After refreshing the L200 and the potential introduction of a pickup truck in the United States, Mitsubishi appears to be on the right track in terms of commercial vehicles.
Fiat, which markets the Fullback and Fullback Cross under license from the Japanese automaker, decided to pull the plug on the mid-size workhorse. If you were wondering, poor sales and ever-stringent emissions are to blame for the discontinuation.
“A combination of factors has led to the Fullback no longer being on sale,” declared the head of Fiat Professional. Speaking to Auto Express at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, Richard Chamberlain made it clear the Fullback “was no longer viable” for the Italian automaker.
But on the upside, don’t forget that Fiat Professional has a lot of panel, passenger, and chassis cab-bodied vans to offer in the Old Continent. In South America, the Fullback has a smaller brother in the guise of the Toro, sharing most of the underpinnings with the Jeep Renegade.
Going through the Italian configurator, Fiat still lists the Fullback from €23,440 excluding VAT while the Double Cab starts at €24,940. Level up to the Cross, and you’re looking at €31,390 from the get-go. Also known as the Ram 1200 in the United Arab Emirates, the Fullback is manufactured by Mitsubishi Thailand in Laem Chabang.
Production started in 2016, and the 2.4-liter turbo diesel four-cylinder serves as the only engine option for the European market. The Di-D is coupled to either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic, available with either rear- or four-wheel drive.
The 2.4 is good for 154 PS and 380 Nm from 1,500 rpm while the high-output engine cranks out 181 PS and 430 Nm from 2,500 rpm. Acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 10.2 seconds in the best-case scenario, and top speed is rated at 179 km/h (111 mph) for the six-speed manual.
On a related note, Mitsubishi updated the L200 in November 2018 for the 2019 model year. Also known as the Triton, the one-ton pickup is expected to sell in the ballpark of 180,000 units in this fiscal year.
