New Mitsubishi L200 2026 review: promising return for pick-up favourite

Verdict

Mitsubishi is back, and the L200 means business. With plenty of kit, imposing looks, a strong diesel engine, excellent off-road ability and a long basic warranty, it has plenty of appeal that should see it reclaim its position near the top of the pick-up truck sales charts. There’s enough space inside for it to double as versatile family transport, too.

Talk to people about pick-up trucks, and one model that still stands out for many is the Mitsubishi L200, even though the sixth-generation model disappeared when the Japanese firm called time on UK sales in 2021. But now Mitsubishi is back, and the all-new L200 Series 7 is part of a two-pronged attack on the new-car market, alongside a new Mitsubishi Outlander SUV.

The reasons for the L200’s return are solid. While the truck hasn’t been sold in the UK for five years, it still ranks in the top three of pick-up trucks for sales over the past decade. In addition, truck buyers are a surprisingly loyal bunch, so the L200 has remained popular despite its absence from the price lists.

Mitsubishi’s return is timed to allow existing L200 owners to upgrade without changing brands, while the arrival of a new Toyota Hilux means there’s a brief window where pick-up truck demand is outstripping supply. Mitsubishi sees this as a perfect opportunity to launch this all-new seventh-generation model.

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The latest L200 has clearly been designed with a set square to hand, and the angular looks of the lights, grille and wheelarches give it a chunky and purposeful appearance. The standard Titan version is designed with business users in mind, while the top-spec Barbarian tested here adds gloss-black exterior cladding and is focused on the ‘lifestyle’ end of the market. The distinctive Yamabuki Orange is exclusive to this model, too.

Under the skin, the L200 uses an evolution of its predecessor’s underpinnings. There’s a 201bhp four-cylinder diesel engine and a six-speed automatic gearbox connected to a four-wheel-drive transmission with plenty of selectable drive modes. On the Titan version there’s Easy Select, which offers two, four and low-range four-wheel drive, while the Barbarian features Mitsubishi’s latest Super Select-II all-wheel drive system. This offers the same three modes as Easy Select, but there’s also a locked centre diff for tougher off-road conditions.

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The different drive modes are easily chosen via the rotary selector on the centre console, and switching from two to four-wheel drive can be done on the move at speeds of up to 62mph. It’s also possible to engage the locked centre diff at these speeds, as long as you’re on a loose surface. This fixes the torque split between the front and rear axles at 50:50, which will help with traction on gravel or snow. 

For the toughest of terrain, the low-range setting with diff lock can be selected while stationary to ensure no damage to the L200’s transmission. Then the truck is ready for any difficult off-road driving situations, such as mud, rocks and deep snow.

Off the beaten track, the L200 is impressive. We tested the truck on a tough off-road course with steep slopes and plenty of cambered angles, and the truck was impressive. There wasn’t a hint of slip, even though road-biased tyres were fitted, while the hill descent control helped the L200 negotiate steep downward slopes without fuss. The only thing that will really hold the truck back on tough terrain is the long wheelbase, but then few L200s are likely to encounter the kind of terrain that we tackled in everyday use.

On the road, the L200 feels pretty decent when compared with rival pick-ups. That’s to say that while it’s not as comfortable or refined as an SUV for four passengers, the ride is reasonable enough to stop occupants bouncing around at the slightest hint of a pothole or bump. 

We tested the L200 unladen, which is often when the limits of suspension designed to deliver a compromise between comfort and payload weight are highlighted. At lower speeds there’s a slight fidget to the ride over rough road surfaces, but it’s hardly a deal breaker in this class and perfectly acceptable most of the time. The engine can get pretty vocal, though, which upsets refinement more. 

The unit itself is pretty flexible, and the responses of the six-speed gearbox when you’re on the move are acceptable. There’s a fuel-saving stop-start system, but it’s rather slow to react and this is worth bearing in mind when negotiating a roundabout or exiting a T-junction. The healthy 470Nm torque figure is generated from a low 1,500rpm, and if you’re heavy-footed when exiting a corner, it’s possible to get the rear wheels to break traction on slippery surfaces.

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At higher speeds the L200 is pretty decent, with a settled edge to the ride that’s likely to improve further with a payload in the back. There’s some wind noise from the door mirrors at motorway speeds, although that’s only really noticeable because the rest of the cabin is quiet.

The top-spec Barbarian model comes with lots of kit as standard. As well as the advanced four-wheel drive system, there’s a suite of safety features including lane assist which gently vibrates the steering wheel when you move out of lane and a speed limit warning that appears to simply flash without a warning beep. Of more irritation is the driver distraction system. As with other set-ups, this incorporates a sensor on top of the steering column aimed straight at the driver. Not only does it partially obscure the dashboard, but it’s over-sensitive, and if you take your eyes off the road for too long it’ll beep a warning at you. Thankfully, Mitsubishi offers a settings menu within the driver’s display where you can configure these systems, although you’ll have to do it on every journey because they reset when you switch off the ignition.

Other equipment highlights for the L200 Barbarian include leather seats with heating and electric adjustment, two-zone climate control, roof-mounted air vents with separate controls for the back seats, LED interior lighting and smart keyless entry and starting.

Larger dimensions have created greater interior space than in the last Mitsubishi L200. A wider cabin means there’s more shoulder room front and rear, while legroom in the back is now among the best in the pick-up truck class.

Overall the new Mitsubishi L200 is an impressive piece of kit, and that’s before you look at the price. The Titan model starts at just over £36,000, while the top-spec, fully equipped Barbarian comes in at £39,995 (both prices are ex.VAT). That places the L200 in the same price range as the Isuzu D-Max, with the top-spec version undercutting the plush D-Max V-Cross by £1,400. 

That means it also comes in well below the class benchmarks, the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux, where you’d have to pay a couple of thousand pounds more to get behind the wheel of a truck in a similar spec. Throw in a standard five-year/62,500-mile warranty, and the L200 is a strong contender.

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