2016 Mitsubishi Triton Glx (4×4) review
I like my Triton. It does everything it should; it's kind of like the average kid at school – it doesn't do anything great, but it does do it all.
- Performance
- room inside
- towing capability
- theft proof – it's so ugly no one would steal it :-)
- It's got the look of a squashed mango
- it's UGLY
- pairing more than one phone
- turbo lag
It has a few small issues like the front passenger seat has rattled like crazy from the day I got it. It stops when someone is sitting in it but where I live, the council would rather spend money on plants and Otto bins so we can waste more time trying to sort out rubbish than fixing the goat tracks/roads.
Inside, the seats are great and it's very quiet. The Bluetooth is okay with one phone, but try to link two and you'll find your self screaming at the car because "Shane's phone" and "link this bloody phone up you arsehole of a thing" sound the same.
The engine noise is very minimal and the transmission is great, although on a really hot day towing our 18ft caravan, it got very hot to the point my left shoe nearly melted to the floor and the red light in the dash came on as I was reversing the van into place.
It's roomy enough for my three kids in the back seat and I've found they don't argue any more in it than our VE Clubsport.
Fuel usage is a little disappointing. My MN manual Triton was getting up to, and over, 750 km per tank. My MQ is telling me I'll be pushing it soon anywhere over 650km.
Performance from the 2.4 diesel is quite surprising. Once the turbo lag is overcome (sometimes by jamming the left foot on the brake and spooling it up like a drag race take off) it goes really well. I've even had it break traction as it changes into second gear, although it was wet.
Towing is effortless along the highway, hills are easily climbed with a Commodore on a car trailer behind it as long as you don't lose the momentum and are happy to change gears for it. It swallowed up Mt Ousley towing a Commodore on a trailer in the right lane changing between third and fourth while never going under 80km/h or about 4000rpm. Perhaps that's why I don't get great fuel economy.
Sadly though the best part of driving is that I don't have to look at it. I believe it hit every branch on the ugly tree on its fall from the top. Mitsubishi has lost the plot on its styling – just look at a Pajero Sport from behind to see what I mean. It's narrow and high. I'd hate to see how it looks from behind when being pushed through a corner.
Putting the canopy on it has helped square it off a bit but not a lot. I've even tried to fit the earlier models mud flaps to mine, but the tub is a different shape, only ever so slightly, but different none the less.
Oh and I don't like the fuel gauge. I'm a fan of the low fuel light glowing on the dash telling me to find a servo rather than the last block flashing away like a small child at a tall counter trying to attract the attention of the shop owner for a bag of lollies.
One last little thing, but it's a major thing when you are on a long trip, the rock hard armrests on the door trim and centre console lid – wait until you've been in it for a few hours, you'll see what I mean.
But for a tight-arse like me who hates to part with his hard-earned on a daily driver, and works on cars every day to get that hard-earned, the Triton is a pretty good choice. Hey, at least you can let the sump drain for longer than a few minutes and not fear it won't get oil pressure :-). The filters are cheap and thankfully they have redesigned it so the oil filter doesn't empty itself all down the side of the engine and all over the rack like the MN.
The Mitsubishi Triton is a pretty good truck. It's very user friendly, apart from pairing more than one phone, and how butt-ugly are. They make for a good all rounder, work on week days and play on the weekend.