Mitsubishi Triton 2023 review: GSR - off-road test

Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

The Mitsubishi Triton dual cab 4x4 in GSR spec as standard has a manufacturer listed retail price of $56,940 (as at February, 2023).

Standard features on the GSR include a 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), paddle shifters on the steering wheel, leather appointed seats, power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, LED daytime running lights, 'Multi Around Monitor', dual-zone climate control, 18-inch black alloy wheels, and more.

Our test vehicle was also equipped with black frontal protection bar (aka bullbar) with fog lamps ($4611), floor mats ($176), under-rail tub liner ($642), tow bar kit ($1308) and a Redarc electric brake kit ($770), bringing the total cost to $64,447, before on-road costs.

Exterior paint choices for the GSR variant include 'White Diamond' (prestige), 'Sunflare Orange' (metallic, on our test vehicle), 'Graphite Grey' (metallic), and 'Black Mica' (pearlescent).

Is there anything interesting about its design?

All contemporary utes have a generic look about them, but the Triton manages to sharpen that up a bit with Mitsubishi’s 'Dynamic Shield' treatment of the front end.

That re-style was introduced a few years ago; I didn’t like it at first, but I’ve grown used to it.

What are the key stats for the engine and transmission?

The Triton has a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine producing 133kW at 3500rpm and 430Nm at 2500rpm, and it has a six-speed automatic transmission. 

This is a respectable and well-proven combination in the Triton. It’s not over-the-top lively or exciting, in fact it’s more than a bit sluggish, but it does the job. 

The GSR has Mitsubishi’s 'Super Select II' 4WD system and a rear diff lock.

There’s a Super Select II 4WD dial to the rear of the shifter, which enables the driver to switch from 2H (two-wheel drive), 4H (4WD high range), 4HLC (4WD High Range with locked centre diff), and 4LLC (4WD Low Range with locked centre diff).

The driver is able to safely switch between 2WD (2H) and 4WD (4H, 4HLC) at speeds up to 100km/h. I’m old school, though, and prefer to stop and switch, unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

The GSR also has a button-operated off-road mode system, with Gravel, Mud/Snow, Sand or Rock settings, each of which tweaks engine output, transmission settings and traction control to best suit the terrain.

It also has off-road-focussed driver-assist tech, such as hill descent control.

How practical is the space inside?

It’s easy to feel comfortable in a Triton cabin because it all feels very familiar – which is part of this ute’s problem because it feels a bit old and dated.

The interior is easy on the eye, well laid-out, and everything is easy to locate and operate. The 7.0-inch touchscreen should be much bigger, but it is clear enough to avoid any usage issues. It also has in-built sat nav, but rather work off your phone than use that system.

The cabin feels rather squeezy, but I don’t mind the cosiness of it, and it’s a reasonable mix of leather accents on the seats and durable plastic surfaces almost everywhere else.

Seats are supportive but borderline too firm, and the rear seat is, as always in a ute, better suited to accommodating two rather than three people, unless they’re children.

Storage spaces include the usual – glove box, two cupholders up front, centre console with storage box and lid, moulded door pockets with bottle holders – and for back-seat passengers, there are seatback pockets, bottle holders in the doors and a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders. 

There’s also a roof-mounted air vent that recirculates air to the back seat from the front.

There are two USB ports up front and two 12-volt plugs, and two USB ports for those in the back seat. 

All-around, the interior is a pleasant space, albeit one that’s feeling its age.

What's it like as a daily driver?

Not too shabby, but not fantastic either.

The Triton is 5305mm long (with a 3000mm wheelbase), 1815mm wide, 1795mm high, and has a listed kerb mass of 2000kg. Its dimensions almost always work in its favour on- and off-road. 

It has an 11.8m turning circle and because of its light weight the Triton is quite nimble around the suburbs and even in the city.

It’s reasonably quiet and comfortable and handles daily-driving tasks with very little fuss.

Visibility is generally fine all-round, except where it becomes narrowed by the design of the rear windows. 

Steering is tilt-and-telescopic adjustable and well-balanced, but the irregular surfaces of rough country roads and bush tracks force some jitters into the steering wheel.

The Triton has a mostly smooth auto (with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters if you want to get lively) and decent acceleration from a standing start, but it does still exhibit noticeable diesel clatter on the move and reveals more than its fair share of sluggishness during overtaking moves.

The suspension set-up – double wishbones, coil springs and stabiliser bar at the front, and leaf springs at the rear – is not as skippy as once expected of all unladen utes, but it’s still a ute, after all. 

Ride tends towards the harsher end of the rough-to-comfortable spectrum, but otherwise it’s fine. 

The Triton rides on 18-inch Bridgestone Dueler 684 II H/T tyres (265/60R18), which are fine on sealed surfaces.

What’s it like for touring?

It's pretty decent: nimble and torquey off-road, and it benefits greatly from Mitsubishi’s Super Select II 4WD system.

As mentioned, Super Select II offers four modes: 2H (two-wheel drive, rear), 4H (4X4 but in an all-wheel drive mode, safe to use at high speed on bitumen), 4HLC (4X4/all-wheel drive with locked centre diff; off-road driving at 30km/h or so) and 4LLC (4X4/all-wheel drive with locked centre diff and crawler gears engaged; only for low-speed 4WDing (below 30km/h).

Super Select II worked well during dirt-track driving in 4H and a prolonged bout of 4WDing through soft sand on this test, with tyre pressures dropped to 20psi.

Low-range gearing is good, off-road driver-assist tech, such as hill descent control, is handy, and the rear diff lock is, of course, a real boost when it comes to safe progress during low-speed low-range 4WDing.

The Triton is easy to navigate along narrow bush tracks, tight turns and squeezed-in approaches to climbs, descents, and creek crossings that would force bigger utes to inch back and forth until they could successfully accomplish the manoeuvre.

Speaking of creek crossings, we never had the opportunity to tackle anything deeper than shallow mud puddles along bush tracks, but, for your reference, wading depth is a listed 500mm.

It has 220mm ground clearance (unladen), and approach, departure and ramp-over angles of 31 degrees, 23 degrees and 26 degrees, respectively.

Its undercarriage feels prone to rubbing the dirt while traversing more difficult terrain so you must drive the Triton with focus.

The tub is 1520mm long, 1470mm wide (1085mm between the wheel arches), and 475mm deep, with 865mm from floor height to ground.

So, it’s a small tray in the grand scheme of things – short and narrow – and it’s higher off the ground, so loading gear in is that much harder for those of us (ahem, me) who have played Grumpy in the annual Snow White and the Seven Dwarves local panto.

A soft tonneau cover covers the cargo area and the tub has four tie-down points.

Payload capacity is a listed 900kg. Maximum towing capacity 750kg (unbraked) and 3100kg (braked). 

The GSR has a GVM of 2900kg and a GCM of 5885kg.

As always, a set of decent all-terrain tyres and a mild aftermarket suspension lift would help make this an even more capable 4WD.

How much fuel does it consume?

Official fuel consumption is 8.6L/100km on the combined cycle.

On this test I recorded actual fuel consumption, from pump to pump, of 9.6L/100km.

The Triton has a 75-litre fuel tank, so going by those fuel-use figures I’d expect to get a touring range of about 750km, after removing 30km as a safe-distance buffer.

Note: your fuel consumption will likely be higher than that – and consequently your driving range will be lower – because all we had onboard were a set of four Maxtrax in a carry bag, a vehicle-recovery kit, a tyre-puncture repair kit, a first-aid kit, an air compressor, and some tools – and my embarrassingly large ego.

You’ll be carrying a lot more than that on a weekend out bush or along a beach with your mates or your family – think food and water, camping equipment, as well as everything else that gets taken on a trip away.

What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?

The Triton line-up has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, from testing in April 2015.

Safety gear includes seven airbags (driver's knee, driver and front passenger, driver and front passenger side, side curtain), AEB (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and more.

The rear seat has two ISOFIX child-seat anchor points and two child-restraint top-tether points.

What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered?

Mitsubishi applies a 10-year/200,000km warranty (if all servicing is conducted at an authorised Mitsubishi dealership) and 10 years/150,000km capped price servicing and roadside assistance to its Triton.

Servicing is scheduled every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, and averages $674 a year for the first 10 years on a capped price deal.

Verdict