Buoyed by the terrific market acceptance of the Triton, Mitubishi have resurrected the Club Cab ute, which

was quietly dropped from their range of vehicles some time back.

The Club Cab is certainly back with style and flair, having been released for the 2011 model year. These days it’s quite upmarket; the two door off roader is available in GLX fundamentals and specifications which include a five speed manual transmission mated to the widely acclaimed (and I might add, very smooth) 2.5L turbo diesel power plant with 131kW of power, 400Nm of torque and a fuel consumption capability of 8.1L per 100km.

That latter statistic would of course be in the hands of a careful driver who can resist the urge to put the pedal to the metal to experience the surprising power of that sixteen valve, DOHC intercooled turbo diesel engine which has more toe than a roman sandal. Note that fuel tank capacity is 75L.

My test runs were carried out in a Club Cab Triton with full length rear tray which, thanks to a length of 1805mm, width of 1470mm and depth of 400mm could carry quite a deal of camping or fishing gear on weekends yet earn a decent dollar during the week as a pretty willing and capable work horse. Which is exactly the Triton concept in many respects.

The Club Cab’s tray was equipped with the optional Mitsubishi heavy-duty moulded liner which makes a lot of sense. Not only does the tray prevent damage to the carrying compartment and tailgate, but it also inhibits gear from sliding about to some extent.

The GLX specifications saw very comfortable bucket seats for driver and passenger, with paired SRS air bags up front for additional safety. Cloth trim was the norm, same as on the occasional use seats at the rear of the cabin. These seats are accessed with either front seat slid well forward. Most people would leave these rear seats flipped up and employ the extra space for gear storage but for children they would be handy as seat belts are part of the package.

Also part of the GLX presentation were a lever type hand brake, floor mounted centre console complete with a cup holder plus electric operation for windows and finger tip operated cruise control.

Owners will find the general ambience of the 2011 Triton’s cabin quite attractive with dual light and darker grey toning tending to set off the main dials and controls to best advantage. Radio and CD player controls are easily reached, the Bluetooth port is easily noted and major dials are set just a little higher than the wheel to provide for easy monitoring.

The Triton Crew Cab was easy to get to like on the road. Steering and general ride were car like in many respects with the double wishbone, coils springs and stabilizer up front taking the initial impact of road irregularities, with the rear springs offering some firmness but by no means a rough sensation from the rear of the vehicle. Some weight in the rear compartment will quickly take the rebound out of the rear springs, as it should, given the work ute’s 1057kg pay load capacity.

Behind the wheel I found the well-shaped bucket seats were very comfortable with their manual adjustment set up working fine for me.

The manual transmission presented no challenges whatsoever, the single disc hydraulically operated clutch took up both smoothly and positively as it was let out with the five forward gears being well spaced and easily selected. Note that first gear is a very low ratio indeed; great for moving off with a solid load in the back or when towing the boat or camper trailer (tow ratings are 2700kg for a braked trailer).

But if heading up the beach for a weekend I would be inclined to use second gear for most low speed four-wheel drive sand work as first gear might be a tad direct in a lot of instances.

The Triton offered quite direct steering with just the slightest touch of under steer on the tightest of corners. Body roll was minimal and the utility was a well-mannered vehicle in every respect even though it’s lighter than its four door cousins by quite a few kilograms.

Night driving was a treat thanks to excellent headlights. This is a very capable offroad vehicle thanks to the stubby lever next to the main gear selector. Once four-wheel drive is activated via that little lever, the Triton will take a power of stopping.

I would recommend the Triton 4x4 Crew Cab for those wanting a ute that is both a reliable workhorse and a weekend RV. With its main two person capacity it won’t appeal to all comers but as a primary work orientated vehicle with runs up the beach or a bit of boat towing on weekends on the agenda it certainly gains a lot of kudos.

Warranty is a big plus with the Triton. Standard is 10 year/160,000 non-transferable power train warranty with a 5 year/130,000km new vehicle warranty. Price as reviewed from Nundah Mitsubishi was $42,990 with cargo liner.