Mitsubishi Triton GSR long term review

Launched in March 2024, the dust has now settled on the new-generation MV Triton with thousands now dotting Aussie driveways. Plenty of new owners have embraced the much-improved ute at a time when this segment is only growing with more options.

Our initial assessment found that the Triton had become a much more impressive vehicle across most disciplines, but with a significant spike in price the Mitsubishi ute is no longer the bargain it used to be, with price-busting territory now held by the likes of the GWM Ute Cannon and the LDV T60.

Raising prices means you need to raise your game to stay competitive, and while the Triton is significantly cheaper than the segment-leading Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok, there is still plenty of competition in the midfield, with the aging Toyota Hilux and recently updated Isuzu D-Max for company.

This being a ute, it’s not just here for a good time but it’s also here for a long time, which means it will also need the competitive edge to compete with the likes of the incoming BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid and the Kia Tasman.

To find out if the Triton has what it takes to be a truly impressive ute, production specialist Tom Place has taken custody of one for the next six months, so make sure you follow along for our comprehensive assessment of Mitsubishi’s long-awaited ute successor.

Why we chose the Mitsubishi Triton GSR

Utes are a big deal in Australia, with the light commercial segment they fall under our second-most popular by sales. Such a thing can’t happen without a vehicle being versatile in nature and versatility is the calling card of utes, particularly in dual-cab form, which has increasingly been assigned to family and adventure duties in recent years.

The outgoing MR Triton had a strong following that rightfully praised its mountain-goat-like off-road capability and sheer toughness. However, the old gen was too compromised in too many areas, with rubbish on-road manners, a below-average towing capacity and pokey, plastic interiors.

At launch, we sampled the new MV Triton, which the diamond brand created with the intention of being a far more versatile machine. And we came away impressed, with caveats around some still concerning ride quality traits and a nagging driver monitoring system that made me want to pitch the damn thing into the nearest tree.

But with so many areas of capability to test such as payload, towing, family duties, off-road ability and reliability, the arrival of the latest chapter to the storied Triton nameplate required a genuine long-term tenure to access effectively and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing over the next six months.

How we specified our Mitsubishi Triton GSR

At $59,090 before on-road costs, the 2024 GLS variant of the Triton lineup is the first grade geared more towards family folk, above the more agricultural GLX and GLX+. But once you tack on the almost mandatory Deluxe Pack ($1500) you’re not far from the $63,840 flagship GSR which really does look the business.

While not as popular as the volume-selling GLS, top-spec grades like the GSR are where the market is trending and we think the slew of black accents makes the busy styling (particularly at the front) look far more sorted, tough and handsome; like a friendly publican who wins most, but not all of the fights he gets tangled up in.

• Super Select 4WD-II
• Terrain Control
• Hill Descent Control
• Standard Rear Suspension
• 18-inch Alloy wheels
• Bedliner
• Heated, electrically-adjusted power folding door mirrors
• Rear privacy glass 
• LED headlights, front fog lights, indicators and tail lights
• Additional soft-padded surfaces with silver stitching
• Dual-zone auto air conditioning
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Keyless entry and push-button start
• Wireless phone charger

A standard GSR also tacks on the following:

• Black 18-inch wheels
• Sailplane styling bar
• Black roof rails, wheel arches and front grille design
• Unique leather seats with orange stitching
• Two additional cup holders mounted on the dash
• Power adjustable driver’s seat

Mitsubishi recently announced an MY2024.5 update for the Triton that re-introduces the GLX-R grade equipped with a damped tailgate as standard, which is also now found on the GLS and GSR grades. All other specifications, including price, are the same, however. 

For our long-term test car, we’ve gone with a GSR finished in a fantastic combination of White Diamond paint (+$200) and the two-tone black effect brought on by this flagship grade.

Our Triton is also fitted with a Mitsubishi genuine accessory canopy, which is designed right here in Australia and will set you back $5100 fitted. A tow bar kit ($1450) with an accompanying Redarc integrated brake controller ($850) is also fitted.

All this means the total driveway price in NSW is around $73,590 driveaway, which ain’t bad for a kitted-out top-spec ute.

Month 1:

A new city, a new adventure and a new ute to explore it. How fitting, really. But what else lies ahead for our six-month test?

The move to “Mexico” (Victoria), as my Sydney colleagues affectionately call it, has been a long-awaited change for my family and me, marking a new chapter of our lives in the most literal sense. I anticipated the better coffee and improved appreciation for AFL, but I didn’t expect this place to be so bloody beautiful.

Sitting on the border of outer suburbia and the countryside near Melbourne’s main airport, Tullamarine, the cascade of rolling green hills, skittish kangaroos and sheep grazing on farmland that surround my home all convey the same thing: This…is ute territory.

I love you Sydney, but as an Adelaide boy, the place was a bit crowded for my taste and a one- to two-hour drive out of suburbia to the nearest decent 4WD track a happy weekender does not make.

But it won’t just be all sunshine and long weekends away for this Triton (though those will be woven into the fabric don’t worry) as the ute will also be assuming family duties – a newer task asked of the modern ute but one that is undoubtedly critical in the modern age.

This year I was also lucky enough to welcome my second born into the world, which is bad news for my staffy Buddy who, in his nine-year vintage, has finally worked his way in my vehicle-driven life all the way from the front seat to the rear tray.

It was for this reason, along with preventing obvious theft of prams and such, that we opted for a canopy for the Triton. And right off the bat I’ll tell you that I’ve been impressed with what Mitsubishi has to offer here.

Designed right here in Australia, and charging $5100 for the privilege, you can find cheaper canopies but I would be seriously surprised if you could find one with a longer warranty; with the lid covered by the Diamond brand’s full-fat 10-year warranty.

Naturally, it ties in with the central locking system and features a trio of actuators on the side to pop open the main hatch and the side windows. It’s just a pity that these controls aren’t mounted on both sides though, it would save me some walking.

The rest of the ute it’s attached to has also left a pretty good impression so far in my first few weeks of testing, which have largely been restricted to around-town duties and the odd venture up the mountain for a bike ride while I’ve been on parental leave.

The Triton is a brutish thing, even with the comprehensive advancement of this latest generation, the 150kW/470Nm 2.4L twin-turbo-diesel makes itself known inside the cabin and is probably one of the louder engines in this segment. Personally I find that a bit endearing but we’ll see if I feel quite so attached after an eight-hour interstate trek in the coming months.

With some serious rainstorms smashing the state in recent weeks, I’ve also appreciated the surety of the brilliant Super Select ll full-time four-wheel-drive system that keeps the Trition properly stuck to the road as well as it does the dirt, unlikely other tail-happy part-time systems found on rivals such as the Isuzu D-Max.

However, it hasn’t taken me long to note two concerns: the first is the ‘sticky’ six-speed automatic, which seems to leave the torque converter locked up for far too long between some shifts, primarily when lazily accelerating from third to fourth, though I’ve also noticed it from second to third at times.

Given this is the exact same transmission as fitted to the previous Triton and the D-Max, this is truly bizarre but hopefully with a few thousand kilometres into this new ute, the drivetrain might bed itself in.

The second issue is to do with the rear brakes, which are still inferior drums in what is a slightly irresponsible move by Mitsubishi given this generation has raised the payload and with it the towing capacity from 3.1 to 3.5 tonnes.

Naturally, we plan to conduct tests of both the impressive 1030kg payload and the bolstered towing capacity in the coming months along with quite a bit of 4WDing so we can really find out just how well-rounded the new Triton is.

The new Triton might be a bit of a brawler on the surface but to me, there is reason to consider this ute if its on-paper credentials translate to the real world, it’s not the most refined but it features gear like full-time 4WD with a locking centre diff that rivals like Ford and Toyota either can’t or won’t offer for the same price.

At $63,840 before on-roads, buyers of the flagship Triton GSR would be lucky to snap up a midspec Ford Ranger Sport with the lesser 2.0TT engine ($66,140) or the Toyota Hilux SR5 ($60,250), without many of the mechanical or luxury frills the Triton offers as standard.

So does the Triton live up to the promise? Time to get to work.