Previously had both an L200 Barbarian and a Nissan Navara , both were great when I had 3 sons at home who were into surfing and cycling , they are also surprisingly practical on a day to day basis, to drive they were pretty similar and surprisingly refined and relaxing for long drives, even non stop between Newquay and Southern Scotland with 5 on board, full camping gear plus surfboards.
On the downsides, the handling on B roads could best be described as "interesting" if you drive enthusiastically, and as you already know they are damn big, making some tighter multi-story carparks a no go area,
On balance, the Barbarian handled a bit better and was less tail happy but the Nissan was better finished and IMHO a better looking and more refined motor (both were comparable top spec models)
I had no issues with either so sorry can't offer advice on anything to look out for, although I would make sure you get parking sensors or at the very least a reversing camera
Steve