The Mitsubishi L300 is one of the most famous automotive names in the Philippines. After more than four decades of service to the Filipinos, it has cemented its status as a legendary workhorse.
Now, as emissions regulations have finally caught up with the L300, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation has decided to give the vehicle a small yet critical refresh that allowed its glorious return to the local market.
Exterior
Save for the slightly redesigned front grille, the new L300 looks virtually identical to the original model. It possesses the same no-nonsense and rugged vibe that it has always projected. It stands at 4,260mm x 1,695mm x 1,895mm with a 2,350mm wheelbase and sits on 14-inch steel wheels. Curb weight is listed at 1,260kg.
The only significant change that could possibly be visible here is the slightly higher cab, which has been elevated by 100mm. This gives the vehicle a total of 195mm of ground clearance.
Interior
Like the exterior, the inside of this vehicle looks pretty much the same as the old model. The dash is built with hard gray plastic, and it looks as barren as the Philippine auto industry in the ’80s. Meanwhile, a large, thin steering wheel has been fitted up front, and behind it is the traditional column shifter that previous L300 owners might have already grown accustomed to. This helps provide a decent amount of legroom—which is important since the seats are still non-adjustable—and allows a maximum of three people to sit up front. As a tiny bonus, a small storage compartment has been placed under the dash, just in front of the passenger seat.
As for the rear cabin that comes as an option with the new L300, it can seat up to 14 passengers, which ups the vehicle’s total seating capacity to 17. The said seats can also be folded upward to open up even more space within the cabin.
Engine and specs
The Japanese gave the L300 an all-new Euro-4 compliant 2.2-liter CRDi intercooler turbodiesel. This powertrain is not only cleaner and more efficient, but is also capable of producing 40% more torque and power—98hp and 200Nm, to be exact.
Underneath, the suspension setup is comprised of an independent wishbone and coil spring up front and a semi-elliptic leaf spring at the rear. The brake setup, on the other hand, consists of ventilated disc brakes and drum brakes up front and at the back, respectively. All of these contribute to the vehicle’s high payload capacity of 1,085kg.
Extra features
Needless to say, there’s not a lot of extra goodies installed in the new L300. None of the modern driver-assist technologies can be found here. That’s okay, though, because this wasn’t built to deliver excellent driving pleasure but to carry heavy loads. Still, there are a bit of features that could easily be appreciated by its owners, including the audio setup and the decent A/C system. Also, the instrument cluster has been reworked, and the odometer has been replaced with a fully digital one.
Prices and variants
We already provided the price list before, but here it is again in case you missed that one.
2020 Mitsubishi L300
- Mitsubishi L300 Cab & Chassis – P804,000
- Mitsubishi L300 with FB rear body – P998,000
What can you say about the return of the Mitsubishi L300?
