On the road

It is when you start up this truck that the full extent of its problems become apparent.

I should have suspected something was amiss when I spied a sticker on the dashboard advising the driver to leave the engine idling for at least a minute on start-up before driving away and again before switching the engine off after a journey.

Can you imagine any fleet driver bothering to do that?

The deafening diesel clatter and huge cloud of black smoke took me back to my younger days.

I thought diesel engines like this had been consigned to the scrapheap years ago. Driving off was even worse.

The gearchange is so clunky that it almost takes two hands to move the stick and there is an audible transmission whine from the gearbox while under way.

The power steering is so vague that it’s almost impossible to keep the vehicle in a straight line and acceleration is virtually non-existent.

This truck is reported to have a turbocharger but you could have fooled me.

If you do manage to reach 60mph (it will take a long time), the whole vehicle vibrates – reminding me rather of youthful days aboard my trusty Triumph Bonneville.

I managed just 10 painful miles in this vehicle during my test week and I reckon that was nine miles too many.

Verdict

The question has to be: is this vehicle a credible fleet alternative to the established players – and the answer has to be a resounding no.

For £14,109, a fleet could buy a Mitsubishi L200 GL double cab, which is a good looker, a superb performer and a star in the residual value stakes.

The TL, on the other hand, is a relic from the 1950s that, while probably still cutting a dash in India, fails in every area in the UK. And try selling it three years down the line.

In fact, any fleet buying these vehicles would probably end up with a riot on its hands when the drivers first climbed aboard.