Mitsubishi Triton

[meandher (a frost)]

The old BT50 is out of warranty by 6 months and is causing problems. $2k of gearbox work last month (granted they covered it, but is making me nervous as it has done less than 60,000kms) and there are repeated issues with the HVAC system that they have had 6 goes at and are nowhere near fixing. So, she may have to be shuffled on. There should not be these many problems with a 31/2 yr old car that has very low and cossetted mileage.

So, to cut a long story short i took a drive of a new Triton today. They seem to have lost their pug-ugliness genealogy and are passably decent to look at these days. It drove beautifully, but is only a 2.4 litre and the GVM is 2900kg. Our van is a 20.63 outback which is around 2750kg. According to the bumf, the gross combination mass is 5885kg. Which does not leave much left over for comfort.

A couple of questions for current model Triton owners:-

- anyone tow a van of our size and if so, what kind if a job does it do?
- for you anal technical types am i pushing this too be close to the wind? Certainly we would be stuffed if we ever tried to upgrade our van which is one factor, but the 5 yr warranty is a big drawcard for me. Plus these are real good value right now too.

All comments greatly received people.......

 

[PhilW]

My advice to you is to jump on NewTriton and ask the question.
Great forum, full of very helpful and knowledgable people.
Great Utes. Having owned one I would think you would be getting very close to the limit for a Triton.
They will pull the weight no problem but as with many of these modern dual cabs, just watch the bent chassis syndrome.

 

[Bmhdg76]

I can't speak for the Triton but I had a 2013 MY14 Challenger (triton wagon) and could not get rid of it soon enough. I tow a 14.44-4 and the auto absolutely struggled to pull it. Going up Cunninghams Gap 90% of the time would kick into limp mode even without pushing it or any warning lights and I was manually controlling the gears to ensure not overdoing it. It had no guts and chewed the juice!

I have recently traded it and could not be happier. I never got anywhere near the fuel mileage they stated - around town was averaging 13L/100 and that is 75% highway to and from work. Purely around the burbs in stop start would be as high as 17/100 and towing was the same @ 17/100 (bear in mind it is a 1800kg van)

I have heard the manuals are not as bad.

This is purely my opinion but in the 4 weeks I have had our new car I have already saved ~$60 in fuel alone.

BJ.

 

[Drover]

While I have always liked the Tritons, with those figures I think they won't give you enough room for a 2.7t van...................my Colorado has a 1 ton carry cap, 3.5t tow cap and when you do all the realistic maths it can only really legally tow 2.8t when fully loaded up and this goes for most 3.5t tow cap vehicles......Big Mal is supposed to max out at 2.7t. and my GVM is 6.1t and at the moment I'm using every kilo.
Vehicles serviced by non dealers never seem to have the problems, I think this is because the others take more care, I've known fellas with multi year warranties, done everything by the book and have used them heaps while others, serviced by real mechanics just cruise along for years with no drama......with these small turbo diesels I do think the bigger the cap when you want to tow is better if you want to use the thing for many years.

My rig is supposed to have it's auto done at 150kms or 70K when towing, mine gets done every 30K, eng oil is supposed to be done at 15K, mine gets 10K, it does some real work, is a 2012 model and is getting close to 100K where I'm hoping to put it into a Diesel Care shop for a bit of a tickle, it hasn't been back to Holden since bought.

 

[DRW]

I'm wondering what to do with the Jeep when she reaches a couple of hundred K's as its my work hack now :-( I'm a bit interested in the VW Amarok, next year it gets the V6 so it shoud be a good thing (we all know how environmentally friendly they are )

 

[Drover]

I really liked the Amarok when I did a test drive but twin turbo, little donk, towing Big Mal would be working it's arse off all the time, V6 would be interesting though, depending on engine size I still think lts count even though I've only a 2.8

 

[DRW]

I believe its the 3lt in a current Audi @Drover but as usual I could be wrong

 

[Drover]

Having just spent a bucket of money on a replacement for the Jeeperific I try not to look at other rigs as this one will have to last a good few years.

 

[17triton]

I think you would be asking a lot of the Triton. I probably wouln't want to tow much more than my 17ft Starcraft with my MN2.5. It's a lot to ask of a 2.4lt imo.

 

[jawk]

The old BT50 is out of warranty by 6 months and is causing problems. $2k of gearbox work last month (granted they covered it, but is making me nervous as it has done less than 60,000kms) and there are repeated issues with the HVAC system that they have had 6 goes at and are nowhere near fixing. So, she may have to be shuffled on. There should not be these many problems with a 31/2 yr old car that has very low and cossetted mileage.

So, to cut a long story short i took a drive of a new Triton today. They seem to have lost their pug-ugliness genealogy and are passably decent to look at these days. It drove beautifully, but is only a 2.4 litre and the GVM is 2900kg. Our van is a 20.63 outback which is around 2750kg. According to the bumf, the gross combination mass is 5885kg. Which does not leave much left over for comfort.

A couple of questions for current model Triton owners:-

- anyone tow a van of our size and if so, what kind if a job does it do?
- for you anal technical types am i pushing this too be close to the wind? Certainly we would be stuffed if we ever tried to upgrade our van which is one factor, but the 5 yr warranty is a big drawcard for me. Plus these are real good value right now too.

All comments greatly received people.......

we have a '14 Triton GLXR Auto - and a 22.68-1OB.
i drove the new 2.4 (which is only around 50cc smaller) for a couple of days and did some towing in it as well.
give me a buzz and we'll talk!

 

[bigcol]

I think you would be too close for comfort on the towing weight

and as stated before, I think your going to be asking a heck of a lot out of a small engine.......................

 

[Tone]

we have a '14 Triton GLXR Auto - and a 22.68-1OB.
i drove the new 2.4 (which is only around 50cc smaller) for a couple of days and did some towing in it as well.
give me a buzz and we'll talk!

How did the new triton go towing? We have just bought one waiting for pick up. Hope it went well.

 

[jawk]

How did the new triton go towing? We have just bought one waiting for pick up. Hope it went well.

Sorry, didnt notice this!
Well, power wasnt much/any different between the new one and our '14 up the big hills to home.
But seemed to do it easier perhaps because it is a lot quieter. My seat-of-the-pants-o-meter says the gear rations are better suited as well.
Also seemed to be less of a tail wagger in the windy weather - I guess due to the new relocated rear axle location and longer rear springs.
Very comfortable and quiet. PAssenger seat better than the '14 (we fixed that easily tho, upholsterer undid seat, repacked the foam with better stuff and added height of around 20mm in the seat, sewed up again looks stock - around a $100)
Had the same wallowy front suspension tendancies that our '14 has, but that was easily fixed by replacing the shocks for something better than a flyscreen door closer (standard springs stil there - the dealer did it at first service for me).
Got a 100 series now and its better stability wise than the '14 triton (ours) but geez im going to miss the ute body once ours sells !

 

[stuartcarr2002]

Take an NP300 for a spin, they tow great and have a smooth ride, air bags are the only thing you will need to do as the rear springs are soft. The twin turbo has great low down torque and has almost no lag.
Plus personally look better than triton. Don't let opinions of D40 turn you away, the build quality is excellent and so far only a few minor issues have cropped up on a few, but any new model of any make will have that issue

 

[Tone]

Take an NP300 for a spin, they tow great and have a smooth ride, air bags are the only thing you will need to do as the rear springs are soft. The twin turbo has great low down torque and has almost no lag.
Plus personally look better than triton. Don't let opinions of D40 turn you away, the build quality is excellent and so far only a few minor issues have cropped up on a few, but any new model of any make will have that issue

Agree that the new Nissan is nice but first thing I look at is set the front seat where I feel most comfortable and then get in the back seat. The Nissan is terrible I didn't look any further and walked away. I found the Amorock was prob the best in the back slightly better than triton.

 

[Bushman]

Agree that the new Nissan is nice but first thing I look at is set the front seat where I feel most comfortable and then get in the back seat. The Nissan is terrible I didn't look any further and walked away. I found the Amorock was prob the best in the back slightly better than triton.

the Hilux is worse, when I had a look sat in the driver seat put the seat in my usual position jumped in the rear seat found it difficult to get in, and my knee's were firmly planted in the back of the driver seat, and my back was very upright almost pushing forward, If I couldn't sit there comfortably there's no way my daughter could

I found the Nissan quite good, to the point of almost buying it earlier in the year, actually very comfy at the time my mate was with me who is around the same height and build who said he had no problem sitting in rear, my only real concern with the Nissan or Triton for that matter is the longevity of these smaller engines being used as long term tow trucks, but that's the way most are going now

 

[Smergen]

Had 5 adults in the Colorado for the first time today. We all fit comfortably, although it was only for a quick trip to the train station from work. I was surprised.

 

[Drover]

have always found the HiLux's to be a bit squeezy, 4 of us went for a beach run the other week 80km and the back seaters in the Colorado said it was quite a good ride have found it good in the back of the Nissans also.

 

[stuartcarr2002]

Agree that the new Nissan is nice but first thing I look at is set the front seat where I feel most comfortable and then get in the back seat. The Nissan is terrible I didn't look any further and walked away. I found the Amorock was prob the best in the back slightly better than triton.

Funny you say that, i have been in the back of ours and haven't really noticed an issue with space. That said are you really going to be sitting in the back. Compared to the D40 the NP300 has more space as the rear seat back is fixed so it can go back to the rear panel further as there is no space lost with hinges etc. Take it for a drive, you will be very impressed

 

[stuartcarr2002]

the Hilux is worse, when I had a look sat in the driver seat put the seat in my usual position jumped in the rear seat found it difficult to get in, and my knee's were firmly planted in the back of the driver seat, and my back was very upright almost pushing forward, If I couldn't sit there comfortably there's no way my daughter could

I found the Nissan quite good, to the point of almost buying it earlier in the year, actually very comfy at the time my mate was with me who is around the same height and build who said he had no problem sitting in rear, my only real concern with the Nissan or Triton for that matter is the longevity of these smaller engines being used as long term tow trucks, but that's the way most are going now

The small engine longevity thing is getting old. Cant speak for Triton but the YS23 motor used in NP300 has been around for a while and i have seen the personally with over 300000klms and still original and going well. Thats in commercials that have had a hard life of work. Drop in to a Mazda and ford dealer and have a look at the engines and autos lined up getting replaced, that is a big 3.2 and that gives issues. (that is from info from dealers, not hearing from old mate at the pubs brothers mate).(Don't take that as a dig to BT and Ranger fans, just used as an example).These new smaller capacity motors are designed to run with the power they put out and can do it very well and efficient. It is the way of the future. New D/Max is rumoured to have a 1.9 TD as one of its motor options.