Mitsubishi Triton 2023 review: GSR - off-road test

The Mitsubishi Triton dual cab 4x4 in GSR spec as standard has a manufacturer listed retail price of $56,940 (as at February, 2023).

Standard features on the GSR include a 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), paddle shifters on the steering wheel, leather appointed seats, power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, LED daytime running lights, 'Multi Around Monitor', dual-zone climate control, 18-inch black alloy wheels, and more.

The Mitsubishi Triton dual cab 4x4 GSR starts from $56,940 (as at February, 2023). (Image: Marcus Craft)

Our test vehicle was also equipped with black frontal protection bar (aka bullbar) with fog lamps ($4611), floor mats ($176), under-rail tub liner ($642), tow bar kit ($1308) and a Redarc electric brake kit ($770), bringing the total cost to $64,447, before on-road costs.

Exterior paint choices for the GSR variant include 'White Diamond' (prestige), 'Sunflare Orange' (metallic, on our test vehicle), 'Graphite Grey' (metallic), and 'Black Mica' (pearlescent).

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 respectable and well-proven combination in the Triton. It’s not over-the-top lively or exciting, in fact it’s more than a bit sluggish, but it does the job. 

The GSR 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 Triton has a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine. (Image: Marcus Craft)

The driver is able to safely switch between 2WD (2H) and 4WD (4H, 4HLC) at speeds up to 100km/h. I’m old school, though, and prefer to stop and switch, unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

The GSR also has a button-operated off-road mode system, with Gravel, Mud/Snow, Sand or Rock settings, each of which tweaks engine output, transmission settings and traction control to best suit the terrain.

It also has off-road-focussed driver-assist tech, such as hill descent control.

It’s easy to feel comfortable in a Triton cabin because it all feels very familiar – which is part of this ute’s problem because it feels a bit old and dated.

The interior is easy on the eye, well laid-out, and everything is easy to locate and operate. The 7.0-inch touchscreen should be much bigger, but it is clear enough to avoid any usage issues. It also has in-built sat nav, but rather work off your phone than use that system.

The cabin feels rather squeezy, but I don’t mind the cosiness of it, and it’s a reasonable mix of leather accents on the seats and durable plastic surfaces almost everywhere else.

Seats are supportive but borderline too firm, and the rear seat is, as always in a ute, better suited to accommodating two rather than three people, unless they’re children.

Storage spaces include the usual – 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 seatback pockets, bottle holders in the doors and a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders. 

The Triton GSR has a 7.0-inch touchscreen. (Image: Marcus Craft)

There’s also a roof-mounted air vent that recirculates air to the back seat from the front.

There are two USB ports up front and two 12-volt plugs, and two USB ports for those in the back seat. 

All-around, the interior is a pleasant space, albeit one that’s feeling its age.

Not too shabby, but not fantastic either.

The Triton is 5305mm long (with a 3000mm wheelbase), 1815mm wide, 1795mm high, and has a listed kerb mass of 2000kg. Its dimensions almost always work in its favour on- and off-road. 

It has an 11.8m turning circle and because of its light weight the Triton is quite nimble around the suburbs and even in the city.

The Triton has a listed kerb mass of 2000kg. (Image: Marcus Craft)

It’s reasonably quiet and comfortable and handles daily-driving tasks with very little fuss.

Visibility is generally fine all-round, except where it becomes narrowed by the design of the rear windows. 

Steering is tilt-and-telescopic adjustable and well-balanced, but the irregular surfaces of rough country roads and bush tracks force some jitters into the steering wheel.

The Triton has a mostly smooth auto (with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters if you want to get lively) and decent acceleration from a standing start, but it does still exhibit noticeable diesel clatter on the move and reveals more than its fair share of sluggishness during overtaking moves.

Visibility becomes narrowed by the design of the rear windows. (Image: Marcus Craft) 

The suspension set-up – double wishbones, coil springs and stabiliser bar at the front, and leaf springs at the rear – is not as skippy as once expected of all unladen utes, but it’s still a ute, after all. 

Ride tends towards the harsher end of the rough-to-comfortable spectrum, but otherwise it’s fine. 

The Triton rides on 18-inch Bridgestone Dueler 684 II H/T tyres (265/60R18), which are fine on sealed surfaces.

Official fuel consumption is 8.6L/100km on the combined cycle.

On this test I recorded actual fuel consumption, from pump to pump, of 9.6L/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 750km, after removing 30km as a safe-distance buffer.

The Triton GSR has an official fuel consumption figure of 8.6L/100km on the combined cycle. (Image: Marcus Craft)

Note: your fuel consumption will likely be higher than that – and consequently your driving range will be lower – because all we had onboard were 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 some tools – and my embarrassingly large ego.

You’ll be carrying a lot more than that on a weekend out bush or along a beach with your mates or your family – think food and water, camping equipment, as well as everything else that gets taken on a trip away.

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 averages $674 a year for the first 10 years on a capped price deal.

If all servicing is conducted at an authorised Mitsubishi dealership, the Triton comes with a 10-year/200,000km warranty. (Image: Marcus Craft)