Only 400 units of the new limited edition Triton GLS Sport were initially available in Australia, but Mitsubishi Australia has expanded that to 900 units due to demand, according to the car-maker.
‘Special’ or ‘limited’ editions can sometimes be a company’s half-hearted attempt to get rid of the few remaining examples of a soon-to-be-outdated generation of vehicle.
So, is this limited edition Triton ordinary or awesome?
Price and features of the 2023 Mitsubishi Triton GLS Sport
The Mitsubishi Triton Sport Edition is based on the mid-spec GLS and is available only with a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine (133kW/430Nm) and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Retail price is listed as $56,440 (excluding on-road costs).
Standard features on the GLS include a 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia unit (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), paddle shifters on the steering wheel, LED daytime running lights, dual zone climate control, 18-inch black alloy wheels and more.
The Sport also incorporates GLS Deluxe package features, such as a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, and a 360-degree surround view camera.
Sport additions include decals on the bonnet and tailgate, a red accent on the front edge of the front bash plate, and leather-appointed seats with red stitching.
Our test vehicle had a hard one-piece tonneau cover ($3116), towbar kit ($1393), electric brake kit ($788), under-rail tubliner ($665), premium paint ('White Diamond'*, $200), rubber mats ($118), and 50mm towball ($41) – which pushes its price to $62,761 (excluding on-road costs). (* The Sport is available in two colours: 'Pitch Black' and White Diamond'. Pitch Black is included in the Sport package, but costs $740 if you’re buying a standard GLS and want that colour.)
There are no major changes to the Sport over other Triton variants – beyond the stripes, etc – and so it has the same look and feel as its stablemates.
That’s okay, because the Triton’s distinctive – some might say polarising – ‘dynamic shield’ front end sharpens up what would otherwise be a typically generic looking contemporary ute.
The Triton’s cabin is feeling a bit old but it has that comfortably familiar feeling about it you only ever get in a tried-and-tested vehicle.
The cabin is cosy not confining, and materials are a pleasing mix of leather on the seats and tough plastic surfaces elsewhere.
The leather accents and red stitching add a subtle layer of panache to a pleasant interior that is well laid out with all controls easy to locate and operate.
The 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia unit is too small, but we didn’t have any operational troubles.
There are two USB ports up front and two 12V plugs, and two USB ports for back-seat passengers.
The leather-appointed seats are almost too firm and the rear-seat is best suited as a pew for two adults or three children.
There are plenty of storage spaces for everyone – a glove box, two cupholders up front, centre console with storage box and lid, moulded door pockets with bottle holders – and for back-seat passengers, there are seat-back pockets, bottle holders in the doors and a fold-down centre arm-rest with two cupholders.
For the comfort of rear seat passengers, a roof-mounted air vent recirculates air to the back seat from the front.
The Triton has a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – producing 133kW at 3500rpm and 430Nm at 2500rpm – and it has a six-speed automatic transmission. This is a sluggish but respectable, well-proven pairing in the Triton and it does the job.
The Sport has Mitsubishi’s 'Super Select II' 4WD system and a rear diff lock. There’s a Super Select II 4WD dial to the rear of the shifter, which enables the driver to switch from 2H (two-wheel drive), 4H (4WD high-range), 4HLC (4WD high-range with locked centre diff), and 4LLC (4WD low-range with locked centre diff).
The driver is able to safely switch between 2WD (2H) and 4WD (4H, 4HLC) at speeds up to 100km/h.
As it’s based on the GLS, the Sport has that variant’s button-operated off-road mode system – with 'Gravel', 'Mud/Snow', 'Sand' or 'Rock' settings, each of which adjust engine output, transmission settings and traction control for optimal terrain-tackling. It also has other off-road-focussed driver-assist tech, such as hill descent control.
Driving the 2023 Mitsubishi Triton GLS Sport
The Triton is respectable on-road and impressive off-road.
There are no mechanical or engineering differences in the Sport edition over the standard GLS so it doesn’t drive, ride or handle any better or worse than its non-Sport stablemates.
This ute is 5305mm long (with a 3000mm wheelbase), 1815mm wide, 1795mm high, and has a listed kerb mass of 1991kg. It has an 11.8m turning circle.
Due to its light weight the Triton is nimble in the city, around the suburbs and even in the bush.
Steering has a well-balanced feel about it, but bumpy country roads and bush tracks force a few jitters through the steering wheel.
Ride is rather harsh but, if you’re used to driving utes, it’s fine.
The Triton’s suspension – double wishbones, coil springs and stabiliser bar at the front, and leaf springs at the rear – is not as easily unsettled when unladen, as some other utes are, but it’s a ute so it’s not as composed as a wagon.
The auto is smooth and there’s decent acceleration from a standing start, but there is noticeable diesel clatter when you’re on the move and this ute can be sluggish during overtaking moves.
The Triton rides on 18-inch Bridgestone Dueler 684 II H/T tyres (265/60R18), which are satisfactory on the blacktop, but they lack off-road bite.
The Triton is a very decent 4WD ute: nimble and torquey, and its Super Select II 4WD system is always a real handy addition to the toolbox.
Super Select II offers four modes: 2H (two-wheel drive, rear), 4H (4X4 but in an all-wheel drive mode, safe to use at high speed on bitumen), 4HLC (4X4/all-wheel drive with locked centre diff; off-road driving at 30km/h, or so) and 4LLC (4X4/all-wheel drive with locked centre diff and crawler gears engaged; only for low-speed 4WDing (below 30km/h).
The system worked well in 4H during dirt-track and soft-sand driving on this test, with tyre pressures dropped to 20psi.
Remember: you can even drive the Triton in 4H on high-traction surfaces for added traction security.
Low-range gearing is good, the off-road driver-assist tech, such as hill descent control, is sound, and the rear diff lock is very handy.
The Triton is easy to navigate along narrow bush tracks, tight turns and squeezed approaches to climbs, descents, and creek crossings that would force bigger utes into awkward back-and-forth moves until they could eventually accomplish the manoeuvre.
Wading depth is a listed 500mm, but the shin-deep mudholes we drove through didn’t test that measure.
The Triton has 220mm ground clearance (unladen), and approach, departure and ramp-over angles of 31 degrees, 23 degrees and 26 degrees, respectively.
The undercarriage feels prone to rubbing the dirt while traversing more difficult terrain, so the Triton must be driven with focus.
The tub is 1520mm long, 1470mm wide (1085mm between the wheel arches), and 475mm deep, with 865mm from floor height to ground.
The shallow and narrow load space is small and it’s higher off the ground, so loading gear can be a little bit more difficult for those of us who will never play in the NBA.
The lockable hard tonneau cover sits on gas struts atop the cargo area and has to be lifted open and lowered to close. The tub itself has four tie-down points.
Payload capacity is a listed 909kg. Maximum towing capacity 750kg (unbraked trailer) and 3100kg (braked). Maximum towball load is 310kg. The GLS has a GVM of 2900kg and a GCM of 5885kg.
As always, a set of decent all-terrain tyres and a mild aftermarket suspension lift would help make this an even more capable 4WD.
Official fuel consumption is 8.6L/100km on a combined cycle.
On this test I recorded actual fuel consumption, from pump to pump, of 9.8L/100km.
The Triton has a 75-litre fuel tank, so going by those fuel-use figures I’d expect to get a touring range of about 765km.
Note: your fuel consumption will be higher than that – and consequently your driving range will be lower – because all I had onboard was a set of four Maxtrax in a carry bag, a vehicle-recovery kit, a tyre-puncture repair kit, a first-aid kit, an air compressor, and a few tools. You’ll be carrying a lot more than that on a weekend out bush with your mates or your family – think food and water, camping equipment, as well as everything else that gets taken on a trip away.
The Triton range has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, from testing in April 2015.
Safety gear includes seven airbags (driver knee airbag, driver and front passenger, driver and front passenger side, curtain SRS), AEB (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and more.
The rear seat has two ISOFIX child-seat anchor points and two child-restraint top-tether points.
Mitsubishi applies a 10-year/200,000km warranty (if all servicing is conducted at an authorised Mitsubishi dealership) and 10 years/150,000km capped price servicing and roadside assistance to its Triton.
Servicing is scheduled every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, and will work out to be about $600 a year.
What we think of the 2023 Mitsubishi Triton GLS Sport
The Triton is feeling its age but you can never ignore this solid quiet-achiever of a workhorse, that’s for sure.
It’s a reasonably refined and comfortable daily driver and more than capable of performing well as an off-road touring vehicle.
The Sport treatment adds nothing special to an already decent ute, but it’ll suffice until the new generation Tritons arrive here in 2024.
