Several things helped propel the Triton to that elusive top-seller status. Not the least of those were chronic stock shortages of both the Hilux and Ranger, while Mitsubishi by comparison had largely good supplies of the Triton.
But none of this should diminish what the Triton has achieved in fighting its way to the top.
The GLX proudly holds the mantle of working class hero in the Triton family and contractors, farming businesses, and the construction firms all love this ute for those qualities. In town or out in the remote country back blocks, it’s a fair bet there’s a Triton rolling up its sleeves and putting in the hard graft. It’s the only model in the range offering single, extra and double cab body styles, with the choice of two or four-wheel drive. The 4WD double cab auto was supplied for this road test. Lots of matte black detailing in areas such as for the grille and door handles, plus under-sized 16-inch wheels, all let the world know you’re driving the Triton in its most rudimentary form.
Priced at $43,990 prior to March 31, the test ute offered good value for money. From April 1 it was whacked, like most other similar utes, with the Government’s $4100 clean vehicle fee. This is because its diesel motor is classified as a high emission engine. This revenue funds the Government’s financial incentives to get people into clean green vehicles such as hybrids and full electrics. The test ute’s well-proven 135kw 2.4-litre turbo diesel, generating 437nm of torque, is common across the entire Triton range. While the power and torque outputs aren’t exactly best in class, they are still solid enough.
From the driver’s seat, the test vehicle always felt as though it had plenty of low speed pulling to haul decent sized loads, confirmed by the Triton’s 3.5-tonne towing rating. An effortless highway cruiser, it covers long distances with ease. Off-road, the engine always found the low-speed pulling power to comfortably muscle its way up steep, heavily rutted farm and forestry tracks. It left me with the distinct impression that there was more where that came from if required. A six-speed automatic is superior to its five ratio predecessor, and a lot smarter at managing and applying the engine’s power and torque where it will deliver the best bang-for-buck in performance.
The cabin dimensions are adequate rather than capacious. Head, leg and shoulder room is on the snug side, especially for taller rear seat occupants. However, it loads better than many of its rivals thanks to a longer deck. Hard-wearing fabric seats and rubber flooring, plus the comfy and modern cabin, make this ute perfectly attired to a hard day’s work and leave it still looking good at the end of it.
The test ute proved adept and tenacious at navigating wet and boggy conditions. When things got stickier or steeper, the test vehicle always managed to maintain good forward momentum to stay out of trouble.
On and off road handling is competent, it has less body roll when traversing undulating or twisty terrain than you had to grapple with in earlier models. Because the GLX is built for hard work ranging from carting heavy loads to towing plants and equipment, the suspension isn't as comfort-orientated as upmarket variants in the Triton range.
The steering doesn’t seem to have made the same advances as the rest of the vehicle and feels at times as though its playing catch up. This could be remedied with more road feel and faster reaction times to the driver steering inputs.
- NOTE: September data shows the Mitsubishi Triton ranks the third best-selling ute.
Ratings
Mitsubishi Triton GLX
Performance 7
Handling 6
Build quality 7
Comfort 7
Space 6
Fuel economy — on-road 9.6L/100km
Value for money 8
Safety ANCAP crash rating, five-star.
Overall points out of 10 7
