MOST car makers have flights of fancy from time to time, popping out preposterous models to add glamour to their motor show stands.

But back at base the real work goes on with the bread and butter cars, the ones that sell in big numbers and keep the profits coming in.

You can bet a great deal of midnight oil was burned at Mitsubishi as the latest in a line of high-selling pick-ups was being readied for production. The L200 is the most popular model in the company's range; here in the UK even outselling the Outlander SUV, whose petrol/electric hybrid version is attracting lots of attention because it saves owners money.

So does the L200 pick-up; in spades. Most people using one will have it as a working vehicle, so there's no VAT to pay for starters. Then, Mitsubishi will tell you, with conviction, that the newcomer uses less fuel than any rival, will carry and tow more than any of them too and is also faster and more comfortable than ever.

Those last points might have no bargaining power with the company accountant but will be crucial in keeping the L200 top of the tree (it steadily outsells all its rivals, year after year).

For here is a working machine than doubles up as family transport at the weekend. With four doors and a comfortable and decently spacious rear seat, it has all the convenience of a saloon or hatchback - and luggage space that's wildly larger, although you would need to add an aftermarket cover to keep everything dry and secure.

This fifth generation L200, again built in Thailand, is powered by an all-new and lighter 2.4 litre diesel engine that pulls the vehicle to 62mph in 10.4 seconds in more powerful 178bhp guise; some two seconds faster than before. Power is transmitted to all four wheels via a new six-speed manual gearbox or an automatic transmission.

Tough engineering is vital to a vehicle that might spend its working life in a quarry or bouncing along field boundaries in search of a broken down tractor, so the L200 is no featherweight on the scales.

Even so, an official combined consumption of 42.8mpg and CO2 emissions of 169g/km are good enough to make an accountant smile. So, perhaps, will be prices that start at £19,749 for the 4Life Double Cab and top out with the Barbarian Double Cab at £23,799 or £25,199 with automatic gears (all prices are minus VAT).

The entry level model is pretty well equipped, with alloy wheels, air conditioning and cruise control. There is a simpler form of 4WD and a less powered engine (151bhp) on board but the standard heavy duty suspension hints that this version will be the workhorse of the range.

Move up to the £20,749 Titan and more power arrives and the stiffer suspension is banished as you pick up added equipment like dual zone air conditioning, bigger alloys, DAB radio and a more sophisticated 4WD system.

More car like still is the £23,049 Warrior, with heated front seats, satellite navigation, bi-xenon headlights and an excellent rear view camera greatly easing reversing manoeuvres in this long 5285mm vehicle (that outstretches a Mercedes-Benz S-Class).

For the lap of SUV luxury there is the £23,799 Barbarian that piles on leather upholstery and fripperies like LED mood lighting inside and little lights that pick out puddles before you step in them at night as you approach a door.

Off road in a Warrior model was an eye opener. On chunky all terrain tyres the L200 simply romped through a set of obstacles that something like a Land Rover Defender would treat with respect. That it was achieved with an automatic transmission version simply made it more impressive still; you almost only had to steer and avoid the trees and bigger boulders.

Out on the road, with less chunky tyres and a manual gearbox the L200 continued to impress. Lightly loaded, the unsophisticated rear suspension bounced on bad surfaces but the new gearchange was properly car light and the trip computer showed 38mpg at journey's end.

Another figure to impress your accountant, who doesn't need to know you enjoy driving your new L200.