MITSUBISHI TRITON GSR
THE GSR is the top model in the Triton ute range and its cabin brings a feel of luxury to the rugged little ute. I say little because it is physically smaller than many of its competitors here and for many buyers this is a positive.
The Triton’s size and relative short wheelbase of 3000mm mean that Mitsubishi conservatively rates its towing limit to 3100kg, but makes up for that somewhat with a generous GCM that still allows you to carry a bit in the car if you are towing at the maximum weight.
That short wheelbase combines with a long overhang at the rear to give the Triton a bouncy feel when towing the 2100kg Jayco caravan. There’s a lot of leverage between the tow bar and the rear axle resulting in a porpoising when travelling over uneven road surfaces.
As the upper-spec model of the Triton range, the GSR is fitted with Mitsubishi’s Super Select 4-wheel drive system which gives you the option of driving in full-time 4WD on sealed roads. The Ranger Sport V6 was the only other vehicle in the group to offer this and as we found with the Ford, having full-time 4x4 proved beneficial to reduce wheelspin on the wet roads of the test. Having an unlocked 4x4 system can also be very beneficial when manoeuvring a trailer on some surfaces.
Also beneficial on the Mitsubishi are the transmission paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel. Affixed to the steering column so that they don’t move with the steering wheel, the shifters make it easy for tipping back a gear or two when you want a bit of engine braking. As the only vehicle in the group to have them, it was the easiest to operate in this regard.
Mitsubishi’s single-turbo 2.4L engine makes just 133kw and 430Nm of torque, so it’s at the lower end of the outputs list but it did an admirable job. You could feel it working harder than the other engines over the same loop and the transmission kicked right back to second gear keeping the engine near redline on the long hill climb. The effort required by the powertrain was evident in the fuel use, with 17.8L/100km being the thirstiest on test.
As with most of the utes that needed to have an aftermarket brake controller fitted for this test, the Triton was fitted with a unit from Australian manufacturer Redarc – Mitsubishi and most other vehicle companies fit the Redarc unit as a dealer option.