SHED: 2019 MITSUBISHI TRITON GLX+
IS IT TRUE THAT GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES?
While many of us love the big truck feel and ride of some of the larger offerings in the one-tonne 4x4 segment, the appeal of that extra size soon fades once you’re back in town and looking for a spot in the local carpark. With long wheelbases and even longer overall lengths, some of these doublecabs can be a real pain in the butt to park around town. And speaking of butts, many urban parking spots aren’t marked for fivemetre plus utes and they will leave their tail hanging out past the designated space.
Thankfully the Mitsubishi Triton isn’t one of these utes and is actually one I don’t mind driving around town. With its total length coming in at 5305mm, and more importantly the wheelbase at 3000mm, the Triton is one of the easiest utes for the urban adventure. While the short wheelbase might not be the best thing for carrying a load in the tray, as it puts most of the load behind the rear axle, it does make the Mits more manoeuvrable, both in town and out on the tracks. Its 11.8m turning circle is really noticeable when you’re exploring places like the high country or desert scrub where tracks twist and turn in between bushes.
Defying its size, the GLX+ has a healthy payload of 945kg and Mitsubishi has wisely kept its maximum towing capacity at 3100kg. While that might be 400kg down on some of its competitors, in the real world the Triton is better off with its 5885kg GCM (Gross Combined Mass) leaving you with a solid 830-usable kilograms you can still load in to the car. That maximum towing capacity isn’t always what you make of it until you line it up against the GCM and see what you can carry in the car as well. Triton is one of the best in this regards allowing you to still carry a few mates and some gear in the car when you have a heavy trailer on.
The Triton’s 2.4-litre diesel engine punches above its weight too. Like all inline four-cylinder engines it can be a tad harsh when you wring it to get the full 133kw and 430Nm out of its four pots, but for general duties it’s refined and smooth. It mates well to the six-speed auto transmission, again making for ease of use.
Sometimes it is true that good things come in small packages, err smaller packages, and this rings true with the userfriendly Triton.
WHILE THE SHORT WHEELBASE MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST THING FOR CARRYING A LOAD IN THE TRAY, IT DOES MAKE THE MITS MORE MANOEUVRABLE, BOTH IN TOWN AND ON THE TRACKS