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By
EWAN KENNEDY
3 July 2006
Mitsubishi's stylists have always believed their Tritons should have
plenty of style. But have really excelled this time with a ute that has
a truly radical shape that makes everything else in its class look
positively pedestrian by comparison.
At the front, Triton has the strong lines we
have already seen in the 380, Lancer and Evo. Featuring a large
centre section in the radiator grille that’s flanked by bold
diagonal lines the ute has a sloping bonnet that’s almost sports
sedan in its lines.
But the real talking points in the new Triton
are the way the rear doors curve radically forward at their lower
surfaces, and the way the ute tray sits slightly proud of the rest
of the side of the vehicle.
The overall shape is futuristic and we really
love the way the designers have had a big go. However, it’s
likely to polarise opinions and as the ute market is peopled by
quite a few conservative buyers it will be interesting to see how
it’s accepted.
There are also single cab variants as well as
cab-chassis. These don’t have the radical rear-end style, but do
get the bold front end.
All vehicles in the new Triton range have a
genuine one-tonne carrying capacity.
An interesting feature in the double-cab is the
ability to lower the rear windscreen to give a semi-open feel to
the cab. This works particularly well in conjunction with the
optional sunroof. During our road testing there were no signs that
the open rear windscreen was allowing any fumes or dust into the
interior, but it would be wise to pay attention to it as some
external wind conditions could lead to problems.
Under the skin the Mitsubishi Triton remains a
tough off-road vehicle, with strong body-on-frame construction,
part-time 4WD and a dual-range range transfer case. Initially it’s
being offered with a 3.2-litre turbo-diesel engine and a 3.5-litre
V6 petrol.
Obviously the turbocharger on the diesel gives
it strong torque over a wide range of revs, but we are also
impressed by the high good torque offered by the petrol engine.
The engineers have sensibly opted to go for torque ahead of big
power as that’s what utes need in their working lives.
Most come with a five-speed manual gearbox, but
the sporting Triton GLX-R also has the option of a four-speed
automatic transmission when the petrol engine is specified.
Somewhat oddly, the topline GLS variant only comes with a
turbo-diesel and therefore can’t be ordered with an auto.
One of our test Tritons had the sunroof option
and this made headroom marginal for my tall frame. With an Akubra
it simply wouldn’t have worked. As always, try for yourself
before buying.
We found the rear seat of the double-cab to be
spacious, with good legroom and width. Best of all it has a good
rake angle on the backrest. Unlike some competitors, this
double-cab Mitsubishi could be genuinely used as a comfortable
family car.
Ride comfort is good and noise levels on sealed
and unsealed roads are low. There's an overall feeling of
refinement, particularly at normal highway cruising speeds of 100
to 110 km/h.
The Triton's stylish sloping bonnet does have
one drawback. During our off-road testing it did little to protect
the windscreen from mud and water splashes and we found ourselves
having to use the wipers/washers frequently to see where we were
going.
Mitsubishi is struggling in Australia at the
moment, especially with the new 380 not selling in the numbers
planned for it. The new Triton should give the Adelaide-based
company a real boost as its combination of futuristic styling and
genuine working-class strength works very well.
The complete Triton range, with prices
(excluding on-road costs), is:
GLX 3.5-litre petrol single cab: $30,690 (manual)
GLX 3.2-litre diesel single cab: $33,690 (manual)
GLX 3.5-litre petrol double cab: $36,690 (manual)
GLX 3.2-litre diesel double cab: $39,690 (manual)
GLX-R 3.5-litre petrol double cab: $41,990 (manual), $43,990
(automatic)
GLX-R 3.2-litre diesel double cab: $44,990 (manual)
GLS 3.2-litre diesel double cab: $49,990 (manual)
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Marque Publishing Company
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