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On the mechanical front, the latest L200 gets a new 2.5-litre, 134bhp turbo diesel engine which meets Euro IV emissions regulations. It offers substantially more power and torque than its predecessor and uses significantly less fuel. It also needs servicing every 12,500 rather than 9000 miles. For those hankering after more oomph, a 158bhp upgrade already included in the Animal will become available on all the other models. It will add something like £600 to the asking price - Mitsubishi hasn't finalised a figure just yet.

A five-speed manual gearbox is standard but, for the first time, L200 is being offered with a four-speed automatic as an £800 option. Also standard is four-wheel drive - the old model was offered with rear-wheel drive only, but very few buyers wanted to know, hence the reason for a complete all-wheel drive line-up this time round.

The 4Work and 4Life twins get the Easy Select set-up; Warrior, Animal and Elegance the more sophisticated Super Select system borrowed from the Shogun SUV. As before, in normal conditions, the L200 drivers should use rear-wheel drive. But with Super Select, which has been borrowed from the Shogun SUV, you can run 4x4 on dry tarmac if desired. The Super Select L200s also sport the Mitsubishi Active Stability and Traction Control (M-ASTC) technology which, claims Mitsubishi, is a segment "first".

Those who intend putting L200 to work will want to know that the single cab version provides a seven-foot cargo deck; the club cab a six-foot platform and the double cab a five-foot bed. Maximum towing capacity is 2.7 tonnes, while prices, which exclude VAT, start at £12,249 for the entry-level 4Work single cab and top out at £19,999 for the Elegance double cab.

Pick-up buyers, it seems, love to tart up their vehicles, and the average accessories "spend" on the old L200 was something like £800. Mitsubishi is confident that with the range of add-ons available for the new vehicle, that figure will increase substantially.

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