Mitsubishi Triton vs Ford Ranger

What's the difference?

There's no denying this new Triton is a marked improvement over the model it replaces. It drives better, has more power, a more comfortable cabin and more driver-friendly tech.

Whether that's enough to rattle the segment's leaders remains to be seen, but this feels like a far more modern ute for modern times.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Ford Ranger XL 4x2 Double Cab combines strong performance with a one-tonne-plus payload rating, 3500kg towing ability, spacious cabin and excellent ride/handling.

However, it could be even better without the penny-pinching evident in the lack of rear passenger air-vents/USB etc found in some 4x2 rivals. Even so, for workhorse buyers, there’s plenty to like here.

Well, if you like utes, have I got some good news for you! Because the new Mitsubishi Triton looks a lot like, well, a ute.

That's not to undersell the work Mitsubishi has done here. There's a new 'Yamabuki Orange' colour for the flagship GSR, for example, and it looks particularly sharp with the black alloys and silver skid plate.

I even like the new body-colour lines crossing over the top of the blacked-out grille – though I concede they could be polarising.

But, yes, it's a ute.

Inside, though, it's a vastly improved space. We've spent most our time in the top-spec model, and it's a solid mix of utility, technology and comfort.

It feels vaguely premium, owing to clever cabin materials, but never fussy, which would feel out of place in a dual cab that is still ostensibly a workhorse.

I love the fact that all your core functions – climate controls and the like – are still controlled by tactile switches, and I even love the old-school handbrake.

I'm also a big fan of the big-enough central screen with its wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the wireless charger and USB connections. It's tough meets tech, and it all works really well.

All Ranger XL 4x2s are called ‘Hi-Riders’ as they share the same ride height as their 4x4 siblings. As a result, they also benefit from the same ground clearance/approach/departure angles, which can be handy if there's some rugged terrain in your line of work.

Braking is a front disc/rear drum combination but you’d struggle to feel the difference between this and the four-wheel discs of higher-grade models, given how well Ford has refined the set-up over the years.

The Ranger XL is a chrome-free zone as you'd expect, with the interior featuring many shades of grey and a conspicuous number of plastic caps in places where buttons/switches are found in more luxurious variants.

Even so, the cabin is neat and functional for this role. Rear seat space is excellent, even for tall people like me (186cm). There’s also ample headroom, which contributes to the spacious feel.

Our only gripes are the absence of air-vents and a USB port in the rear of the centre console, which come standard in rivals like Isuzu’s D-Max SX.

The Triton's practicality perks are split into two camps – the tough stuff, and the workhorse stuff.

But let's start with the former. While there are two-wheel drive Triton options, most send power to all four wheels.

However, the best off-road gear starts with the GLX+, which adds a rear differential lock, while the GLS and GSR add Mitsubishi's Super Select 4WD-II – which incorporates a Torsen centre differential, Terrain Control and Hill Descent Control.

We put the GSR through its paces on a genuinely tough off-road course that required plenty of low-range crawling, and the Triton shone in the rough stuff.

Onto the workhorse stuff, every Triton will tow a 3.5-tonne braked trailer, while payloads range from 1030kg to 1110kg, depending on the model, courtesy of a slightly bigger 1555mm tray. The tray has been lowered slightly, too, to make loading or unloading easier.

The Triton has also grown in every meaningful way, stretching 5320mm in length and 1865mm in width, and that means more space in the cabin. I'm 175cm, and found I had oodles of room in the back seat.

There are some other thoughtful practicality perks on offer, too. All the doors take 1.25-litre bottles, there's device storage, space for the clipboard and that sort of thing.

Thanks to its relatively light 2093kg kerb weight, our test vehicle’s 3250kg GVM allows for an impressive 1157kg payload rating.

It’s also rated to tow up to the category-benchmark 3500kg of braked trailer and given its big 6200kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) that would still leave a generous payload capacity of more than 600kg.

These are strong numbers well suited to a variety of heavy-hauling tasks.

The load tub’s floor is 1547mm long and 1584mm wide with 1224mm between the wheel housings, allowing it to carry an 1165mm-square Aussie pallet which can be secured using a choice of six load-anchorage points (three each side).

A steel-framed bulkhead doubles as robust protection for the cabin’s rear window and a handy place on which to lean and secure items that are too long to fit in the tub.

Its flush-fitting load retainers can pivot and lock into a vertical position on each side, to effectively ‘book-end’ loads when securing them.

The tub has internal lighting thanks to small but bright LEDs embedded in the sidewalls. These are welcome not only when accessing the tub at night or in poorly-lit internal spaces, but also if it's fitted with a hard tonneau cover.

There are concave side-steps behind the rear wheels, which make accessing the load tub easier and safer than standing on top of the tyres as owners often do, because if they're wet or muddy it’s easy to slip off.

Six plastic caps (three each side) along the top edges of the sidewalls can be removed to provide access to internal mounting points for numerous structures, like ladder racks.

The top edge of the tailgate incorporates a 1.3-metre ruler and a pair of spring-loaded ‘trapdoors’ which provide access to the tailgate’s internal cavity.

This allows for the use of G-clamps, which can be inserted into these holes when using the open tailgate as a workbench to clamp materials in place when cutting, drilling, sanding, etc.

Front-of-cabin storage includes dual bottle holders and a bin in each door, plus an overhead glasses holder and, on the passenger’s side, an open shelf with glove box below.

The centre console has open storage up front, a pair of small-bottle/cupholders in the centre and a lidded-box at the back which doubles as a driver’s elbow rest.

Rear seat passengers get a bottle holder and bin in each door, another bin in the rear of the centre console and a pocket on the front passenger seat’s backrest, but with no fold-down centre armrest there are no dedicated cupholders.

The one-piece seat base can also swing up and be stored vertically if more internal luggage space is required, or to access two large underfloor storage compartments.

Our test vehicle is the 4x2 XL Hi-Rider dual cab ute, available only with a 2.0-litre single-turbo diesel engine and six-speed automatic transmission for a list price of $43,280.

Ours is also fitted with Ford’s optional 'Towing Pack', comprising a 3500kg tow-bar and integrated electronic trailer-brake controller, which adds $1700.

Beyond its 16-inch steel wheels with 255/70R16 tyres and full-size spare, there’s halogen daytime running lights (no fancy 'C-clamp' LEDs here folks), power-adjustable and folding door mirrors, a rear bumper step, load tub illumination, top-of-tub protective capping with access caps (see Practicality) plus a lift-assisted tailgate.

The no-frills cabin, with fabric seats and vinyl floor, offers the driver a height/reach-adjustable steering wheel, eight-way manually-adjustable seat (including lumbar support) and 8.0-inch colour digital instrument cluster with configurable display.

There are also three USB ports, two 12-volt outlets and a four-speaker multimedia system, with large 10-inch touchscreen and multiple connectivity including 'FordPass Connect' and Apple/Android devices.

Buyers also have access to numerous options, including the ‘XL 4x2 Off-Road Pack’ comprising a differential lock, steel underbody protection and larger 17-inch steel wheels with all-terrain tyres for those operating in the rough stuff.

The engine is no bigger, but is now a twin-turbo offering, meaning the 2.4-litre diesel produces 150kW at 3500rpm and 470Nm from 1500rpm.

That power is fed through a six-speed automatic to two or all four wheels. There will be manual versions coming along shortly, but they're not here yet.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel with single turbocharger produces a healthy 125kW at 3500rpm and 405Nm of torque between 1750-2500rpm, which exceeds the outputs of 2.4-litre HiLux and 1.9-litre D-Max diesel rivals.

This engine is paired with a six-speed torque converter automatic, which offers the choice of sequential manual-shifting using a small thumb-operated toggle on the side of the shift-lever.

This can be handy when carrying and/or towing heavy loads, particularly in hilly terrain to minimise gear-hunting.

The Triton's four-wheel drive variants sip a claimed 7.7L per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle, with emissions pegged at 203g/km. Two-wheel drive models are marginally more efficient.

There's now also a 17-litre AdBlue tank, which you'll have to top up (AdBlue is a liquid that helps reduce emissions from diesel engines, by the way, which pairs with a particulate filter) as well as a 75-litre fuel tank.

At today's prices in Sydney, that would mean $150 to fill the Triton up, which – based on the claimed fuel use – should deliver a driving range of bang-on 1000km.

Ford claims official average combined cycle consumption of 7.8L/100km.

When we stopped to refuel at the end of our 493km test, which included a mix of suburban and highway driving of which about one fifth was carrying a heavy payload, the dash display was claiming 8.5L/100km.

This was very close to our own figure of 9.3, calculated from fuel bowser and trip meter readings, which confirmed thrifty single-digit economy in real-world driving conditions.

So, based on our own figures, the test vehicle should achieve an impressive driving range of around 860km from its big 80-litre tank.

Mitsubishi likes to describe the new Triton as "SUV-like", which makes sense given it sees the lifestyle segment of dual-cab ownership – you know, families who love towing and camping and that kind of thing – as a great untapped market for its workhorse.

And lots has been done to improve the Triton's on-road behaviour to better appeal to those customers, especially in the two top trim levels, which get a bespoke rear suspension to improve comfort.

It's also why this Triton was tested and tuned so much in Australia. In fact, there are two Triton suspension tunes, ours and the one other countries get.

That means plenty of Mitsubishi's Japanese engineers came to Australia during the Triton's development, driving not just the outgoing model but all of its competitors, and cycling through some 100 different front and rear suspension calibrations to settle on the right balance for the new model. The electric power steering was also tuned here.

The result is a vehicle that is far more comfortable on flowing roads than you might expect, while being no less capable off them. We put the Triton through some pretty challenging off-roading, and it barely broke a sweat.

But there is a caveat. It's comfortable... for a ute.

It's near impossible to get a stiff ladder-frame chassis to steer exactly like a road-focused SUV, but the Triton won't spark much in the way of complaints on long road trips.

The steering is nice, too. There's some sogginess on centre, but it is confident enough to encourage you to tip it into flowing corners at speed without making your pulse-rate spike.

There are still some ute reminders, though. Namely that kind of vehicle-wide shudder when you go over road imperfections, and a transmission that isn't quite as polished as the rest of the vehicle when you're cornering at freeway speed.

The six-speed automatic loves to sit in its highest gears, and so it will change up at will, even mid-corner.

The engine is predictably diesel-noisy, too, which is also noticeable when the stop/start system kicks in at traffic light.

But the added power is a hugely welcome addition, as are the tech and comfort and improvements, and so it feels like a generational leap forward for Mitsubishi's workhorse.

It’s easy to climb aboard with big assist-handles on the A and B pillars to compensate for the absence of side-steps.

The driving position is comfortable and spacious, with ample manual adjustments available in the seat and steering wheel.

It may be a back-to-basics workhorse but refinements in the latest Ranger generation have not been compromised.

The unladen ride quality is undeniably firm but still commendable, even on bumpy roads, given its leaf-spring rear axle and big payload rating.

The relatively light 4x2 kerb weight ensures brisk acceleration from standing starts, combined with steering feel that arguably remains the class benchmark.

We forklifted 890kg into the tub which with driver (and towing pack) was more than one tonne of payload.

The rear leaf springs compressed 50mm under this weight, but there was no chance of bottoming-out because of the rear suspension design that has long cone-shaped jounce rubbers that engage with the springs early in their compression.

This eliminates the hard thumps at full travel like traditional bump-stops and provide what is effectively a second stage of load support. The result is a smooth ride under maximum loads, regardless of road conditions.

The Ranger has ample performance in busy suburban driving and excels at highway speeds, with low engine, tyre and wind noise highlighting its excellent noise suppression.

It also made light work of hauling this load up our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set climb at 60km/h, self-shifting down to third gear to easily reach the summit with minimal accelerator required.

Engine braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, wasn’t as robust but typical of small displacement turbo-diesels trying to restrain big loads on steep descents.

The only negative was an alert that appeared on the driver’s info display, warning of a ‘front camera malfunction’ that would require servicing.

As a result, we were without pre-collision assist, adaptive cruise control or speed-limiter functions for the remainder of our test run, which fortunately occurred on the final day of our loan.

The Ranger scored a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment in 2022 and boasts a suite of benchmark active and passive features.

In the base-grade XL this is highlighted by nine airbags, AEB, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and more.

For smaller crew members, there’s ISOFIX and top-tether child seat anchorage points on the two outer rear seating positions.

Like all Mitsubishi's the Triton is offered with a 10-year and 200,000km warranty and 10 years of capped-price servicing.

You only get the full decade-long warranty cover if you service with Mitsubishi, though, otherwise it drops to five years and 100,000 kilometres.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, and the first five years are capped at $489 per visit. After that, it goes $799, $749, $949, $849 and $899, bringing your 10-year total to $6690, an annual average of, you guessed it, $669.

Warranty is five years/unlimited km.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first.

Capped-price servicing for the first five scheduled services totals $1911 or an average of $382 per service.