The L200 is a true all-rounder. It’s a practical everyday five-seater, a comfortable motorway cruiser capable of averaging 40mpg, and has huge towing and load-lugging ability. But what about off-road? Fleets considering the Mitsubishi will no doubt do so because the nature of their work will require a vehicle that can prove its worth in the mud.

When I arrived at a pay-and-play off-road event at the weekend, I was prepared for ridicule from the other four-wheel drive enthusiasts with their lifted suspension, snorkels and huge off-road tyres as I pulled up in my shiny new truck with standard tyres. I wasn’t expecting an impressive performance, mainly because my tyres looked as though they would clog at the first sight of mud and provide little or no traction – meaning  I would probably require many rescues from said enthusiasts.

On the ‘baby slopes’, out of view of the other drivers, the L200 seemed surefooted. And  once I’d gained confidence, I tried some more challenging areas of track and was truly amazed at the terrain the Mitsubishi can conquer. Slopes, rocks, mud, water – wherever I pointed it, the truck coped, seemingly with little or no effort.

By the afternoon I was covering track I would have never thought passable in the L200. Uphill, the hill control system makes for easy stop-starts, without needing the handbrake or clutch control, and downhill the truck copes with ease, controlling descent with its own engine braking.

One spectator even told me that he had been considering an L200 and seeing how well  it coped off-road had convinced him it was  the right truck for him. The only problem I encountered was the fact that the L200’s rear overhang and tow bar make the truck too long for some steep slopes.

Luke Neal