MITSUBISHI has been a world leader in all-terrain vehicles since the early Eighties, the Shogun having provided cheaper long and short wheelbase 4x4 alternatives to the likes of the Range Rover and Land Rover Discovery.
The arrival of the new generation Mitsubishi Shogun in the Year 2000 heralded a more imposing-looking off-roader designed to shed its "cheaper" tag, aiming for the top in the all-terrain image stakes.
At the same time, Mitsubishi also set out to challenge in the burgeoning smaller Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) sector, introducing its own small 4x4 to compete against the likes of the Suzuki Vitara, Toyota RAV4 and the Land Rover Freelander.
As its name suggests, the Shogun Pinin is a product of the Italian design house, Pininfarina, and these days, enters the fray in three or five-door guise.
It also comes with a brace of petrol engine options, the 1.8-litre ECI MULTI engine housing 113bhp, and the 127bhp two-litre environmentally friendly GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) power unit with the latter offering, say Mitsubishi, potential fuel economy as miserly as a diesel.
A sextet of trim levels are also on offer, Classic, Attivo, Vivo, Equippe, Mirage and Elegance, while each model has the option of either five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.
My road test car was the 2.0 GDI Equippe which comes with a pretty generous level of standard kit led by electric windows all round, electric/heated door mirrors, air con, multi information display and a CD player.
Safety features on board include ABS brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), twin front airbags, childproof rear door locks and central door locking. So, what else is to be found on board to stir the emotions?
For starters, my test car was the latest five-door version, which, apart from providing easier access, has more room than its three-door stablemate, enabling three adults to sit pretty comfortably in the rear, fronting a luggage bay which proved surprisingly accommodating.
I say surprisingly, because the rear parcel shelf, which also acts as a boot cover, creates something of an optical illusion when looked at from the outside of the vehicle.
But, open the boot door and, hey presto, the load area suddenly reveals itself to be substantially larger and, with the rear seats folded, the cargo room becomes quite cavernous, the storage area then being over 30% more accommodating than the three-door model.
Seating is comfortable, height adjust helping to create a good driving position before you take to the tarmac, where performance turns out to be not quite as refined as some of the new SUV kids on the block.
The two-litre GDI engine performs best when being worked hard, making its presence felt a little cabinside and, while the Pinin does handle the tarmac in extremely workmanlike fashion, its off-road heritage does show through.
Like its big brother, the Shogun, the Pinin has great ability when the road runs out, coming with the where-with-all to tackle serious off road work including good ground clearance and four driving modes, even including a high ratio on demand slot.
This allows drive to be transferred to the front wheels only when needed, eliminating the need to switch back and forth between two and four-wheel drive with ice and snow around.
Overall, the Shogun Pinin five-door may not be the most desirable looker in a sector where the lifestyle image now appears to be very much the order of the day.
But this chunky, cute-looking little 4x4 is a very practical soft-roader, while it also comes with a reputation for mechanical reliability and sound resale values, all of which count in a world where beauty should always be looked upon as being much more than just skin deep!
FAST FACTS
Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin 2.0 GDI Equippe
Price: £15,995
Mechanical: 127bhp, 1,999cc petrol engine driving all four wheels via 5spd manual transmission
Max speed: 106
0-62mph: 10.8
Combined mpg: 30.1
Insurance group: 11
CO2 emissions: 225g/km
BiK rating: 27%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited; 6yrs anti-rust