2022 Mitsubishi Triton

The base GLX petrol comes with the following standard features:

• 6.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Cruise control
• Remote central locking
• Air-conditioning
• 16-inch steel wheels (17-inch in 4WD Single Cab cab-chassis)
• Vinyl floor covering
• Reversing camera (dependent on tray fitted)

All other GLX models come with:

• 16-inch steel wheels (17-inch in 4WD Single Cab cab-chassis)
• Four-speaker sound system
• 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• DAB+ digital radio

All dual-cab GLX models plus the GLX club cab auto also feature:

• Rain-sensing wipers
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Lane-departure warning
• Automatic headlights
• Front fog lights

The GLX+ adds:

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Reversing camera with rear parking sensors
• Side steps
• Climate control air-conditioning
• Rear differential lock
• Roof-mounted rear air circulator

The GLX-R adds:

• Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter
• Chrome door handles and mirrors
• 18-inch black-finish alloy wheels
• Privacy glass

The GLS adds:

• Super-Select II four-wheel drive system
• LED headlights and daytime running lights
• Keyless entry and start
• Six-speaker sound system
• Front parking sensors
• Automatic high-beam
• Power-folding exterior mirrors
• Dual-zone climate control
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Paddle shifters (automatic only)

Over the GLS, the GSR adds:

• Black grille
• Black roof
• Black 18-inch alloy wheels
• Power driver’s seat
• Heated front seats
• Leather upholstery
• Surround-view camera

The Triton GLX is available in the following colours:

• White
• Red
• Impulse Blue
• Sterling Silver
• Graphite Grey
• Black

The GLX-R gains a Diamond White option.

The range-topping Triton GSR is offered in:

• White Diamond
• Sunflare Orange
• Graphite Grey
• Black

Mitsubishi’s standard warranty covers five years or 100,000km, but so long as you return to one of its dealerships at each service this extends to 10 years or 200,000km.

Servicing at dealerships also lets you take advantage of Mitsubishi’s 10 years of capped-price servicing. Maintenance in the Triton is required every 12 months or 15,000km – whichever comes first.

10 years of servicing will set you back $6090 using the capped-price service plan.

The engine is refined and quiet by class standards, with the body and steering wheel at idle largely free of vibration.

While it’s down on power and torque compared to a few competitors it’s worth nothing the Triton is lighter – at 1990kg, it weighs 220kg less than a Ranger and 55kg less than a HiLux.

It pulls along fine albeit gruffly under a heavy throttle, and sits happily at 110km/h at about 1800rpm in sixth, quietly enough to make phone calls without necessitating a loud voice.

It uses leaf springs at the rear like most pickups – Nissan Navara aside – and like most the body jiggles and the ride pogos a little when unladen, while corrugations are felt in your hands through the hydraulically assisted steering.

It’s not as composed as a Ranger or as sharp-handling as the almost SUV-like Amarok, but it’s also far from a class outlier. Indeed, the steering is nicely weighted and consistent, and the Triton’s relative lightness makes it feel almost nimble at times.

The maximum payload is 910kg, which is 81kg less than the Ranger’s and 45kg less than a HiLux’s. Its gross combination mass of 5885kg means that at maximum payload you can still legally tow anything up to 2985kg.

If there’s one obvious potential shortcoming it’s the particularly long rear overhang. For instance the Triton is only 77mm shorter than a Ranger overall yet 220mm shorter between the wheels. This potentially makes it a smidgen trickier to balance loads and gives it a large departure angle when off-roading.

On the upside, this three-metre wheelbase gives the Triton a smaller-than-average 11.8m turning circle, which is particularly useful in urban conditions or navigating a cluttered building site, but also has useful applications on tight trails.

A Deluxe option, available only on the GLS auto, adds:

• Surround-view camera
• Power driver’s seat
• Heated front seats
• Leather upholstery

The Tan Orange interior package for the GSR adds:

• Tan Orange leather upholstery
• Tan Orange interior trim

"Triton is currently in a reasonable stock position, with around a month’s worth of available stock (ie. Not customer ordered) currently in the network," a Mitsubishi Australia spokesperson told CarExpert.

"In addition, we have approximately three months’ stock available, either on arrived ships (waiting for port entry) or on land at distribution partner facilities being prepared for dealer distribution. Like many manufacturers, are currently working with our partners in COVID-restricted conditions to process these vehicles through as efficiently as possible. "

The Mitsubishi Triton finished 2021 as Australia's ninth-best selling vehicle, with a total of 19,232 sales across its 4x2 and 4x4 model lines.

That puts it behind the Isuzu D-Max, Ford Ranger, and Toyota HiLux in the ute sales race, but ahead of the Nissan Navara.

The Triton has two big selling points: its price, and its excellent Super Select four-wheel drive system.

On the price front, it offers almost all the equipment and capability of a range-topping HiLux and Ranger, but has a sticker in the $50,000 price range at the very top end.

Super Select makes the Triton easier to drive on wet roads, by allowing owners to use all-wheel drive on paved roads instead of limiting four-wheel drive to gravel or sand.

The car's compact proportions (relative to the rest of the dual-cab class) make it friendlier to drive in town, too.

The Triton is known as the L200 in Europe, and has tough model names such as Warrior, Barbarian, and Barbarian X.

In Australia, the Triton features paddle shifters lifted from the Lancer Evolution X rally car.