Mitsubishi Triton v SsangYong Musso comparison review

Is the Mitsubishi Triton still the go-to budget ute? We put it against the SsangYong Musso to see.

CarsGuide - Go beyond the test drive

[lukemollee]

I remember my old boy getting a musso back in '05. for the price he paid, he got 300, 000kms and 10 years out of it. Taught me how to drive in it and everything. it died slowly after the 8 year mark, but for a 4x4 under $30k you cant beat that. The worst part about it is listening to Hilux and Ranger owners talk with their heads up their own arses.

[KarlheinzOhm]

I've been driving Ssangyongs for the last 8 years and just bought another one last week, because you stick with something that you know is good.
So I test driven the Musso and despite all the perceived negative comments I did not feel uncomfortable with any of the performances. I bought one the same day and am impressed with the safety and comfort experienced. Pulling a caravan does provide a more valid load test and such an experience would put the Musso in a good spot. Never understood why this assessment was not included in the review?
Now after 2 nearly two years of driving the Musso and crossing the Nulllabor with a 1.8 tome Caravan, followed by a 12000km trip to Darwin and the rugged Kimberly with a three tome caravan I can confirm the Musso can do it. The only thing that I missed under certain conditions was a few more "horses" under the bonnet. This was apparent when experiencing strong headwinds over long distances travelling in the outback. I often had to trim the travel speed down to 80 - 85 km/hour to keep the engine out of extreme strain and fuel consumption (26ltr/100km). I must stress that travelling under normal conditions the Musso moves comfortably at a 100km/hr using an average of 17-18 ltr/100km. I spoke on the trips with many campers with other vehicles and their experiences were not much different even with bigger engines. I have now 70000km on the clock with most of it doing it tough but so far it shows no signs of fatigue.

[erroneouscode]

The looks of the SsangYong have improved immensely but they still managed to tack on some fugly with that sports bar effect.

[glennreggie]

The longer wheel-based Musso with its suspension sorted out for local conditions would be a winner for me. 18” wheels with more rubber (higher profile tyres) would be a good start 👍🏽

[andreacavaliere]

I have just bought a Musso 66 plate. Drives beautifully, drives like a car. I’m so impressed. It has a the lid on it and looks awesome. Tows my horse trailer without a problem uphill. It has surprised me

[maxpower]

Reading these comments by Musso owners is very helpful, it seems like these are a pretty good car

[kingbeeable]

I purchased my musso in 2005 still have it and still going strong have driven it like it was stolen from day 1 can still go to Brisbanr from Sydney on 1 tank. I dont think I could buy anything else considering the run I have had out of this old girl and I will most likely retire her down to the farm, so I guess that means I will be I will be buying myself a new musso very soon.

[frankpuliafito]

I own a 2020 musso XLV long wheel base which has the largest tray in this segment. It has leaf springs and is rated to carry 1050kg and tow 3500kg combined.
It tows my caravan of 3000kg with ease and has the same engine out put as the tritan.
I paid $34 000 on the road with tow bare and tray cover along with all the extras over a tritan.
I drove both utes and more and found the musso to be the better ute over the tritan and the best ute over all for bang for your buck.

[baits]

Not everyone wants a monster truck for small business or pleasure . the reason i bought a short wheel base Musso is due to it's 5.1 meter length . You can actually park it in Australian car park . All the others stick out 300mm and you don't need a ladder to get your gear out of the tub .

[craigjoyce]

If I had the money to buy one of these 2 it would be the musso and my wife found it easier to get in and out of when looking at them at are local dealers as she is disabled

[ronin]

Why didn't test them to go off road while carrying the 510 kg pallet?

[theartoffire]

The Musso looks way better! What I took from this review is a Musso long wheel base with leaf suspension, off road tyres and 4x4 iron man lift kit make it the better ute. The new MY20.5 ELX XLV Musso has leaf suspension and limited slip diff.

[rodneyhutton]

The Musso is a family twin cab ute with a soft and more refined feel where the Triton in a higher spec tradie ute. To compare the two and pronounce the Triton a "winner" it not a fair comparison of what market they are intended for. Like matching a commodore to a Rolls Royce. Both 4 door sedans but each focused of a different buying market. For me its the Musso. A great all round family twin cab for the urban life we lead. Good for picking up the kids and able to take a load to the tip on the w/end. Not as hard edged as the triton who i would suspect is marketed to the w/end 4wd male buyers looking for the occasional off road or the week day tradie.

[AKA]

Hmmm... The Musso looks good, the interior looks great. Korean built, 7 year warranty. I'd have one over any Ute for city use.

[MelbourneMobileDetailing]

Took them both for a test drive.. musso is incredible although really needs a longer tray with leaf springs.. might wait and see what they can bring

[SilverMe]

I don't know why low profile tyres are still a thing. they offer nothing other than slightly better handling at non legal speeds.
they are worse for comfort, durability, economy, off-road performance, and besides it looks ridiculous anytime the rim makes up a larger percent of the wheel than the tyre on a 4x4


9:51 sometimes I miss not having power steering

[jcmtermitepestdoctors]

$10, 000 cheaper than triton.
They got almost same spec.
Musso won!

[lachlancartwright]

Well you don’t just have triton to go on dates do you? No, utes are made for the name, utility. Best tradie Ute around

[SLADE]

A lot of utes are sold to people who don’t really need a Ute.
They don’t tow or carry huge weight. This includes Ranger and Lux owners too.
This Musso has a readymade market. Priced well and looks good. I reckon they will sell 2500 in the first year. Providing the dealers do the right thing and they prove to be reliable, sales will double the year after.
That’s my prediction.
LDV had there chance but they haven’t managed it well enough.

[junnytube]

to compare for dual cap & chassis tray, triton(only 1 model)37k vs musso(long wheel base/middle option)47k. Ssangyoung charges $4700 for chassis tray and $2500 for triton...