I KNEW Mitsubishi were on to a winner as soon as my daughter cast her eye over the L200 on my driveway andpronounced herself very much in the market for a pickup.

Here is a gal who is very particular about her cars - indeed there is definitely a touch of the Daisy Duke about her - but there she was seriously looking at a pickup.It confirms all my feelings that pickups are going to be the next big thing in the motoring world.

Of course, they're not new to Mitsubishi who have been making them for 40 years and so are experts in the field. Indeed, this is the sixth generation L200 and since 1978 when they first started making them, Mitsubishi have sold a phenomenal 4.7 million.

This latest generation takes the car to a whole new level. As pickups become more popular, their interiors are becoming far more plush.

In the top-of-the-range Barbarian X trim, it oozes style and comfort with leather seats, front and rear mood lighting, illuminated door sills and an easy to use entertainment and information system.

It's no shrinking violet on the outside either. This car I am driving comes in the fabulous pearlescent Sunflare Orange with running boards, grab handles, a double cab, squared off wheel arches and what Mitsubishi call their Dynamic Shield Design, a new nose, and just simply bags of street presence.

And while the running boards look terrific they are also very practical if, like me, you are a bit of a shortie. There are more steps at the rear for easy access to the flatbed and a host of accessories like sport bars, sport hoops, top boxes, roller shutters and bed liners.

I can see why my daughter is so smitten.

At the same time, however, the L200 has lost none of the practicality that has kept it so popular for the last four decades.

In fact it has even been further enhanced. The chassis has been strengthened and stronger brakes fitted to tackle a payload which has increased from 1,045kg to 1,080kg. In real terms that means it can carry five people and 250kg while still towing 3.5 tonnes.

It can be switched from two wheel drive to four wheel drive at speeds of up to 62mph so that if conditions turn nasty, help is immediately at hand. The Super Select 4WD II offers four drive options for hard off-roading - 2H, 4H, 4H with a locked diff and 4LLc, a low ratio with a locked diff and there are also a set of driving modes for gravel, mud and snow, sand and rock.

Alongside Mitsubishi have fitted off-road modes and hill descent control for extra traction on steep gradients between 2mph and 12mph.

It comes with a host of safety systems too but the best feature of the lot as far as my daughter is concerned is the price.

It starts at £21,515 plus VAT for the single cab model and runs right through the range until you get to the big boy in front of my house with all the bells and whistles on board and costing only £32,200 plus VAT.