As it did in 2006, Mitsubishi’s L200 has been judged ‘Best Pick-up’ in this year’s Van Fleet World Honours. The award was presented at a special ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall on Thursday 17 th May.
The Van Fleet World Honours are presented annually to van manufacturers and service companies who have, in the opinion of the judges, achieved the highest possible level of excellence in their sector.
Fighting off opposition from other makes such as Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Mazda and Isuzu, Mitsubishi’s much-revered pick-up was judged ‘best in class’ by a team of industry experts due to its class-leading residual value, affordable maintenance costs and excellent reliability.
Commenting on the award Van Fleet World editor John Kendall said: “Any fears that the radical styling of the latest Mitsubishi L200 would damp-down demand were not supported by last year’s sales. Figures are up 22 per cent on 2005, which keeps Mitsubishi comfortably ahead in the UK 4x4 pick-up market. The new model won our Best Pick-up award last year and despite tough competition, retains the title this year.”
Mr Kendall added: ‘The latest L200 went on sale in March 2006, bringing with it an up-to-date 136PS common rail DI-D diesel – a class-competitive engine which offers good performance and fuel consumption. The Mitsubishi’s interior keeps up the modern design trend of the exterior, offering drivers a dashboard with all the practicalities they need in a clean fresh design.”
The panel were impressed by the broad range of specifications offered by the L200, from the no-nonsense 4Work models to the high-specification Elegance, Warrior and Animal variants, with configurations available in single, club and double-cab formats, as well as a single-cab tipper. They also commented on Mitsubishi’s innovative specialist vehicle operation centre, which is designed to fit specialist equipment for fleet users with specific needs.
On hearing of the L200’s continued success in the Van Fleet World Honours, managing director of Mitsubishi Motors UK, Jim Tyrrell, commented: “We are always delighted to hear that our vehicles are considered best in class. This latest award confirms the L200’s position as leader in the pick-up market, especially as it has come out on top two-years running.”
This most recent accolade comes hot on the heels of the Professional Van and Light Truck awards, where three weeks ago the Mitsubishi L200 won ‘Pick-up of the Year’ – again for the second year in succession.