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By
BARRY LAKE
2 April 2007
Striking styling far removed from that of utes and tray-tops of
the past, as well as a V6 3.5-litre petrol engine and a lusty 3.2-litre
diesel, have made Mitsubishi’s ML Triton range, introduced just eight
months ago, a real winner in the Australian market place.
Now the company has added a price-leading four-cylinder, 2.4
litre, rear-wheel drive version that is equipped and priced to
make it the best value small workhorse on the market.
While the spectacularly styled and comfortable GLX double cab
version is listed at $25,690, The GL cab/chassis variant has a
price tag of just $19,990.
It gets even better for small businessmen such as builders and
plumbers, who make up the majority of purchasers in this category.
Anyone holding an Australian Business Number (ABN) is offered a
starting price for the GL cab/chassis of just $17,990.
And, to show how aggressively the company is attacking this
market, Mitsubishi is offering even greater incentives to buy.
No free steak knives but, even better, until the end of the
current financial year, ABN holders can receive Bluetooth
telephone kits worth up to $500 and a fitted cargo tray, worth
$1000, free of extra cost. That is, the purchase price,
ready-to-work, still is just $17,990.
Standard features include air-conditioning, power windows,
remote control central locking and AM/FM radio/CD with MP3
compatibility.
Still looking at value for money, Mitsubishi offers the best
new car warranty available, at five years/130,000km for the whole
vehicle, 10 years/160,000km for the powertrain, and five
years/unlimited km roadside assistance.
Ongoing costs also should be reduced, with overall fuel economy
at 10.9 litres per 100 km. This model also is the best in its
class on carbon emissions figures.
At this stage the 2.4-litre ML Triton is available only with a
five-speed manual transmission.
The engine produces 94 kW of power at 5250 rpm and 194 Nm of
torque at 4000 rpm.
Our initial test drive indicated it won’t win too many drag
races, and it will struggle even more with a tray load of
equipment, or with four or five burly blokes and some heavy gear
in the dual cab version.
But the occupants will be more comfortable seated than ever
before. The single cab gets slightly more head, leg and shoulder
room than in previous models. The dual cab version fares even
better. It offers 25mm more head room in the front, 60mm more
headroom in the rear. And rear seat passengers have 60mm more
legroom than before.
With the backs of the rear seats at a more comfortable angle
than rivals’ and this added room, the Triton offers a better
rear seat ride than any rivals we have tried so far.
Some of the extra 150mm of interior cabin length comes from
clever packaging, but it also eats into the cargo area. This is
not huge in the dual cab version so it would be advisable to run
the tape measure over it to ensure it will handle your gear before
parting with the purchase price.
With these versions of the ML, Mitsubishi aims to get back into
this competitive area of the market in a big way - hence the very
keen pricing.
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Marque Publishing Company
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