Mitsubishi Triton single cab petrol 2019 review

It’s so edgy you could almost put square wheels on the Triton. The front end is truly aggressive, and to some it may look overly ridge and a bit nose-heavy. 

The Triton’s new ‘Dynamic Shield’ front end divides opinion - for every supporter there’s a detractor. For me, the front end is great - but it looks better on a high spec dual-cab, or at the very least without the tiny looking (but actually not that small at 16-inches) steel wheels. 

It’s so edgy you could almost put square wheels on the Triton.

Unlike other markets, every Triton we get includes colour-coded bumpers. You might disagree, but I think the bulky dark grey plastic front bumper treatment would have looked even tougher. White paint is no cost, and on GLX you can only have it, Sterling Silver or Graphite grey (both of which add $590). 

Everything from the bonnet back is the same as it was before. You can choose to fit a different tray, but our test vehicle was fitted with a genuine Mitsubishi alloy tray with fold-down sides that was simple to use. 

Our test vehicle was fitted with a genuine Mitsubishi alloy tray with fold-down sides that was simple to use.

But what happened to the good old days of utes that didn’t sit up so high? Tray load-in height for this model is 950mm - so loading in heavy items by hand (or jumping on to the back of the ute) is harder than it could be. Toyota still offers a low-set single cab model (HiLux Workmate), as does Isuzu (D-Max SX Low Rider) and Ford (Ranger XL Low-Rider). The Nissan Navara RX is slightly lower than the rest of its range, too. 

While our version is the 4x2, it still has an excellent 30-degree approach angle and a 25-degree ramp-over angle, but the departure angle varies on the tray fitted. As for weight, this version is 1436 kilograms, with a huge 1284kg payload.

The Triton GLX single cab is only available as a tray back model, but you can get it in 2WD as you see here, or with 4WD. And there are petrol and diesel options, manual and auto options - you can read our full pricing and specs story to see how the range pans out.

Our model, though, is the entry point to the Triton range, listed at $22,490 plus on-road costs, or on a permanent drive-away deal of $24,990. 

That’s for a petrol manual 2WD including an alloy tray, and it makes it the most affordable utes you can buy from a ‘mainstream’ maker. 

Our petrol manual 2WD lists at $22,490 plus on-road costs, including an alloy tray.

But the Toyota HiLux Workmate in the equivalent spec is $20,990 plus on-roads, so if budget matters, you’d probably just buy that. There are no other petrol single cabs from the big players. 

Consider this, though - if you just want a really cheap ute, you could get a Great Wall Steed diesel single cab for $19,990 (actually advertised at $18,990 drive-away). As for that other Chinese upstart, LDV, there is no petrol single cab there, either, but you can get a diesel for not much more than the petrol Triton ($26,990 drive-away).

You get a 6.1-inch media screen with Bluetooth phone and audio streaming.

It isn’t loaded with equipment, but at the very least you get a 6.1-inch media screen with Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, AM/FM radio, USB connectivity, a CD player, steering wheel controls and two speakers. There’s cruise control, power windows, electric mirrors, remote central locking, air-conditioning with a dust and pollen filter, and tilt and reach steering adjustment which many dearer utes still don’t have. 

The lights are halogen all around, including the daytime running lamps, and the interior has hard-wearing cloth seat trim with a vinyl floor covering.

The engine is decent in the way it builds pace, with good torque for a petrol four-cylinder petrol, particularly at lower speeds, and it’s quiet enough too. 

But when you get on the highway and find yourself confronted by a hill, your jaw may clench as you prepare yourself to lose pace. It can struggle, even unladen, with climbs, and it feels like it lacks the grunt to maintain pace on inclines.

The manual shift is a bit rubbery, and the clutch is grabby at times because of the hill-hold assist system, which can be too assertive.

Any single cab that can carry almost its own weight in the tray will have a firm ride.

Any single cab ute that can carry almost its own weight in the tray will have a firm ride, and that’s certainly the case for this GLX Triton. The leaf spring rear suspension is designed to deal with huge loads, and as a result it is punishingly firm around town within nothing in the tray. The worst kinds of high speed bumps are those on corners, as the vehicle can shimmy when unladen.

The Triton retains its previous ANCAP crash test safety rating of five stars which it was awarded in 2015 - even though the front structure of the car has changed, and so have the requirements for five-star ratings. 

While the models higher up in the Triton range deserve the 10/10 score I awarded the range for safety, this end of the spectrum doesn’t quite warrant as big a number. This version still gets stability control, hill start assist, an adjustable speed limiter and trail stability assist, but doesn’t have auto emergency braking (AEB), lane keeping, blind spot monitoring or any of those other smarts you get in the GLX+.

The Triton was awarded a five start ANCAP safety rating in 2015.

The GLX single cab has seven airbags (dual front, front side, curtain and driver’s knee), and there’s one top-tether child restraint but no ISOFIX.