Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian SVP II unveiled

Mitsubishi has unveiled its second L200 Barbarian SVP pickup and only 250 examples will be built.

Based on the popular standard L200 pickup, the Barbarian SVP II has been created in conjunction with Mitsubishi's Special Vehicle Projects (SVP) division, better known for the Desert Warrior one-off that was displayed at the 2017 Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham.

The SVP II does without the aircraft-wing roof box of its forerunner, though, and follows in the footsteps of the show car's production spin-off. It stands out from the standard L200 thanks to an eye-catching two-tone colour scheme outside, which marries Atlantic Grey or pearlescent Diamond Black with contrasting bright orange details.

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Inside, the seats express a muscular 'six-pack' design and are faced in leather with suede-like 'Alston' inserts with orange accents, stitching and piping. The headests are embroidered with each car's limited-edition number, alongside an SVP emblem. To set the mood, the interior sills and front and rear footwells are bathed in orange light.

The SVP II sits on specially designed 17-inch alloy wheels, wrapped in beefy BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres and framed by prominent wheelarch extensions. The wheels and roof rails are colour co-ordinated to match a unique SVP grille design, with the same orange hue picking out the foglamp rings, lamp bezels, doorhandle recesses and tailgate handle surround. Convenience hasn't been forgotten, either – the tailgate is spring assisted with a soft-opening damper, and the load bed is illuminated.

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As a range-topping model, the SVP II includes Bluetooth connectivity to allow access to smartphone apps via touchscreen or voice control, while the screen also functions as a reversing-camera display. Keyless go, automatic bi-xenon headlamps and cruise control are standard, too.

Making the most of those all-terrain tyres, the SVP II offers Mitsubishi's 'Super Select 4WD' four-wheel-drive system, operated by a rotary dashboard dial. Drive is usually sent to the rear wheels, but the fronts can be engaged for extra traction at up to 62mph. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard and a five-speed automatic with paddle-shift manual control is optional. Power comes from a 178bhp 2.4-litre diesel engine.

Only 250 L200 Barbarian SVP II editions will be built and order books are open now. Prices start at £29,830 for the black and grey editions; deliveries start in May.