Mitsubsishi's new-generation Triton is the first dual-cab ute to be crash-tested under the latest ANCAP criteria in Australia.
UPDATE 27/05/25:
The newly-introduced Triton cab-chassis range, and extra-cab pick-up, have also been awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP rating with identical scores to the dual-cab variants.
Original story from 12/04/24 continues below.
The 2024 Mitsubishi Triton has been awarded a five-star rating in safety testing by ANCAP – the first dual-cab ute to be trialled against the organisation’s new 2023-2025 criteria.
The five-star rating applies to all 2WD and 4WD Double Cab variants of the recently-arrived Triton on sale in Australia and New Zealand.
“This rating demonstrates Mitsubishi’s determination and ability to design, build and deliver a five-star product,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg in a statement.
“Dual-cab utes are some of the highest-selling models in Australia and New Zealand – purchased in volume by general consumers and fleet buyers alike. In many cases, they’re a tool-of-trade vehicle, yet they’re also family staples, so it’s pleasing to see Mitsubishi strive for and achieve this five-star result.
“There is an established and well-recognised market expectation for five-star vehicles among the ute segment. The aspiration of manufacturers to achieve five stars should extend across all market segments, not just those targeted by fleet buyers.”
According to the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), the Triton demonstrated high levels of protection for the driver, front-seat adult passenger, and child occupants in the majority of physical crash tests – with maximum scores achieved by the passenger in the frontal offset, the driver in the full-width frontal and oblique side pole, and both child dummies in the frontal- and side-impact tests.
However, examiners found the ute could do better when it comes to protecting the chest and upper legs of smaller rear passengers in the full-width frontal test – where a ‘weak’ chest score was recorded and a penalty copped for presenting an increased risk of abdominal injury.
When tested on the risk of injury to people in another vehicle if hit by the Triton in a crash, ANCAP said the Mitsubishi performed moderately well – beating many other vehicles in its segment. But it was let down with a lower ‘safety assist’ score because even though it features an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, it isn’t as sophisticated when it comes to T-bone intersection smashes and head-on collisions.
As part of safety testing, ANCAP also put the Triton’s Driver Monitoring System through its paces – one of the first it has put under the microscope locally.
“Direct driver monitoring systems are relatively new across the market. The Triton met ANCAP protocol requirements in alerting for fatigue and distraction, however Mitsubishi’s implementation of this system could be improved by reducing unnecessary warnings to the driver,” Hoorweg said.
In addition to visual warnings, the manufacturer can choose between haptic or audible DMS alerts in order to score points under ANCAP protocols. Distraction warnings when reversing, parking or during slow-speed manoeuvres below 10km/h, however, are not required or rewarded by ANCAP.
A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.
