WORKING BEE

HOW DOES THE NEW MITSUBISHI TRITON COMPARE TO THE POPULAR ISUZU D-MAX? WE PAIRED UP THE NEW D-MAX X-RIDER WITH THE TRITON IN GLX+ GUISE TO FIND OUT

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IT'S a two-horse race in the mid-size 4x4 ute popularity contest with the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux duking it out for top honours over recent years, and the Blue Oval's Ranger forging ahead these days.

Behind Ranger and HiLux we've always had the other class stalwarts comprising the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara, Isuzu D-MAX and even the sorely missed Holden Colorado. Mitsubishi always had a firm grip on the bronze medal position on the dais, selling its Triton ute in big numbers on the back of value for money pricing and longer than most warranty periods, but as the Triton aged and an all-new D-MAX came to market, the Isuzu soon overtook the Mitsubishi ute.

Now the tables have turned and the Triton is the latest model in the segment while the D-MAX is one of the oldest. But the D-MAX remains a solid performer with plenty of fans and clawing that third-place position back will be a difficult task for Mitsubishi.

To get a better handle on the new Triton's chances of regaining its past position, we've lined up a pair of mid-spec models to see how they compare.

ISUZU D-MAX X-RIDER

ADDING some freshness to the recently facelifted D-MAX line-up is the new X-Rider model at $59,500. We've lined the X-Rider up with the new Triton in GLX+ specification which tips the till at $53,290. Sure, a Triton GLS at $59,090 would have been a better match on price, but it gets even more kit over the X-Rider and the GLX+ was all that was available at our time of testing.