We are in violent agreement. I worked in Bristol for 177 days in 2003 and always looked forward to getting a diesel from Thrifty at Heathrow. When they offered a diesel 4x4 Mitsubishi Samurai (we call it a Montero) I jumped at the chance - was king of the road for the following 3 weeks, everybody cleared out of my way. Parking was impossible, though.
I think the Mitsubishi was probably a Shogun - confusung when they call them different things in different countries!
If you liked the Mitsu, you'll love the new 3.6 turbo diesel V8 in the Range Rover which outs out 472lb of torque at 1750rpm and nearly 30mpg! Rumour has it being fitted to Jaguars soon to go with the 2.7 diesel already fitted.
Parking in England is always a challenge - cities designed for horses don't make many allowances for the motor car! :)