It was every drivers' worst nightmare. I was stopped in a line of traffic and the rear vision mirror told me there was going to be a crash. I was the last in the queue waiting for lights to change – in a 2010 Mitsubishi Triton – and the rear view mirror was filled with the image of another Triton about to heavily collect my vehicle. I braced for the hit – there was nothing I could do, no where to go – and all I could think of was how to tell Mitsubishi their $44,490 Triton was a write-off.

I imagined my Triton careering into the small older model car in front and it in turn cannoning into another car in front of it. A four car pile up. It flashed through my mind that at least I had a driver-airbag to cushion the blow. Those in the car behind and the car in front did not. I could already feel the pain of whiplash.

I also had time to curse what I believe to be the cause of the crash - a kid standing on the side of the road waving a large sign – he was a human billboard – attracting attention for a local indoor bowling alley. In reality he was distracting drivers. I know, he distracted me. He also distracted the bloke driving the other Triton – carrying a dirt bike on the tray – and that vehicle was now hurtling towards me at what I estimated to be around the speed limit.

Seeing about 60 km/h of Triton ute heading towards you at close range is not a pretty sight. The young bloke swerved violently to avoid a direct nose to tail crash. Thank goodness he did not panic and hit the anchors. As he careered past I heard a sharp `crack' and knew I'd been hit. I breathed a sigh of relief, it was not the impact I dreaded. Those in front of me had now idea how close they had come to potential disaster.

The damage, given the potential for a fatal crash, was minimal. A nasty gash along the Triton's rear driver's side quarter panel caused by the barrel hinge on the other Triton's dropside tray. The metal was a bunched up to the front end. It was perhaps lucky the other Triton did not flip over as part of the crash. So much for an innocuous 4.45 pm trip in the slow afternoon Gold Coast traffic. Thankfully, the rest of our Triton road test was uneventful. The way we like it. The clash of the old and new Tritons also reminds of just how long this Mitsubishi workhorse has been around. It seems like forever. There are still plenty of the early models still in daily use by tradies, light removalists, off-roaders and even two wheel drive variants that have been lowered and jazzed up. This speaks volumes for the Triton's reliability, longevity and ability to take punishment.

It's a name people trust and we see no reason for that to change after a week in the new 2010 Triton, launched late last year. Our test vehicle was the GL-R double cab ute fitted with the new 2.5 litre turbo diesel mated to a five speed manual transmission. We really like this engine. It puts out 131 kW of power at 4000 rpm and 400 Nm of torque at 2000 rpm. Best of all is the economy with Mitsubishi claiming 8.3 litres/100 kms. We covered almost 600 km and still had the best part of a third of a tank full of diesel in reserve. In addition to our urban running around we took the vehicle west of the Gold Coast through Beaudesert, Boonah to Moogerah Dam , Aratula, and Spicers Gap, just over 330 km before returning to the Coast. In overall terms the vehicle has good ride comfort, but it could do with a couple of hundred kg over the rear axles to settle the suspension down over undulating roads and the gravel we encountered on the way to Spicer's Gap. If you owned the vehicle no doubt there would most times be a load in the tray, either for work of play.

The engine simply purrs at 100 km/h and will easily drop to 50 km/h in fifth gear and work it's way back to triple figures with no complaint, thanks to the substantial torque. Our only comment with the transmission is at times we found the move from second to third gears a little notchy. We wonder whether a six speed transmission would make this vehicle even more economical, particularly for those who drive long distances on open roads. Our return on our country sojourn was in the high sixes – excellent. Passenger comfort has improved with new seat fabrics and seat pads – if you like, sports seats are also available – there's a new easy-to-read instrument cluster, new sound system and floor console treatments. It's not a bad place to be in at work or on weekends.

While on the subject of work and play Mitsubishi looked closely at two critical factors with this ute: towing ability and load carrying capacity. The new long-bed on offer on dual cab Triton gives a tray length of 1505mm and a tray height of 460mm, up some 14 per cent on the old model. Towing capacity is now 2700 kg on the dual cab 4X4 with long tray and 3000 kg on all other 4WDs.

Verdict: Four vehicles dominate this segment: Mazda BT50, (Ford Ranger), Nissan Navara, Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi's Triton. The Mitsubishi holds its own against excellent competition.

GLX 2.5 manual $41,990

GL-R 2.5 manual $44,990

GL-R 2.5 automatic $46,990

GLX-R 2.5 manual $47,990

GLX-R 2.5 automatic $50,490

ABS Brakes: Standard

Air Conditioning: Standard

Automatic Transmission: optional

CD Player: Standard

Central Locking: Standard

Cruise Control: Standard

Dual Front Airbags: Standard

Front Side Airbags: optional

Stability Control: Standard

Traction Control: Standard

ENGINE:

Capacity: 2.5 litres

Configuration: in line four cylinder

Head Design: 16 valve DOHC

Compression Ratio: 16.5:1

Bore/Stroke: 91.1 mm x 95.0 mm

Maximum Power: 131 kW @ 4000 rpm

Maximum Torque: 400 Nm @ 2000 rpm (man) 350 Nm @ 2000 rpm (auto)

DRIVELINE:

Driven Wheels: 4WD with 2WD mode

Manual Transmission: Five speed

Automatic Transmission: Five speed

Final Drive Ratio: 4.1

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:

Length: 5389 mm

Wheelbase: 3000 mm

Width: 1800 mm

Height: 1780 mm

Turning Circle: 11.8 metres

Kerb Mass: 1928 kg

Fuel Tank Capacity: 75 litres

Towing Ability: 2700 kg (kg with braked trailer)

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:

Front Suspension: Double wishbone, coil spring and stabiliser

Rear Suspension: Rigid – elliptic leaf springs

Front Brakes: Ventilated disc with single caliper

Rear Brakes: Drum

PERFORMANCE:

0-100 km/h Acceleration: N/A seconds

Type: Diesel

Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 8.3 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:

Greenhouse Rating: 6/10

Air Pollution Rating: 3/10

STANDARD WARRANTY:

5 years/ 130,000 km plus 10 year/160,000 power train warranty.