MaTT REVIEWS: 2007 MITSUBISHI L200 ANIMAL

The worlds most pointless pickup truck

This might come as a shock to some of you, but I like trucks, more specifically American trucks. But I am also a fan of Japanese cars, so naturally you'd think; 'Matt, here's a truck that's made in Japan, you must love it, right?'

Well no, I don't love it, I don't even like it. As far as trucks go, it's awful, and here's why: The version I had the (dis)pleasure of driving was the top of line 'Animal' which came with sat-nav, chrome styling, stainless steel roll over bars, higher suspension, leather seats and huge wheels. Seriously, you could fit these things to one of those American 'donk' cars, and they'd not look out of place.

It looks stunning, with all its glittery bits on it and its big wheels, but all that very swiftly turns to hate when you actually get in and drive it, or have to live with it. First off, the seats are uncomfortable, they're too hard, the leather is far too slippery, so that if you have to stop quickly, you end up in the footwell, the dash is plasticy and cheap, the driving position is almost totally sideways, but the worst thing inside the truck, is the sat-nav.

Not my image, I couldn't stand being in there any longer.

Not my image, I couldn't stand being in there any longer.

The unit itself looks quite good, but, like everything else with this truck, that stops being the case when you actually start using it. It's clunky and slow to respond, some menus are so confusing it takes you about 4 months to set it up, but the worst part, the part I REALLY have an issue with is the voice. In a BMW, you get a lovely, soft, soothing woman, in a little VW Up! you get a lovely soft woman, however in the L200, you get 'Susan from the office', who barks orders at you like a Soviet Commissar, and a voice like a deeper Sandy Toksvig.

Now, onto the actual 'truck' part of being a truck. Let's start with the bed; it's too small, it can barely fit a 1000L water container in the back, the armadillo cover gets in the way, the style bars have mounting plates, which overhang the bed which means bulky square objects can't be transported. Then there's the wheels. The L200 is a 4WD truck, with the option to change into 2WD whilst driving. However, with the huge wheels and the tiny little tyres, this truck has the offroad capabilities of a man with no arms, legs or head trying to climb a mountain. It's hopeless.

Driving: 6/10

Interior: 1/10

Exterior: 8/10

To Live with: 6/10

Overall: 5/10

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