upgrade the cooling system but warranty firm refused to pay. Anyhow onto the vehicle. It is a joy to drive, I have Grabber AT2 tyres which rumble on the road and are annoying on long trips but are brilliant in the snow. Gearbox is easy, lots of comfort ie 5 hours with no stops and felt ok. Fuel is good, costs around £70 to fill at £1.40 per ltr, this takes me about 400 miles. It can be noisy with the window down so bought wind deflectors, which help. The version I bought was a Club cab so it has 2 doors but a section for interior luggage inside and 2 drop down seats, so if you’re like me and use vehicle with one or two people it’s ideal. Huge boot for all those garden center trips. Out of all the vehicles I have had over 20 years inc new ones, this is the one I LOVE the best, there is even a forum for L200 owners. I can’t wait to drive to Italy in it.

Mitsubishi L200 double cab 4 life 2002

Mine tows all the time goes off road at least once a week for shooting. It has 130,000 on the clock and so far all I have done is replace the springs and service every 6k. I must say its a damn good truck!!

Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian 2010

I brought the barbarian and so far have no regrets. The only trouble I have is with the roof box, it pops open all the time and when you park up you have to check it’s locked.

Responses to this review

One of our employees had this vehicle on hire whilst ours was being repaired and in the time he had it, the lock on the rear tailgate failed to engage and fell open, losing several of his tools. When we called the hire company (before they knew about the loss of the tools) and they said not to worry about it, it’s a common problem and happens all the time! Has anyone else come across this problem? - Jacqui Power from Kent

Mitsubishi L200 2007

The truck was serviced on Thursday this evening I had to rescue my boss from the roadside as his Cambelt (chain) has snapped and shattered the engine and various other bits and bobs, surely a 100k service should have shown this problem up?!

Mitsubishi L200 Animal 2006

I have an L200 Animal, the vehicle has now 50,000 on clock it has broken nsr spring which I replaced at cost of £235.00 from dealers and now 2 mths later the osr has done the same thing and I will have to order another spring. Has any one had problem like this and are the manufacturers liabel to replace this foc as a defect? This should not happen with this mileage as the car is only used for sdp.

Responses to this review

I have owned 4 different models of L200, the springs break due to no load on the suspension when running round with no weight in - Gary from Yorkshire

I’m having the same problem, two springs broke in three months. Not sure why - Kyle Porter from Northern Ireland

Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian 2010

Had a 2008 Animal before test driving the Barbarian and I couldn’t recommend that enough. The 2008 truck was reliable (after a couple of glitches) and went like hell. The 2010 Barbarian however, was a different kettle of fish. The thing fell apart after about 10 mins of driving it! The dash top popped out, the fuel flap fell off and when I opened the tailgate, the trim around the handle fell off too. It drove nowhere near as good as the old one. I am sorry to say that I was so disappointed I bought a Toyota Hilux instead, for less money to swap!

Mitsubishi L200 Raging Bull 2007

I have a L200 Raging Bull, since buying it we have had nothing but problems, the truck is a 57 plate so not old at all. We have had it for 19 months, so far it’s broken down 3 times. TWICE the turbo pipe has blew off. The four wheel drive has been stuck in four wheel drive four times. It has been recalled by DVLA 3 times for faults made by Mitsubishi. Then the clutch has gone at a cost of £1052. The interior has to be replaced due to a window fault, the list goes on and on...

Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian 2010

I drive a Toyota Hilux VX270 2003. It is ultra reliable. I test drove an demo L200 Barbarian Auto today. It is a very nice vehicle to drive. £26000 though, so a lot of money and the issue of reliability worries me.

Mitsubishi L200 Barbican 2010

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 2010

All round a good truck, although I am having problems with the HMI / satnav screen. When the system is turned on it can take up to 2-3 hours to locate the sattelites and doesn’t always interface fully with the i-phone on bluetooth, i.e. no access to phonebook or direct dial numbers. Connection via lead into stereo for i-pod also intermittent. The vehicle is very well built and is a pleasure to drive but the problems with the electronics are spoiling what is otherwise a good vehicle. The problems are intermittent so the dealers say hard to sort surely it is just a change of unit that is needed?

Mitsubishi L200 Animal 2005

Always wanted one so saved the cash and bought a 2005 with 44,000 on the clock. Total rubbish gearbox crunch, heavy on fuel watched my new tyres disappear in front of my eyes, can’t wait to get rid and buy a Transit Smiley.

Responses to this review

I got a 2002 L200 two years ago (98,000 miles) and never had a problem with it! Tyres have lasted me two years on Bridgestones and I do a lot of miles. Tough and reliable!! David Currie from Stirlingshire

Mitsubishi L200 Warrior 2006

BUY A TOYOTA. I bought my new model L200 2nd hand with 28,000miles on the clock, had serviced it regularly and put a further 20,000 miles or so on it. It drives pretty well, has reasonable fuel economy for such a big vehicle and is the most practical vehicle you could wish to own. It’s a bit heavy on tyres, but again you can expect this with a big 4WD. Unfortunately, 6 months out of warranty the vehicle developed a gearbox fault requiring a complete gearbox re-build. Mitsubishi offered £75 off the required parts for the build (less than 5% of the total cost) as a "goodwill gesture". When asked if they thought it was reasonable for a supposed work vehicle that’s only really had light use as a family car to develop such a major fault after less than 50,000 miles their response was "these things happen". These things might happen, but they won’t happen to me again as I won’t be buying another Mitsubishi any time soon. Unless you’ve got money to burn keeping an unreliable vehicle on the road, buy a Toyota. My father has been running a 10+ year old Landcruiser for years and it’s been faultless.

Responses to this review

I brought a Mitsi L200 Animal out to New Zealand, what a performance because it didn’t have a compliance plate to euro 4 standard. However, I bought a Toyota prado new in 2007, it has been the most expensive piece of trouble I have ever had on the road. A commomn rail engine that needs a new turbo bottom end rebuild at 90,000 and the the injectors that take the piston and bores out at 100,000 is usless, especially at the ridiculous New Zealand prices for labour and parts, in all over $18,000 on repairs. (£9,000 pounds) disgusting!!! They make nothing in NZ yet have the most impossible regulations on earth and the most protectionist policies which inflate all of the transport to ordinary New Zealanders. The Toyota Prado is expensive unreliable and a waste of time. Don’t buy one. Hopefully the Mitsi will be better because it can’t be any worse - Richard Stanley from New Zealand

Mitsubishi L200 4 cab Animal 2007

Brilliant all rounder that far surpasses its predecessor, (had X reg l200 4Life before this one). This is an auto box and well worth the cash for urban work. Pulls like a buffalo on steroids!! Did have some problems in getting the ECU to settle down early on but now fine. I can’t recommend this one enough - superb and I’m getting 30mpg to boot!

Mitsubishi L200

I did my research, looked for a long time before buying and found a not quite 3 year old vehicle with a few months residual warranty in very good condition and 27,000 miles on the clock. I used it for mainly light work, some off road but not much and drove steadily to keep it economical as possible. I didn’t quite reach 49,000 before it developed massive engine failure resulting in needing a new engine. I thought it was just bad luck but I found out there were 3 others just like it at the recon company when mine was sent in.... After contacting Mitsubishi I still haven’t had any reply 3 weeks later. Rubbish engines, rubbish service. Stick to other makes.

Responses to this review

I’ve just got the diagnosis on my 4 year old warrior, which is used as a private car and never goes ’off road’. It needs a new engine. Within 8 hours of learning this i have heard of 3 others in the same situation - Simon Devine from Bedfordshire

What’s the matter with the engine? We have one here with water problems filling the expansion bottle, done everything, can only see the bores been perforated and that should not happen in this day and age - Jim Ledger from Yorkshire

Bought L200 from new on a 53 plate. Regularly serviced and only got 66k on the clock. Just developed a nasty tapping sound in engine which is now getting worse. Heared that L200 engines are prone to breaking up around the 50-70k mark on 03-04 models. Garage doesn’t yet know what it is. I’m waiting for the bottom end to drop out and that will be that. £23k gone in 7.5 years. Gutted. Mitsubushi should own up to their responsibilities on this engine - Simon Kluge from London

Mitsubishi L200 Elegance 2007

Hi, I have just purchased an L200 Elegance, 2007 - so not brand new. I have read several reports that many have been stolen, has anyone any idea as to what to fit to help prevent this? I believe it has the manufacturers alarm and immobiliser, but are they good enough.

Responses to this review

If it has the smart nav you can pay a monthly fee for it to double up as a tracker if it gets stolen - Russ from England

Let them take it mate and buy another make as the Mitsi has a bad reputation - Jim Ledger from Yorkshire

Mitsubishi L200 Animal 2006

I bought my Animal 3 years old with 30,000 on the clock plus a full service history. Very, very reliable truck, just as good as the Toyota which I had before. It’s not had a easy life, pulling ton loads, trailers, and off roading covered in mud, the paint work and body are like new still. The parts I’ve paid for since 2003 to now apart from normal service items:- one wheel nut because the locking nut broke, clutch, drive shaft bearing , tail gate handle, exhaust. Buy BFGoodrich tyres, half road half off road, they last forever; road tyres wear too fast.

Mitsubishi L200 L200 2006

The 2006 L200 is a massive improvement on the old model. Much better fuel economy, better diving experience including a significantly improved turning circle which on the old model was awful. The driving experience is far more like a car than a van, particularly now that the vehicle has sat nav & rear parking sensors. Also, unlike the old model, you can drive the new one in permanent 4 wheel drive which is very useful in the wet.

Mitsubishi L200 Mitsubishi L200 Elegance 2.5 DI-D4WD DoubleCab

I test drove this and the Nissan Navara fully expecting to be giving my business yet again to Nissan but this car just blew me away. Just looking at it you know it�s going to be exciting to drive and it really does not disappoint. For a pick up I defy you to find anything as capable and economical that looks this good. Sorry Nissan but you�ll have to go a long way to win me back.

Responses to this review

Hi. I am about to collect the same model as yours for towing my caravan. Can you tell me if you have had any troubles with yours, roughly how much MPG to expect. Mine will be a March 20007 model, and my 1st 4x4. Also, mine has a roller boot cover, but I am considering a hardtop, although I don’t realy need one as yet, just thinking of winter. Your view would be appreciated - Charles Coleman from Lincolnshire

Have you had any water problems because we have one here filling the expansion vessel and Mitsubishi tell us they’ve had problems with the bores perforating. We’ve done all the normal things like skimming the head and pressure testing it, new radiater thermostat looks like next move is another engine but this one has about 75 k on the clock and is in mint cond. Peed off - Jim Ledger from Yorkshire