Mitsubishi L300

The interior of the L300 has also nothing new. But, you have to take into consideration that the L300 is all about practicality and reliability, Mitsubishi kind of forgot the convenience and comfort on this one actually. 

L300’s cabin still keeps the old school vibes and doesn’t really have some updates but it has some plenty of legroom. You can, of course, expect some tacky plastics and simple fabric upholstery for the seats. Since this is not a car for convenience, you better be not expecting electrically adjustable seats and automatic climate control.

Its central console has the aircon vents and the conventional radio with MP3, Tuner, Aux-In, USB port, and memory card reader connected to two speakers. Surprisingly, this car has a glove box that can fit documents, phones, or even a bottle of water. As for the instrumental console, it still has the typical analog ones.

Meanwhile, the 17-seater rear van also has fabric upholstery with a dual airconditioning system inside. The rear van may not be convenient as you might think given that the seats cannot really make you sit comfortably due to its width. The aircon vents are also placed only at the front part of the van near the driver so the passengers at the rear might have some trouble during hot days.

You can tell just by the looks that although its front bumper and horizontal chrome grille was updated, the Mitsubishi L300 still looks the same. In fact, various old Filipino movies that have featured this car can probably attest that up to this day, it doesn’t really look different at all.

It still has the same boxy and robotic-looking front fascia with a trapezoidal dashboard, box-shaped multi-reflector halogen headlights, and foglamps. Comparing it to its toughest competitor Isuzu Travis, we can easily admit that L300’s look is very old and outdated. You can notice it right off the bat just by looking at the flat side windows, squared-off wheel arches, bulb time rear combination lamp, and really basic-looking wing mirrors.

It measures 4260 mm in length, 1695 mm in width, and 1895 mm in height. Meanwhile, the 3 seater van car has 195 mm ground clearance, 2350 mm wheelbase, and has a fuel tank capacity of 55 liters.

This workhorse is equipped with Independent Wishbone and Coil Spring with Stabilizer as the front suspension and Semi-Elliptic Leaf Spring for the rear. As for the 2-spoke polypropylene steering wheel, it is partnered with a ball and nut gear type with power steering.

It is marketed as a utility vehicle that can run through tough road conditions and puddles while also carrying tons of cargo. Although the ride is not that convenient, this vehicle can be considered as a decent means of transportation already given its rear van’s capacity.

L300’s new engine promises more power and fuel mileage. The L300 Exceed is powered by a Euro 4 compliant 2200cc 2.2L 4 In-line 16 Valve DOHC (4N14) with a Turbocharged - Intercooler System that can fire up to 98 horsepower at 3500 rpm and 200 Nm torque at 3500 revs per minute. Its mill is mated with a 5-speed manual transmission. With this kind of set-up, it can approximately produce 40% more on power and torque than the older one for better pulling and payload capability.

The braking system of the Mitsubishi L300 is composed of 10-inch ventilated discs in the front and 10-inch leading and trailing drums at the rear with 9-inch Master Vac brake boosters. Unfortunately, since this is an old vehicle and it’s quite cheaper, there is no Anti-Lock Braking System with EBD present on the wheels.

As for the safety features, it only has a few which can be understandable given its price tag. The safety features of this car are seat belt warning, Front Impact Beams, Side Impact Beams, and Engine Check Warning.

Mitsubishi L300 is truly a hero of the small to medium business sector. With its affordability comes great reliability and versatility so it’s actually a cheap but a very good investment especially for those that are transporting their products. However, we think it’s time for Mitsubishi to step up a little in their LCV gaming and take a look at ho they can improve the L300. It has already passed a lot of generations and maybe some little glow up will not hurt, especially in terms of the design and the interior features.