FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2018 MITSUBISHI TRITON

Storage in the tray of the Mitsubishi Triton is epic! It will hold 28 shopping bags when empty. That's four more than the Navara!! Reaching into the tray of Triton feels like it if further to reach across than the tailgate of the Navara.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres ia not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The Mountain Buggy Duet Twin stroller fits in the tray with 21 shopping bags around it, (15 behind it and six along side it). I did find it quite difficult lifting the Duet up into the Triton's tray and sliding it in as the tray just has the bare paintwork and no lining so I was worried about scratching the stroller.

The Britax Flexx tandem stroller fits widthways with 15 bags behind it and five alongside it.

With the Britax Flexx single stroller in the tray, I could get 15 bags behind it and eight bags alongside it.

With the Britax Holiday compact stroller in the tray, I can fit 26 shopping bags in with it. The compact stroller is so small you could always put that in the footwell in the cab.

I found the reachable part of the tray was about two bags deep alongside the strollers, so I have given those capacities too.

In the cab of the Triton there are little storage wells in the door handles, but they do feel like they are made of a particularly cheap plastic! I love these for storage since having my daughter. I find them really handy for keys or little things my daughter has in her hands when I'm putting her in and out of the car.

The front door bins are nice and large; the area at the front will hold my large refillable water bottle and my wallet or iPad will fit in the other section, but anything smaller really rattles around.

The central console storage box has a little tray in the top that I found useful for putting my phone in and there is also the larger area below with a 12V socket. Again this is made of the really cheap feeling ‘tappy' plastic. They are not lined so anything in them will rattle around while driving, especially off road!

The lid doubles as your armrest but it is just solid plastic and there is no cushioning at all. The lid does have a groove cut out to allow for the power cord to run in and out of the box without needing to have the lid open.

There are two cup holders in the central console, which are a good size for a disposable coffee cup and reusable coffee cup.

In front of the gear lever is a little storage well that would be a good spot for your phone. The well is grooved but not rubber lined, so a phone does slide around on there making a racket! There are two USB sockets, a 12V socket and  and an HDMI sockets above it.

The glove box is not enormous; with nothing else in there I can get my wallet and iPad but nothing more. I think if the manual were in there these wouldn't have fitted.

There is a glasses case in the ceiling of the Triton, which has lining on one side.

In the back seats there are 1/3 map pockets that will hold an iPad but not conceal it.

The door bins, like the front ones, will hold a large refillable water bottle but smaller ones rattle around.

There are cup holders in a fold-down armrest in the central seat. A disposable and reusable coffee cup both fit in them well.

There are also plastic wells in the rear door handles also.

The Mitsubishi Triton is a much quieter vehicle than the Nissan Navara. Going uphill, it is quiet and much more like a car than the sounds I'm used to from utes! The lack of road noise is excellent in the Triton too!

There were no parking sensors on the model I tested, just the reversing camera.

Cruise control in the Triton isn't so good. It stayed surprisingly accurate at 80km/h on the flat but raced away when we started heading downhilll, way over the set speed! The controls on the steering wheel are easy to use though.

There are two really large air-conditioning vents in the centre of the dashboard and one at either end. The air-con controls are situated below the media screen and are really simple to use, although a really annoying thing with them is that they beep when you press them to tell you if they are on the minimum or maximum setting! I really hate unnecessary beeping, they disturb little passengers and frazzled parents! The fan is quite noisy when on high settings too.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The Triton drives really well. There is a lot of space inside the cab and the tray was bigger then that of the Navara, however it just kind of shrinks around you and feels like you are driving a much, much smaller vehicle which is fantastic! It didn't feel any larger than a big SUV!

While parking the visibility is generally good but out of the back I found I had a blind spot in the nearside corner of the tray, which is why we need the reversing camera!

The camera screen in the Triton is very small though, and poor quality, so you can only rely on it so much! It doesn't feel like the camera matches with a vehicle of this size.

The indicators have quite a quiet tick-tock sound that I don't think would disturb passengers.

The windows open and close with a bit of a clunk but not too bad really. The doors also open and close quite quietly.

With baby asleep you can get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy. The same for the windows their mechanism is not too noisy and I didn’t notice them having a loud opening or closing sound.

With baby asleep you want to be able to get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up!

There is a seatbelt removal alarm, which also flashes up on screen to tell me which one has been unfastened.

In the back of the Triton there are two top tether points, one in each of the outer seats and ISO Fix in both the outer seats too. There is no possibility of fitting three child seats as there are only two top tethers. I installed the Britax Unity infant capsule rear facing and Britax Graphene rear facing and then the Britax Unity infant capsule rear facing and Britax Maxi Guard Pro forward facing.

To access the top tether points there is a small fabric loop in the seat back that brings the whole backrest forward. You can also access them behind the central seat armrest by bringing the armrest down and opening a zip on either side that allows you to slide your hand through to reach the top tether points.

I found this really useful as I could drop the top tether strap down the back of the seat and stick my arm through to connect it, then I checked it was all fitted okay and clicked the seat back into position. You definitely need to double check it's all connected properly rather than just relying on touch and the design of the Triton makes the job so much easier than other utes that have top tether connections behind their seat backs.

The ISO Fix are easy to locate but are a little bit harder to connect to than the types that are housed in plastic guides.

I always find it trickier installing child seats into utes because you usually have to climb up and in and bring a whole backrest forward, whereas in cars you can locate them through the boot. The Triton is very spacious, so it does give you a lot of space to work in.

The cab of the Triton is very spacious, with ample leg room in the back for the forward facing Britax Maxi Guard Pro there was 28 cm of leg room! That's epic!!

In the rear seats of the Triton, the two outer seats are very comfortable but the central seat is very hard because of the fold-down armrest in it. There is also a hump in the central footwell you need to straddle!

For the first year of Tulsi's life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi, I know many other mums that do too, so it’s important to check the comfort of the back seats as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The seat belt buckles in the back are sticking out on hard rubber stalks that really stick up into your bum! They are really uncomfortable and are not easy to bend.

In the front the seats feel like they are angled slightly into the centre of the car and not straight ahead which felt a bit odd and gets a bit uncomfortable because your arms and head are obviously fixed straight ahead. Apart from that the seats themselves are comfortable and have electronic adjustments.

The headrests in the Triton do not allow for a ponytail in the front or back!

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get it just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

The steering wheel in the Triton is fully adjustable up/down and in/out which is great! Most ute steering wheels I've tested only adjust up/down.

There is a flat back windscreen in the Triton which does send the sunlight straight in onto rear-facing passengers' faces and they get quite cooked!

There are visors on both sides in the front but there is only a vanity mirror on the passenger side in the front and it's not lit.

There is a central light in the front and two outer lights which I found are a bit temperamental as to whether or not they will come on!! There is a rear light in the ceiling between the two front seats which is fantastic!

I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a 5minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

There are handles and hooks above both back doors where I could hang a toy in a good position for rear-facing passengers.

In front of the gear lever and in the central console storage box there is a 12V socket.

The doors are very hard, dark plastic that does feel a bit cheap but it would come clean easily.

There are no floor mats in the Triton, but rubber ones would be ideal!

The tailgate it is at a height that I worry will fall open onto a child's head and so heavy!

The gear lever is horrible to use. It feels cheap to use and has to clunk through a staggered shape in the plastic surround in order to change gears.

When you go over speed humps the car flumps over them as if it can't be bothered getting up, like a trusty old friend! The Triton is lovely to drive and the road noise is excellent.

Cruise control in Triton was pretty good! It got carried away going downhill though, so something to be aware of! The controls on the dashboard were easy to use.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread when we get the big cars and utes as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Triton was really easy and enjoyable to drive and to park!

The Mitsubishi Triton scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2015 and has seven airbags as standard; dual frontal, side chest and head-protecting curtain airbags plus a driver knee airbag.

It got an overall score of 36.22 out of 37, getting 15.22 out of 16 for frontal offset test, 16 out of 16 for side impact and pedestrian protection was rated acceptable.

The Triton also comes with anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD), active traction control (ATC), hill start assist (HSA), active stability control (ASC), dusk sensing headlamps, trailer stability assist (TSA), emergency brake assist system (EBA) and emergency stop signal function (ESS).