2020 Mitsubishi L300 vs Hyundai H-100 vs Kia K2500

The loss of the Fuso brand to newly-minted distributor Sojitz Fuso Corporation early this year was a blow to Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, considering the demand for light-duty trucks is growing locally. The resurrection of the L300 softens that blow though, giving MMPC the chance once more to fight back and gain market share once more.

The two-year absence of the L300 though is enough to change the game for Mitsubishi. As the Japanese carmaker developed a clean diesel powertrain for their 32-year old commercial vehicle, the Koreans—Hyundai and Kia—beefed up their own light truck offerings, quickly updating their H-100 and K2500. While neither has yet to become a household name, they did chip away some of the L300’s luster by offering a Euro-4 compliant powertrain first.

But now that the L300’s back, will the tide change? It’s time to see how their specs match up (the chart is high-res).

Part of the L300’s charm was its low price tag. Critically, the L300 remains the most affordable truck in this three-way battle, but its advantage isn’t by much—just P 6,000 more affordable than the K2500.

Glancing at the spec sheet, it’s clear that the Mitsubishi’s price jump was fueled mainly by its all-new engine (the rest of its specs read like a true 90s remnant). Yet, its much-hyped powerplant still makes considerably lower power (up to 31 horsepower) and torque (55 Nm) than both of its Korean counterparts. It’s also bound to be less efficient on the highway with its 5-speed manual (vs 6-speed manual in its rivals); a problem exacerbated by its smaller fuel tank (55 liters vs up to 65 liters in the Hyundai).

For those planning to fill their light trucks to the brim, it’s worth noting that the L300 loses in maximum payload capacity to the Hyundai H-100 (1,335 kilograms vs 1,085 kilograms), but surprisingly beats out the K2500 by 85 kilograms—the weight of about one plump Filipino adult.

In terms of convenience features, not much separates all three, but in the Hyundai, the audio system is optional (so is air conditioning). The biggest shock though is that the L300 may be using a brand-new engine, but it still uses an archaic ball-and-nut steering vs the rack-and-pinion steering on the other two. This would mean that the L300’s steering is more prone to wearing, requires more steering effort, and may have the tendency to whip and vibrate at high speed.

Warranty is another area where the L300 loses. While its 3-year/100,000-kilometer warranty is generous, it’s no match for the Kia’ 3-year/110,000-kilometer warranty much less Hyundai’s 5-year/unlimited mileage warranty. A caveat though: in both the Hyundai and Kia’s cases, this warranty is applicable for non-public conveyance use.