Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111460
alltorque Clockwise from left: The Volkswagen Amarok handles off-road terrain; interior of the Mitsubishi Triton; the solidlooking Triton. three tonnes with brake assist, the Amarok fails to pull away from its rivals, such as the Ford Ranger, which will tow about 3.4 tonnes and wade through deeper water while doing it, all the while carrying a similar payload. Throw the Amarok into eighth gear on the highway and it purrs, zooming comfortably along the tarmac. What's more, when you hit the open road or go off-road, for my money it gives the best ride of any similar utes on the market. Despite being a little heavy on fuel, it's a worthy contender. Looking for a legend Poseidon's son, Triton, has the head and trunk of a man and the tail of a fish. Mitsubishi has long had its own version of the mythical creature, too. I take the double cab for a spin to see how it stacks up, but I find it a little disappointing. Let me explain. The ute was invented to be an all-purpose machine ready for work during the week and for play at weekends. Arguably, the dual cab is more of the same – a bigger concession on a compromise – allowing you to haul your mates into the conspiracy, as it were. From the outside, the Triton GLX diesel looks the part with its solid, work-ready styling. Inside, there's plenty of back-seat room in the cab, but the old-fashioned dash and loose-fitting floor mats are a little annoying. The driving experience is best described as bouncy, with the thing juddering across smaller bumps and vaulting over tougher ones. Although it doesn't deal up the stiff, non-compliant attitude of some utes, it's still very agrarian. (This, of course, is always the trouble with a ute: You want it to be a workhorse and to provide a cultivated ride.) So there you have it. Either way, the Triton, like most utes, is agricultural. They're either too stiff or too bouncy. This one is the latter. Under the bonnet, the engine shoves the beast along nicely, although it does lag a bit too much when you want to move off quickly. Like the Amarok, the Triton has a tow capacity of three tonnes, which is a little smaller than some of its competitors. Given the current trend in caravanning towards big family vans, this is disappointing but not a deal-breaker. Payload-wise, you can throw a sheep or pig into the back of both, however, the Triton's smaller payload might mean leaving something (or perhaps someone) behind when going camping. Although the Mitsubishi Triton isn't my choice for a Kimberley camping adventure, if a workhorse is all you want, this one might do. 41