Long-Term Tests

GOAUTO’S reviews aim to make your choice of vehicle easier, whether it’s a passenger car, an SUV, or a light commercial utility like the Mitsubishi Triton.

Our long-term tests offer a particularly valuable insight into vehicle ownership, diving deeper into the individual elements owners come to love – or hate.

Over the course of three months, we live with the vehicle as an owner would, paying for fuel and servicing, and experiencing both day-to-day driving and the qualities a specific model seeks to offer.

We believe long-term tests are a terrific way to understand a vehicle more completely, helping buyers decide whether a model is right for them, and just how well it will serve them in the long haul.

Overview

THE Mitsubishi Triton is a vehicle we’ve almost gone full circle with here at GoAuto.

From attending its international debut in Bangkok, Thailand, to a preview drive in Adelaide, Australia, and with several week-long loans in between, it’s a vehicle you might say we’re already quite familiar with.

But you can never have too much of a good thing, and in sampling the Triton over the next three months, we’ll get to know those elements owners value in greater detail.

The 2025 Mitsubishi Triton range was recently updated to include more body styles, with Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) adding single- and club-cab variants to its established dual-cab range.

On test is the Triton GLX+ Dual Cab-Chassis (from $51,990), a model popular with trade and agricultural buyers for its added cabin space, open tray, generous payload and towing capacity, and no-nonsense four-wheel drive system.

It is powered by Mitsubishi’s familiar 4N16-series twin-turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel engine paired with an Aisin-sourced six-speed automatic transmission.

Combined cycle fuel consumption is listed at 7.7 litres per 100km with CO2 emissions of 203 grams per kilometre. The Triton requires AdBlue (or Diesel Exhaust Fluid) and features a 75-litre fuel tank.

The four-wheel-drive Triton GLX+ tested here, which is one step up from the base variant, features Mitsubishi’s Easy Select 4WD and a locking rear differential, runs wishbone coil front and heavy-duty multi-leaf rear suspension, disc/drum brakes with mechanical park brake, and electrically assisted steering enabling a turning circle of 12.4m.

Approach, break-over, and departure angles are listed at 30.4, 23.4, and 22.8 degrees, while the variant’s ground clearance is 228mm. Frustratingly, water fording depth is not listed by Mitsubishi meaning any water crossings must be tackled with extreme caution.

The grade’s 17-inch alloy wheels are shod with 265/65 profile highway-terrain tyres with a full-size matching spare slung underneath the aluminium drop-side tray.

The Triton GLX+ can carry up to 1209kg on its back or tow up to 3500kg if brakes are fitted to the trailer (and 750kg otherwise). Down ball weight is listed at 350kg. Kerb mass is listed at 1991kg and GVM 3200kg. All up, the Triton GLX+ dual-cab allows a GCM of 6250kg.

On the equipment front we find a 7.0-inch digital instrument screen, 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, auto (halogen) lights and wipers, single-zone climate control, black cloth upholstery with manual front seat adjustment and driver-side lumbar support, embedded sat nav, front fog lights, rear privacy glass, side steps, and vinyl flooring.

Connectivity highlights include AM/FM/DAB+ radio reception, Bluetooth telephony, four-speaker sound, front- and rear-seat USB-A and -C charging ports, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

The Mitsubishi Triton range offers a five-star ANCAP safety rating and even in its most basic form is generously equipped in terms of the active and passive safety technologies featured.

Highlights include adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, auto high beam, blind spot monitoring, driver monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, lane change assist, lane departure warning, around-view camera, traffic sign recognition, tyre pressure monitoring, and eight airbags including a driver’s knee and front centre airbag.

ISOFIX (x2) and top-tether (x2) child seat anchorages are fitted to the rear bench.

Paint colour choices for the GLX+ grade include White and Red as no-cost options, or Impulse Blue, Blade Silver, Graphite Grey, and Black Mica as a $740 alternative.

All Mitsubishi Triton variants are backed by a 10-year/200,000km factory warranty when serviced through a Mitsubishi dealership. Scheduled servicing intervals are set at 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first) with capped-price servicing offered for the first 10 visits.

Update #1 – Fit and Finish

Historically speaking, the Triton (and related Challenger/Pajero Sport) has always placed a little behind key rivals from Ford and Toyota where the quality of its fit and finish is concerned.

Leftover switchgear, a dated human-machine interface, scratchy plastics… it’s fair to say the model was built to a price – and that’s entirely understandable, given the Triton and its relatives retailed for a considerable amount less than the competition.

But the new Triton range has stepped up in both its quality and price.

While the latter is understandable, given market pressures and the considerable string of improvements found throughout the Triton range, it is the former we will focus on here, looking at those things buyers tend to fuss over, particularly when a vehicle is brand new.

From the outside, it’s impressive to note consistent paint application across all external panels with very little orange peel (a term that refers to the bumpy texture often associated with machine applied paints) and consonant gloss across vertical and horizontal surfaces – and on metal and plastics alike.

The shut lines and panel gaps are uniform, and the fitment of grilles, inserts, and badging is very hard to fault. Even the addition of the nudge bar and front parking sensors is difficult to fault with a high level of attention to detail placed on protecting the wiring as it passes back into the bumper.

Across the vehicle, we found the weather seals and rubber trim to be neatly finished with no marring or rough edges – something we sadly can’t say for every light commercial vehicle we’ve had through the GoAuto garage.

It’s also pleasing to see the alloy tray is squarely located and the fitment of the rear bumper, tow bar, and wiring connectors set by an operator with a keen eye for detail – just as it should be when you’re paying close to $60K for the privilege…

Inside, the cabin is appreciably Spartan with hard-wearing plastics and fabrics the order of the day. But in looking beyond a décor that’s built to work, it’s evident there is a quality of assembly that is pretty hard to fault.

The edges of plastic parts are free of burrs and meet with connecting components securely. Door handles and switches operate cleanly, the power windows run free of any binding, and there is no unfinished stitching on those parts of the seat that are tucked out of view.

While the vehicle on test does have a persistent rattle somewhere in the B pillar, it is the only such issue we’ve detected so far. Given the Triton on test has only 1900km on the odometer, that is rather something of a letdown, but far from a deal-breaker when all is said and done.

We’ll continue to monitor the quality side of the Triton’s cab as we work our way through this three-month loan. We’ll also put the vehicle through its paces hauling, towing, and venturing off-road to see just how well it stacks up in a segment that’s now home to 20 other players.

Watch this space…