Mitsubishi Triton Raider 2026 Review

Unlike its lesser stablemates, which are all subject to state-by-state on-road costs, the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider is offered nationally from $74,990 drive-away, making it one of the sharper-priced options amongst its competitor set – when they’re not on special.

The Raider carries a circa-$5000 premium – in WA – over its GSR donor vehicle once the $7000ish worth of on-road costs are applied to the latter’s list price and it’s on the road.

That’s not bad for a locally-developed and remanufactured halo ute, especially compared to the Walkinshaw-prepped Isuzu D-MAX Blade which costs nearly $13K more than the LS-U+ it’s based on.

Like the Blade, the Raider emerges from a production facility in Thailand – as a GSR – and is shipped to Australia where Premcar transforms it into its final form using locally tuned Monroe dampers, 18-inch ROH wheels, Bridgestone Dueler A/T 002 tyres and a batch of subtle cosmetic and interior upgrades.

Despite this, it’s still backed by Mitsubishi’s once-leading 10-year/200,000km factory warranty.

Being a GSR in fancy gym clothes, the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider comes with a fair bit of kit as standard: synthetic-leather upholstery, heated front seats, powered driver’s seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear selector, Raider-embossed headrests and a matching centre console plaque, dual-zone climate control, bronze 18-inch alloy wheels, sports bar, tub liner and connected services.

Those bronze ROH hoops are shod with fat 285/60-profile Bridgestone Dueler A/T 002 all-terrain tyres which contribute to both the 20mm wider tracks and 15-25mm clearance boost while massively increasing grip off-road.

The rest of the clearance gains come from the Premcar-tuned (and installed) Monroe shock absorbers, longer front springs and revised bump stops, all of which combine with the upgraded rolling stock to make the Raider more versatile and capable than the GSR, especially at high speeds off-road – i.e. outback touring.

The package is rounded out by a red ‘RAIDER’-stamped bash plate, heavy-duty side steps and ‘Sandstorm’ side decals.

As per its donor, the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider carries a five-star ANCAP safety rating dating back to 2024.

Its headline safety gear includes eight airbags, forward and reverse autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, road sign recognition, tyre pressure monitoring, LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, a top-view camera and one of the dimmest driver monitoring systems offered by a legacy brand.

That last inclusion is nowhere near as bad as it used to be, but the system can mistake normal speaking for drowsiness and/or distraction and incessantly encourage you to take a break or stay focused after just 15 minutes of driving, especially at night – and heaven help if you’re blasting some tunes…

The rest of the active systems all play their part reasonably well in not being too obtuse, though the lane departure warning seemed to vary a bit in its judgement of how close you are to the outside line or edge of the road every so often.

This is perhaps the biggest missed opportunity not only on the Raider, but the entirety of the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton range.

Having been refreshed this year with updated suspension tunes and some new cosmetic bits, the new Triton missed out on any sort of major technology update, meaning every variant continues with the perfectly functional but dated and bulky-looking 9.0-inch infotainment system.

There’s legitimately nothing inherently wrong with the system’s operation or the graphics etc, but in a world where 12-inch – and bigger – displays are quickly becoming the norm, the Triton’s multimedia suite presents a bit previous-model, especially with its big piano black flanges.

Why the Outlander’s sleek 12.3-inch touchscreen wasn’t applied even just to the higher-end variants has us miffed… maybe there’s a more comprehensive facelift still to come. To be fair, the GSR and Raider do at least nab connected services.

Technology contained within that 9.0-inch multimedia system includes wireless Apple CarPlay (which worked flawlessly), Android Auto, sat-nav, Bluetooth and DAB digital radio, all of which play through a reasonable six-speaker sound system.

Drivers are presented with a predominantly analogue instrument cluster – there’s a 7.2-inch TFT between the dials – which while functional, matches the infotainment system as seeming a bit dated and bordering on cheap for a flagship ute – the ancient but still appealing Pajero Sport gets a digital instrument cluster in GSR guise, so why isn’t it on the latest-gen Triton flagship?

Under the bonnet of the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider is the same 2.4-litre twin-turbo-diesel engine as the rest of the Triton range, connected exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission and driving all four wheels via the brilliant SuperSelect II full-time 4x4 system.

The four-cylinder engine puts out a class-appropriate 150kW/470Nm and delivers its grunt across a flat, wide torque band that’s capitalised on by the transmission’s obedient manual mode which lets you short shift or rev until your heart’s content.

It’s perhaps not the smoothest combination in the ute world and definitely not the quietest, but it sure is effective in just about every driving scenario, but we’ll delve into that in more detail below.

Despite its wider stance, fatter feet and increased height, Mitsubishi reckons the 2026 Triton Raider will consume the same 7.7 litres of diesel per 100km (combined average) as the GSR, which rides lower and on efficiency-friendly highway tyres.

It’s a bold call, and not one we were able to match during our week-long loan which included plenty of highway and freeway stints, some spirited forestry exploration and low-speed off-roading, however the final figure still ended up on the right side of 8.5L/100km.

Obviously, that figure’s going to be higher if you frequent suburbia or are a gridlock regular, but at least there’s a stop-start system to mitigate too many unnecessary losses (where possible).

As stated at the start of this review, the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider is the best MV Triton to date.

The ride-handling balance is head and shoulders above the GSR which this author has previously accused of being underdamped and borderline wallowy in the front end, especially when enjoying a nice set of bends.

Premcar knew this – Bernie Quinn told us as much at the launch of the new Nissan Navara – and set about fixing it with locally-tuned Monroe shock absorbers featuring internal rebound springs, new front coils and revised bump stops.

The result is a more planted and secure feel on the road with virtually none of the previous post-bump bouncing from the front end; the new dampers and springs simply take the hit, do their best to iron it out, and move onto the next.

It’s a similar but less pronounced story at the rear where the suspension is no firmer or softer than before – it simply recovers faster.

The firmer and more sorted front end has in turn had a profound effect on the handling seeing as the Raider doesn’t pitch or roll anywhere near as much as lesser Tritons which then gives you more confidence and room to enjoy the dynamics on surface.

The heavier steering adds to the sense of security, though there’s not much in the way of feedback on black-top.

Highway cruising is mostly a pleasure in the Raider thanks to its secure ride and its frugal engine which can make bit of a racket when being pushed, but hushes nicely at cruising speeds – not something we can say about the doors or wing mirrors which are prone to higher-than-average wind noise on a breezy day.

All 4x4 versions of the current Triton are decent off-road, so it’ll come as no surprise to learn the Raider is even better thanks primarily to its tyres and extra clearance – though the firmer dampers also aid composure over lumpy terrain.

Given the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider’s focus on high-speed fun, it’s low-speed off-road venture was far from extensive; just enough to put that extra clearance and grip to the test and perhaps a cheeky splash to check the 800mm wading depth still applies (it does).

As for the whole ‘high speed’ off-road element, it’s very good indeed.

Obviously, it’s never going to worry a Ford Ranger Raptor for performance or laughs-per-kilometre on dirt, but the Raider’s chassis loves a good punt along a gravel road and occasional yeet into an unsealed bend.

In this context the engine is merely serviceable in that it provides decent torque across the board, but nothing more than that – the real star is the upgraded suspension which absorbs high-speed hits far better than most dual-cabs.

The whole ride and handling package seems to stir above 70km/h on dirt, with that weighty but largely lifeless steering suddenly coming into its own with plenty of predictability – and no nasty kickbacks – in tandem with the full-time 4x4 system which shuffles power about as needed when the centre diff is unlocked.

It’s a great laugh, very predictable and an enticing option for those who fancy a Raptor but don’t want to sacrifice a circa-one-tonne payload, 3500kg towing, fuel economy or the best part of $100,000.

As alluded to earlier, the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider’s interior is par for the course as opposed to groundbreaking, trend-setting or class-leading.

It’s identical to the GSR’s save for the extra ‘RAIDER’ logos, which is understandable given the local assembly by Premcar, and means there’s a decent mix of leather, premium-looking plastic, room and amenities – it just presents a little dated as mentioned before in the technology section.

The cabin is obviously not as big as a Kia Tasman’s, but everything seems to fall to hand just as you’d want it to. The front seats are wide and comfortable, there’s enough room in the back even for taller folk and there’s a satisfying chunkiness to most of the controls – steering wheel included.

Tall rear passengers will need to mind their heads getting in and out however – as my 6ft 3” brother found out the hard way.

If you can’t afford a Raptor or don’t want to yield the various concessions it demands in exchange for its performance – i.e. less towing and payload, higher fuel consumption etc – then yes, buy a 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider, or at least shortlist it.

After a literal decade of nothing, it’s so good to see Mitsubishi dipping its toe back into the realm of driver’s cars. The Raider is no Raptor-baiting Ralliart (yet), but it’s a step in the right direction.

The Raider is the result of a local operation taking matters into their own hands, and it’s all the better for it – this is the best MV Triton yet. It’s priced aggressively for a halo ute, backed by one of the best warranties in its class and maintains all its donor’s key utilitarian capabilities.

But, for all its versatility and on-paper appeal, there’s a dollop of secret sauce missing. Unlike a Raptor, which is a straight up riot, the Raider is more amusing than entertaining; it’s very good, but it’s also lacking a bit of personality.

For a lot of buyers this won’t matter one bit – its great blend of dynamics, capability, equipment and utilitarianism is all that’ll be needed to see that dotted line signed – but it’s one of the things that makes the Ranger Raptor so good.

How much better could it have been? Guess we’ll have to wait for the Ralliart (please Mitsubishi) to find out…

2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider at a glance:
Price: $74,990 drive-away
Available: Now
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel
Output: 150kW/470Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 202g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2024)

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