You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
By Ross Kiddie<br />
Mitsubishi Triton VRX<br />
I’m left disappointed if I have a vehicle<br />
and don’t drive it somewhere near to its<br />
full potential, especially if it’s a ute.<br />
So when I recently had Mitsubishi’s new<br />
Triton I put it to very good use. I had<br />
purchased a bulky Trade Me item from<br />
Dunedin and I used the evaluation vehicle<br />
to make a one-day return trip.<br />
Almost eight hundred kilometres of<br />
highway running certainly didn’t test<br />
the Triton’s comprehensive Super<br />
Select II four-wheel-drive capability,<br />
but the excursion served to prove how<br />
comfortable and capable the modern ute<br />
is on a long journey. I felt fresh when I got<br />
home and was left understanding why<br />
utes are now the vehicle of choice for<br />
some family buyers.<br />
The Triton is all new for <strong>2019</strong>, and<br />
while it gets a fresh look and upgraded<br />
engineering, it still has the same engine<br />
and basic chassis and suspension<br />
elements. That’s a good thing, the Triton<br />
can mix it with the market front-runners,<br />
and the way<br />
it sits in the market, constantly sitting<br />
around third place in terms of sales<br />
behind Ford’s Ranger and Holden’s<br />
Colorado means it is very much a<br />
preferred option.<br />
The evaluation ute was a high-grade<br />
VRX-specced double cab with automatic<br />
transmission. The latter is an all-new sixspeed<br />
type, it is a beauty with smooth<br />
shifts, and in VRX form it also has a<br />
paddle-shift sequential mechanism. In<br />
this specification the Triton is priced at<br />
$62,990 which, to my way of thinking, is<br />
good value considering its specification<br />
level and how well it stacks up to the<br />
opposition.<br />
Major items include leather trim, keyless<br />
entry and ignition, cruise control and<br />
speed limiter (perfect for the long straight<br />
roads heading out of Canterbury), rear<br />
view reversing camera, and a host of<br />
advanced safety features.<br />
Under the bonnet sits a 2.4-litre fourcylinder<br />
turbocharged diesel engine. It<br />
is rated at 135kW with 437Nm of torque,<br />
both figures are realised low in the rev<br />
band at 3500rpm and 2500rpm. Even<br />
though it is diesel-fed it is a lively engine<br />
and gets about its work willingly, it it also<br />
one of the quietest engines in its class,<br />
and that’s a credit to the engineers –<br />
getting a big block four-potter to work<br />
smoothly takes some doing. It is evident<br />
that the Triton has the benefit of much<br />
soundproofing and it has a well refined<br />
engine in the first instance.<br />
A lot of development has also been<br />
carried out to cut down fuel use, it is now<br />
to the point where an 8.6-litre per 100km<br />
(33mpg) combined cycle can be claimed.<br />
On my journey south the trip computer<br />
was constantly listing at around that<br />
figure with a 6l/100km (47mpg) readout<br />
showing at a steady 100km/h, the engine<br />
just loping over gently at 1700rpm. If<br />
you are doing long highway hauls, those<br />
figures mean large fuel cost savings.<br />
On the subject of figures, the Triton fourwheel-drive<br />
has a tow rating of 3500kg<br />
and it will haul a payload of 905kg in a<br />
deck area measuring 1520mm x 1470 x<br />
475mm (depending on deck liner). It also<br />
has a useful <strong>22</strong>0mm of ground clearance,<br />
all of these figures are right up with<br />
market demand.<br />
The test ute was riding on 18in wheels<br />
with quite chunky 265/60 Bridgestone<br />
Dueler tyres. Even so, they ride quietly,<br />
even on coarse chip seal, they also offer<br />
direct feedback through the steering.<br />
Utes aren’t known for their ideal handling<br />
Page 27<br />
Price: Mitsubishi Triton VRX,<br />
$62,990<br />
Dimensions: Length, 5305mm;<br />
width, 1815mm; height, 1795mm<br />
Configuration: Four-cylinder,<br />
four-wheel-drive, 2442cc, 135kW,<br />
437Nm, six-speed automatic.<br />
Performance: 0-100km/h, 9sec<br />
Fuel usage: 8.6l/100km<br />
but it was nice to have some surety<br />
when I pushed quickly through the tricky<br />
corners between Oamaru and Dunedin.<br />
The Triton has handling ability unrealistic<br />
for a working vehicle built on a ladder<br />
chassis and load bearing live rear axle.<br />
Interestingly, Mitsubishi still has a manual<br />
gearbox option on Triton and that would<br />
be the model for me; however, the new<br />
automatic adds to the sophistication,<br />
and with all of the ingredients in place<br />
to make the driving process smooth, it is<br />
certainly a standout vehicle which has a<br />
major role in the working environment.<br />
Today’s pick-up buyer is reaping of the<br />
benefits of long and gradual development<br />
processes. It’s no wonder our market is<br />
led by utes, the Triton is a vehicle you can<br />
comfortably put the family in for that trip<br />
into the high country, skifield access road,<br />
or to the beach for a swim or surf. It’s also<br />
the quintessential tow and carry vehicle.<br />
I wouldn’t mind one permanently parked<br />
up my driveway.
Change language