Mitsubishi L200 Double-Cab Walkinshaw Performance 2.5 DI-D

One L of a pick up Historically, Tom Walkinshaw has been best known for his association with the Arrows F1 team. But recently, his company has been tieing up with car manufacturers and Mitsubishi is the latest with a new breathed-upon version of the L200 pick-up

The L200 Walkinshaw Performance, to give its full title, starts out as a standard L200 with a 134bhp 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine. It’s then fettled, resulting in a power increase to 165bhp, together with fitment of 20-inch alloy wheels and chrome embellishments to give a little more visual drama. The standard suspension is also uprated to handle the extra power, with a five-link system fitted to the rear, together with Koni dampers. On the inside, there are leather sports seats, DVD satellite navigation, a Bluetooth hands free system and an uprated audio system. With all the extra upmarket kit, the Walkinshaw pick-up has the ability to appeal to a completely different market to the standard L200, whos buyers need a workhorse. By adding a hard-top to the rear, it converts the L200 into a vehicle not dissimilar to a traditional estate car, thus being able to compete in the lifestyle market, alongside other large off-roaders.

The power upgrade means that CO2 emissions increase from 225g/km to 236g/km, but as commercial vehicles aren’t charged based on emissions, from a cost point of view, this is irrelevant. In standard guise, the L200 will hit 62mph in 14.6 seconds, whereas the Walkinshaw version shaves off over three seconds, completing the dash in 11.3 seconds. More importantly, when it comes to the combined cycle, whilst the standard model returns 33.6mpg, the Walkinshaw tuned L200 still manages a respectable 31.7mpg, despite the extra getup and go.

Climb into the cabin, and its commercial vehicle roots are apparent, with the dashboard mouldings being designed for durability and longevity, with no soft-touch plastics in sight. The Walkinshaw embossed leather sports seats look and feel comfortable, but offer little lateral support, so anyone driving in a press-on fashion, may find themselves sitting on the passengers lap when cornering. Despite being generously equipped for a pick-up, there seems to be one important omission. With the sloping hardtop fitted to the test car, rearward vision was virtually non existent, and reversing would have been made considerably easier with the fitment of rear parking sensors.

Drive Time

Pros

Rugged looks, more power under the right foot

Cons

Seats lack lateral support, no parking sensors which are essential for this kind of vehicle