Private Fleet Car Review: 2019 Mitsubishi Triton GLX+ Club Cab & GLS Four Door.
This Car Review Is About:
The 2019 model year Mitsubishi Triton GLX+ Club Cab and GLS four door. Both were fitted with a six speed auto, spun by a 2.4L diesel. Mitsubishi lists the GLX+ Club Cab at $39,990 driveaway, and the GLS four door ute at $46,990 driveaway. The four door is available with a manual, and the Club Cab also says yes to the manual if an alloy tray is fitted.
Under The Bonnet Is:
A pretty nice engine and transmission combo. The 2.4L is quiet, smooth on idle, pulls nicely from a standing start and shows no sign of diesel turbo lag. Chatter is muted, and rarely gets intrusive when pushed. Peak power comes in at 3500rpm, once almost unthinkable for an oiler, with peak twist at a more familiar looking 2500rpm.
Economy from the 132kW/430Nm engine, drinking from a 75L tank, is rated as 8.6L per 100 kilometres for the combined cycle.
The Club Cab was taken on a business trip from Sydney to Melbourne and back. Getting under 9.0L/100 km simply didn’t happen and it’s a fair bet the aerodynamics of the two-door ute were to blame. Airflow would have piled over the roof and hit the tray, with the door blocking a clean flow. The four door, used in a mainly urban drive, used 8.6L/100km.
Both have a four wheel drive system, accessed via a centre console dial. The Club Cab+ has Easy Select, the GLS has Super Select 2, which brings in Rock, Sand, Gravel, Snow, and a locking centre differential. This is available in both high and low range drive.
Transmissions in both exhibited some odd tendencies to hunt, to be sometimes indecisive about the cog they were in. Light acceleration would have the mid range, cogs three and four, sometimes blur between each other, but feel that from second to third, and fourth to fifth, that the gaps were bigger than what they actually are. Go hard and heavy, and sometimes here too the changes weren’t as “slurry” as they could have been. Overall, the refinement level wasn’t as high as expected.
On The Inside Is:
Not a huge amount of difference from the driver’s seat. It’s the seat coverings and the cramped rear seats in the Club Cab+ that tell the trim level story. Front seats in the Club Cab+ are fully manual, as are the ones in the GLS, a strange omission in a second from top level vehicle. Both have a 7.0 inch touchscreen for audio including DAB, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Bluetooth streaming. Satnav is standard. Inputs are 2 USBs up front, a pair in the rear for the GLS, and oddly, a HDMI input…There is a pair of 12V sockets too.
The Club Cab+ has a pair of rear seats that have the uprights effectively bolted to the rear of the cabin. This means no adjustment of the seats for fore and aft or tilt. The seat cloth in the Club Cab+is a comfortable mix of light and dark grey, the GLS a darker weave. Head room once inside is better than adequate at 1020mm, however the design of the doors presents an issue only found, for us, in the Triton. It is the only vehicle of its type where a duck of the head is required otherwise a knock to the bonce happens. Shoulder room on each side is fine also at 1430mm up front, 1368mm & 1390mm in the rear for each. Leg room up front is 1067mm, with the rear seats in the GLX725mm, 860mm in the GLS.
As is expected in Mitsubishis, the ergonomics are MOSTLY spot on otherwise. Switchgear, and indicators/wipers are just where they feel they should be. This extends to the operation of the touchscreen, with a simple, untroubled layout. Where the dash’s layout falters is by having buttons in the centre section and in the lower right where the driver’s knee resides. Both had blank plates fitted in both areas so why not use one area alone? Another hiccup is the high level of reflectivity of the upper dash in the inside windscreen.
The feel for the tiller is spot on, with a thickish heft to the wheel itself, meaning fingers are right where they need to be and there’s no sense of wrapping further around than required. This aids in driving as the hands don’t get tired and aching for a break. There’s some extra tech too with dusk sensing headlights and rain sensing wipers. And, by the way, both cars are not keyless, even with the plastic plug in the dash showing that’s a possibility.
Both are family friendly when it comes to the little things. Four bottle holder, two or four cup holders, the spread of USBs for smart devices work well.What About Safety?
This is where going up in levels may pay off. The GLS has Blind Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and a heavily named Ultrasonic misacceleration Mitigation System. The Club Cab+ does not. Forward Collision Mitigation and Lane Departure Warning are common to both. Hill Start Assist is common but Hill Descent Control is GLS specific. The Club Cab+ misses out on front parking sensors and Automatic High Beam. Both have seven airbags including a driver’s kneebag. AEB is not fitted, but the Triton isn’t alone in this.
The Outside Has:
Been given a substantial makeover. The front is now in alignment with the “shield” design seen across the rest of the Mitsubishi family and features LEDs for the GLS and halogens for the Club Cab+, they’ve lost the overtly ovoid cabin section, and the rear lights are more squared off, edgy in design. The GLS came with road style rubber, the Club Cab+ provided was with spongy, high walled, off-road capable tyres. Profiles were 265/60/18 and 245/70/16 respectively.
Sidesteps were standard on each and are metal made and mounted. This provides strength and durability as opposed to others that use plastic brackets or shrouding. Both roll with leaf sprung rears, double wishbone with coil sprung fronts, and brakes are drum rears with discs up front.
The colour palette is decent. Plain White, White Diamond, Sterling Silver, Graphite Grey, Impulse Blue, Plain Red, and Pitch Black are the choices. The GLS was the blue, the GLX in silver.
And big, yes. The GLX is 5270mm long, the GLS bigger again at 5305mm. Both have the same width at 1815mm and there’s a slight height difference, with the GLS 15mm higher at 1795mm.
Dry weights are substantial, at 1900kg and 2000kg respectively. Further economic improvements would comes if the Tritons were put on a diet. Towing, however, is great, at 3000kg and 3100kg respectively. Cargo tray sizes varied between the two in length: 1850mm in the GLX, 1520mm in the GLS. Widths and heights from the cargo floor are the same at 1470mm and 475mm. Payload for both is 974kg or 900kg for the GLS.
On The Road It’s:
A mix of spongy, bouncy, and not-quite-so. The GLX was, as mentioned, driven to Melbourne and back and proved to be a capable long distance hauler. If anything, a need for a seven or eight speed auto was highlighted, and that big open rear tray really did screw the pooch in the fuel economy stakes. The GLS deals with the suburban road a little better, thanks to its bigger but lower profile rubber.
It’s the higher walls in the GLX’s case that gave it a spongy ride. This, though, isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it meant a lot of irregularities were ironed out, and this made for a more comfortable, more plush ride, that the more tautly sprung GLS. And this isn’t a hard suspension either, not by any measure. But the lower wall profile picked up more of what the GLX dialled out.
Both have slightly rubbery steering, a little indecisive off centre, and in 2WD mode still a touch prone to nosing wide in corners. In high range 4wd, the turning circle was increased and steering felt tighter. The GLS was taken off-road and clearly showed how effective the all-terrain capable machine is.
Both high and low range 4WD was tested, and the low range ability in some testing areas proves that the on-board drive modes are well researched and implemented into the Triton’s electronics. Over varying surfaces that included mud, rock, gravel, and included some 25 degree plus descents and ascents, the Triton wasn’t frightened. The GLX has an approach angle of 30 degrees, the GLS 31. Departure is 22 and 23 degrees respectively, breakover is 24 and 25, with ground clearance higher higher in the GLS at 220mm, against the 205mm for the Club Cab+.
Braking was a concern. The drum brakes simply never felt up to hauling down the big machines effectively. Soft and long pedals are not confidence inspiring. But the upside is the drive from the engine. There’s little to zero turbo lag, and although get and go isn’t rapid, a plant of the right foot has the Triton scurry away at something approaching alacrity. Overtaking isn’t great either, but in the right area there’s enough on tap to hustle along, it just needs to be planned. Engine noise never reaches a thrashy level but the familiar diesel chatter is noticeable at the high end of the rev range.
The Warranty Is:
Standard at five years or 100,000 kilometres. Mitsubishi Australia bump that to seven years or 150,000 for the MY19 Triton, on the condition it’s purchased before June 30. Servicing is capped at $299 for the first three, at 15,000 kilometres or 12 month intervals.
At The End Of The Drive.
The redesign looks great, the interior could use more, and the ride quality is about par for the kind of vehicles they are. There’s some good tech but still no AEB. The current pricing structure is competitive too. All of these have worked together to raise the Triton up in the “for sale” stakes. And off-road it’s proof that nothing can frighten a Triton. Find more here 2019 Mitsubishi Triton range
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