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BUYING • SELLING • OWNING

EXCELLENCE THROUGH EXPERIENCE

PUBLISHING

NEWEST QUADS

NEXT YEAR’S MODELS

NEW ASX TESTED

THE LATEST COMPACT

4x4 EVENTSWHAT, WHERE, WHEN

2011 MODELS X-TRAIL, CAPTIVA, SPORTAGE, MINI

RANGE ROVER

OFF-ROAD ACTION

FORD’S SUV CRUISES THE HIGHWAY

MITSUBISHI L200

PLUS: LPG HOW MUCH CAN YOU CUT YOUR FUEL BILL?

ESCAPE TO AMERICA

BUYER’S

GUIDE INSIDE

BEST DOUBLE-CAB PICK-UP ON TODAY’S USED SCENE?

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BUYING USED: MITSUBISHI L200

We remember being at the secret unveiling of the current-shape Mitsubishi L200, back in 2005.

Yes, it didn’t go on sale until March 2006, but the � rm brought over a version from Taiwan (where it’s built) early, just for 4x4 nuts to check out up close. And we liked what we saw; the general consensus was that the style was amazing, the interior fantastic. And the drive? � at was something we’d have to wait for. But we weren’t to be disappointed…

� e stats are clear: between 1998 and 2005, the market for pickups in the UK grew by almost 350 per cent. Double-cabs were the main driver of this, and it was Mitsubishi that was the leader with the L200. Extremely well developed, the L200 of the time o� ered a well judged range of variants to ensure there was a pick-up available to suit all requirements.

Increasingly, it was the higher-end

double-cab stu� – rather than entry-level single-cab pick-ups – that buyers were going for, with most of the extra sales coming from the ‘leisure’ market. And this led to a change of emphasis for Mitsubishi when developing its next-generation L200. � e new model obviously had to be as hard-working and as durable as its predecessor, but Mitsubishi knew that style was becoming increasingly important to many buyers.

To describe the 2006-model L200 as a drastic change would be an understatement. Out went blocky and plain, in came curves and sculpture. � e new L200 was a really good looking machine, particularly in higher-grade trims with their body-colour accessories and lashings of chrome. And it was a similar story inside, with a swoopy dash that looked more like something from a sports car rather than a working tool. Many buyers

would love the racy dials (boasting cool blue and white illumination at night), sporty steering wheel and twist-knob heater controls – plus the fact that it was designed from day one to take a high-set sat-nav screen.

FULL RANGECheapest version of the new L200 was – not surprisingly – the single-cab, a ‘working’ model for those who used pick-ups as they were always intended. And a more practical variant of this was the crew cab, its extended cabin giving space for a small rear bench seat – though there was obviously a reduction in load bay size as a result.

� e ultimate L200 was, however, the double-cab – the epitome of dual SUV-meets-truck practicality, and the most useful (and most popular) all-rounder of the lineup. And compared with some double-cab rivals, it seems

Mitsubishi had thought of just about everything; it even came with an electric sliding rear window for taking long loads (or for keeping the cabin fresh on the move).

All versions shared the same underpinnings – and Mitsubishi certainly hadn’t gone so� here. Pick-ups are working machines, and so retained was the separate ladder-

frame chassis layout, albeit with an increased cross-section (to 145mm) that Mitsubishi claimed made it much sti� er, as well as 70 per cent more resistant to bending. Just the job in extreme o� -road conditions…

� is double-cab’s deck measured 1470mm in width and 1325mm in length, with a gap between the wheel arches of 1085mm – enough to carry a standard Euro pallet. And the rear tailgate � ipped down 180 degrees, making it suitable for loading with a forkli� . Maximum payload was 1045kg (taking the double-cab over the crucial-for-tax-purposes one-tonne barrier), while those users who needed to haul heavier loads around were just as pleased with the L200’s maximum towing weight of 2700kg for a braked trailer.

At the front of the new pick-up were double wishbones and coil springs, while the rear had leaf

THE TOP TRUCK CHOICE? Mitsubishi’s L200 has been a top-selling pick-up for

many years. And with the radically styled newcomer of 2006, it even managed to stand out from the crowd. Tom Phillips investigates what it’s like as a used buy

Four-wheel drive was standard on all double-cab

L200s, with two versions available

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LPG GUIDE

LPG FOR YOU? Owners of petrol-engined 4x4s and SUVs can save money on fuel by investing in an LPG conversion. Tom Phillips looks at the pros and cons of Liquefied Petroleum Gas

LPG was all the rage at the turn of the millennium, since when it seems to have generated fewer

headlines. But don’t worry – because while car makers have stopped selling showroom-fresh British-spec motors all ready to run on LPG, this alternative fuel still enjoys a strong aftermarket following.

Yes, despite all the talk of hybrids and fuel cells, it is LPG that remains by far the UK’s most popular alternative fuel. More than 160,000 LPG-powered motors have made their way to our roads over the past decade, adding to the seven million in Europe and 12 million worldwide. And with 1,400 filling stations now selling it, even the old problem of finding a local forecourt with an LPG pump has all but disappeared.

Perhaps it’s about time that LPG enjoyed some extra publicity then? The trade body that supports Britain’s LPG industry evidently thinks so, and has announced a major new initiative

to raise the profile of the green fuel. And we’ll cover this a little later. First, though, the reason why you’re reading this feature in the first place: saving money.

Running on LPG will save you cash, pure and simple. At the time of writing, the UK average petrol price was 115p per litre, with diesel even more expensive at around 118p. And LPG? That’s currently retailing at an average of just 64p a litre! And when you think about it, that’s roughly what we were paying for petrol back in the 1980s – yet we’re talking about a fuel you can use in a bang up to date SUV. You have to admit, it’s tantalising.

It’s this promise of lower fuel bills that led the first major drive to LPG a few years back, around which a whole industry grew, converting customers’ cars to run on the eco fuel. And fuel companies supported the drive, installing LPG pumps at many of their filling stations. The Government of the time was also rather helpful,

introducing the Powershift grant that paid for many new cars to be converted; but when the grant was cancelled, those car brands that were pushing LPG models gradually withdrew them from the UK market.

New LPG cars are still doing well in mainland Europe, though; in Germany, for example, no less than 22 different car companies sell LPG versions of their motors, according to stats from Autogas; and our total of 160,000 LPG motors here in the UK is easily dwarfed by the 400,000 on the roads over there. The flipside of this, though, means things have not stood still on the development side, and today’s LPG systems are better than ever – and virtually indistinguishable in use from petrol.

LPG IN THE UKAutogas is the UK’s main supplier of LPG to garage forecourts, and the company’s Jem Aldridge is a firm

proponent of the fuel. ‘It is by far the most widely available alternative fuel available in the UK,’ he told us, ‘and vehicles running on LPG considerably reduce the harmful emissions that contribute to environmental

and health problems compared to traditional road fuels.

‘As the UK’s leading supplier, Autogas is committed to improving the network of refuelling sites by making LPG available on more

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QUAD NEWS

ATV UPDATE

BRP has announced its 2011 Can-Am Commander range – a � ve-model line-up that’s claimed to o� er ‘cutting-edge design, meaningful innovation and a focus on convenience, maximum value and more usability for the consumer.’

� is side-by-side family of ATVs has been designed to bring improved levels of power, handling and user-focused features. And to ensure there’s a version to suit most buyers, you can choose either a Rotax 800 or a Rotax 1000 V-Twin EFI engine – the latter o� ering extra power combined with what the maker reckons is the best fuel e� ciency in the industry. In fact, BRP insists that the Commander 1000 is 39 per cent more fuel e� cient than its

main competitor.‘BRP continues to set the pace in

product innovations,’ said José Boisjoli, president of BRP, at the recent launch of the 2011 range. ‘Capitalising on the Can-Am brand growth momentum, we are entering a new business segment with the Commander, which completes our product o� ering for on- and o� -road customers.’

� e Can-Am Commander o� ers a range of useful features, including a dual-level cargo box, TTI rear suspension, anti-dive front-end geometry, throttle-by-wire through its Intelligent � rottle Control (iTC) system, a two-inch diameter roll-over protection system and the biggest fuel

tank in its class (at 38 litres). For added convenience, you also get more cockpit storage than most of the Commander’s rivals, making it particularly appealing to the on-road user.

� e complete Can-Am Commander line-up now comprises the 800 EFI, 800 EFI XT, 1000 EFI, 1000 EFI XT and 1000 EFI X – with the X and XT packages bringing what BRP describes as ‘unprecedented value’ to its factory-built package options. A range of 50 di� erent accessories has also been launched for the latest Commander range.

For more information on the complete 2011 Can-Am line-up or details of each speci� c model, go online to www.can-am.brp.com.

2011 COMMANDER ON SALE NOW

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It’s a well known fact that the SUV was invented in America. (Don’t you just love meaningless

terminology and acronym mania, like ‘SUV’?) And as we all also know, an SUV is a Sports Utility Vehicle – which is a far more contrived and less pleasing alternative to using ‘Land Rover’ as a generic name for cars which boast at least a modicum of o� -road capability. It’s true.

Ford, you will also know, is a large builder of cars. It is also a builder of large cars, and generates

almost as many strange marketing sub-divisions for its large range of large cars as Subway o� ers � llings for its strange sandwiches. � is is one of them. � is, gentle reader, is a Ford Escape. And, according to Ford of America, it is a small car. But it doesn’t feel that way to someone more familiar with Land Rover Defenders and the mighty hairy-chested majesty of Honda’s HR-V. De� ning the Escape as a small car must rede� ne the Daihatsu Terios as a child’s pram. But then, I’m British.

Don’t get too excited by the glory of the latest Escape, because there is no right-hand drive version of this one. If you cover the front of the car so you can’t see its nose, and gaze in a hung-over manner at the rest of it, you may spot a vague resemblance to the later Ford Maverick. � at was the same(ish) as the earlier model of Escape. And if you really do know your world cars, you will not need me to remind you that this is much the same vehicle as the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute.

4x4 TRAVEL

Ford’s Escape is the perfect 4x4 for both wide American highways and rutted Boston back streets, insists Frank Westworth after his latest trip Stateside. But why?Photography: Rowena Hoseason & Frank Westworth

ESCAPE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE

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ROAD TEST: MITSUBISHI ASX

FASHIONABLY LATEY

ou can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Mitsubishi. For years it did well with its full-size Shogun line-

up, as well as having the best-selling pick-up range in the UK. And then the recession hit, which saw sales of bigger SUVs collapsing and the pick-up market going through rocky times. Sure, Mitsubishi had other models on o� er – but so much of the company’s British success had traditionally come from its Shogun and L200.

What Mitsubishi lacked was a more

compact o� ering for those buyers who still wanted the look, feel and versatility of an SUV, but in a smaller and more a� ordable package. In other words, a rival to the seriously successful Nissan Qashqai. But the cupboard was bare…

Until now. Mitsubishi might be late to the compact crossover party, but what it’s come up with – in the shape of the chunky new ASX range – shows great promise. And if you ignore the 1.6-litre petrol version and go straight for the 1.8 DiD turbo-diesel, it even

o� ers the world’s � rst production diesel engine with variable valve timing – enabling Mitsubishi to claim this brand new powerplant o� ers the power of a bigger engine combined with the economy and emissions of a smaller unit.

Certainly, the � gures stack up. An output of 147bhp (at 4000rpm) and torque � gure of 221lb.� (at 2000-3000rpm) are both on a par with most 2.0-litre diesels in this class. Yet the o� cial ‘combined’ fuel consumption � gure of 49.6mpg for the all-wheel drive version of the ASX, plus a CO2 rating of 150g/km, is impressive by 1.8-litre standards. High-speed cruising is made more relaxing and more economical thanks to standard � tment of a six-speed manual transmission in the diesel ASX, while stop-start engine technology (again

� tted as standard) aids economy in urban situations.

BEHIND THE WHEELSome of today’s most e� cient new models can also be among the least rewarding to drive, so we were keen to try the ASX. And we found ourselves testing the 1.8 DiD 4x4 version (front-wheel drive derivatives are also available) in ‘3’ trim – which means, with ASX trim levels going from ‘2’ to ‘4’, we were getting a mid-range model with what’s sure to be the most popular engine option.

In this guise, the ASX carries a price tag of fractionally over £20k, which is pretty good value considering that the ASX 3 comes with 16-inch alloys, climate control, CD/MP3 player, electric windows and mirrors, cruise

control, rear parking sensors and all the other kit you’d expect – plus, like every other version in the range, Active Stability Control, Traction Control, Electronic Brake Distribution, Brake Assist and total tally of seven airbags.

With so much gadgetry built in to help the ASX to go, stop and handle better than its rivals, we were expecting good things. And, happily, we weren’t disappointed. � e ASX might not

Mitsubishi has fi nally caught up with Nissan, launching the Qashqai-rivalling ASX compact crossover. Paul Guinness spends a week behind the wheel of the all-wheel drive version

ROAD TEST