Petrol GLX-R Manual and kids in back

[JohnW]

Hi All,
Im new here, and thinking of buying a GLX-R Manual 3.5L petrol. I wanted a diesel, but appear I can't get one until after June 30, and need to get one before hand, so my only option is a Petrol one.

Is the average fuel ok on petrol, and is it ok for general around town and some offroad camping and touring?

I also want to ask if anyone has kids in the back of the new MY09 ML triton, I just wanted to know if the comfort is ok for them, do they bounce around a lot, or is it pretty good? They are only 5 and 7years.

Any comments or thoughts from anyone would be great, thanks !

The other cars we could go for is the soft roaders, like Kluger, Territory, Mitsu Outlander etc. Any comments?

Thanks

[Adz]

Hi JohnW...firstly, welcome to the best forum in the world!

I own the petrol triton (MY08) & I reckon its fantastic...I cant praise it highly enough. The fuel economy is quite good, I get around 500km's per tank, obvisouly depending on what Im doing.

You wont have any troubles with 4wd'ing or camping as I've used it for both. The only thing I found limiting was the lack of space in the tray but I tackled that issue by getting a Razorback canopy fitted. Also around town is great too, plenty of grunt when you need it & handles quite well for a large vehicle.

My 4 yr old daughter loves the car too....she really likes that she is sitting up nice & high so she can see everything & even though she's still in a booster seat, she doesnt bounce around much at all. 3 of my mates have sat in the back all the way to Jindabyne & back & they reckon its the most comfortable 4wd they've ever been in.

There are a few of us "Petrol heads' on this forum & they are only too happy to share their views...especially Homer & his trusty sidekick 'Snowflake'

Enjoy your stay here on the forum mate & have a good search around, you will find plentlyy of great info!

[snowman]

JohnW,

mate i cant speak for the softroaders in rear seat space although i will say you can do FAR MORE off road with a triton. how the 'kids bounce around in the back' will depend on how you drive! particularly off road but on road you will have no problems with comfort.
currently in this australian class dual cab 4x4 market nothing compares in rear seat space and comfort to the triton - undeniably class leading. i have three kids 8, 6 and 4 and they have no problems and actually love the car. i have the driver seat right back and they still have room which was not the case with the MK or probably others on the market. it is a big step up from the old MK triton in this regard. their only gripe originally is the rear windows dont go right down like the old MK - but they have not mentioned it again since day one.

they just love 'dads truck'.

[subi_man]

We have both a Kluger and the Triton - IMO you really need to work out what you will be using the vehicle for as each has their pros and cons. For a long road trip the Kluger wins hands-down, and why wouldn't it - it's comfortable and quiet and nicely appointed. The Triton is still a 4WD, and it drives and handles like one - The Kluger is very much a soft roader.

The kids don't complain about traveling in either vehicle but I don't think they realise how lucky they are (I remember travelling 7hrs to Sydney as a kid in a Valiant Station wagon with vinyl seats and no air-conditioning )

Cheers

[Greedy]

I also want to ask if anyone has kids in the back of the new MY09 ML triton, I just wanted to know if the comfort is ok for them, do they bounce around a lot, or is it pretty good? They are only 5 and 7years.

As Snowman said, the rear seat is definitely class leading. I'm 6'4" with 2 young boys who are gonna be tall as well. I tested all the back seats by shifting the front seat right back (my normal driving position) and got in the back. The triton and hilux were the only rear seats I could actually get into. The rest (navara, rodeo etc), I couldn't physically get in the car at all. The hilux, however, didn't allow me to sit with my legs staight in front of me. I had to have a leg both sides of the seat. No trouble in the triton though. It is a world apart in rear seat comfort. A great car to drive too (once the shockers are replaced with something decent).

[JohnW]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

On a long trip on tar, say from Sydney to Queensland, how does the triton manual go, does it rev high at 100km, and is the bouncing in the back or is it just fairly smooth like a normal car.

Is there much wind / road noise on highway driving or pretty good.

We will be using mostly for around town and highway trips, but every now and then we head into the high country, which is why we are considering the triton opposed to the softroaders.

I mean, if we got a Subaru Forester, is this going to be heaps more comfortable, and still off road capable in most situations, or should we just go the triton and we will be happy with comfort on long highway trips?

Thanks

[Greedy]

The triton IMO is a very comfortable car. The handling is good for highway driving as they are sprung quite softly. Can't help you on the revs as I have diesel. Some on here have complained about the seats but, while they're not racing seats, I find they do the job. Cabin noise is fine at highway speed although petrol maybe different. My situation is similar to yours in that we were looking to buy a very capable tourer rather than an a 4wd as such but ended up with both.

[Adz]

You will find that the petrol engine is great on revs IMHO...from memory it sits on around 2100 at 110km/h...I get around 9.7L/100km on the highway & around 11.8L/100km around town so the economy is really quite good...having said that, those stats are based on having a 5.1m boat being towed. I am heading to sydney next weekend without the boat so I can post some more acurate results.

The road noise is quite minimal, really not much noisier than my old BA Falcon. Even with the rear window down on hot days, its still pretty good....different now that I have the canopy but not unbearable.

I actually find the seats very comfortable, but nothing that did3.2's seat spacers wont fix...apparently they give the seats around 25mm of lift, which gives you better leg support.

As far as the forrester goes, yes it will be more comfortable but given mother natures mood swings in our great country, 'most situations' can turn nasty real quick & you could find yourself stuck somewhere you dont want to be. With the triton you decrease those chances dramatically!

I reckon you'll be happy with the triton JohnW, there's a couple of us on here that are!!

[JohnW]

ok,thanks. Is there any way I can contact someone via phone to discuss?

[Adz]

As in someone on this forum or someone from Mits?

[JohnW]

someone on this forum. Preferablly someon who has a petrol manual GLX-R.

Adx, do you really get such good economy from the petrol triton, 9.7L and 11.8L even when towing?? That sounds very good, much less than the displayed fuel ADR rating on the tritons?

So, i think i am getting a petrol triton, and will not go the softroader, as it sounds like it is still comfortable enough for long trips with kids to Queensland etc,

If I can speak to someone, let me know how to contact, can email first if easier?

Thanks

[Adz]

Mate Im more than happy to have a gasbag with you. I own the petrol manual GLX-R so you've come to the right place!

Just PM me & I'll give you my mobile number.

Yeah, well Im only going by the trip computer, which by the way cant be trusted so I could be wrong about the economy stats, I'd really have to do the manual calculations to get it spot on.

[Big Brad]

John

The Triton was purchased by me for 2 main reasons

1 - Rear leg room as my kids are 13 , 15 and 17. We do regular 4 - 5 hour straight trips and they are very happy campers.

2 - Lpg compatibility. The Trito is easily converted to Lpg using the Impco injection system and is approved by Mitsu so as it doesn't void your warranty. It currently costs me in dollar terms about $ 7.00 per 100 klm in the city driving. Can't beat that. Fully loaded with 2 dirtbikes in the tray and a caravan on the back consumption does rise slightly to cost a massive $ 9.00 per 100 klms

We are very happy with our purchase and through my business I put on around 55 000klm per year and have had no issues so far.

Brad

[Big Brad]

And the trip computer does tell big porky pies.

On one trip it showed an economy of 3.2ltr/100klm with distance left until empty of around 700klm when I ran out and switched it over to lpg.

Average 12ltr/100 on petrol and 15/100 on lpg around town. Better on highway.

My figures will be slightly higher than others as have full length ladders on the roof every where I go except for the weekend trips.

[Homer]

Hey John, I have come in late and don't want to repeat too much or contradict too much either, but every one has their own opinion on their cars so I'll give you mine.

I have measured the economy pretty religiously and it varies from mid 11 to high 13L/100km (based on the stock odometer with stock tyres). 11.4 was on the Newel highway trying to get good economy and high 13's is flogging the bejeesus out of it. The factory trip computer is so far out it isn't worth using for economy.

My two kids 14 & 12 love it and prefer it to the 2003 Pajero exceed - but that is because the back window goes down and with the mod chip it sounds tough. I know personally it is not as comfortable in the back as the Paj, but the comfort level is still fine and the kids seriously wont notice. I've had adults in it on trips and no complaints and a couple of "this is better than the lux" comments - maybe that was me

Front seats is a different situation and most on here have issues with them, a few don't. But you can fix them to be OK relatively cheaply. Feel them on a test drive and you will see if they are OK or not.

I talked to a courier driver the other day who pulled up when I was fitting my roof rack - during work hours - busted. He loves his Triton (he wasn't driving it for work, was at home) and reckons the factory LPG is fantastic. Raved about it.

I called him Big Brad and he looked at me like we were at the Mardi Gras so I figured it wasn't Brad from on here. so I told him about this site. Maybe he thought I said 'big boy'

I would get the diesel if I went again, but I would block the EGR on day one and mod the crap out of it with Monsters chip or MTA's map (or both) because they aren't as quick as the petrol and I like them to be a bit quick.

Edit: I left out one bit. Some of the petrol engines - at least up until now - have a piston issue that causes them to start to rattle a bit after the first oil change. Check the two threads "V6 engine noise/rattle" and "double din" by using the search function at the top.

[slimv6]

I'm thrilled with my V6, no engine mods as yet, only removed the catalytics and put in 64mm pipe with free flow boxes.

I don't find the gearing to be too bad, it can do all the goodies in 4th and will only get to about 4500rpm when the limiter comes in in 5th.

Been around southern africa in it, through mountains, mud, sand, rocks and all sorts of other things. The 3.5 is a sweet sounding engine and I don't think I'll go for the oilburner.

It has been comfy all along, but the ride was dramatically improved with aftermarket shocks. The ride is a little harder, but it feels like a ute, not a cloud. The handling on dirt is also 10000000% better.

Done about 100000km in the last year and a half, and miss the thing when I'm forced to drive any other car. Tows fine, in 4th that is.

Warranty issues Ive had on mine are
1. the flared joint on the steel clutch actuator hose split (@ 8000km or something)
2. The gearbox was replaced at 98000km becasue I towed about 2ton for almost 2000km in one shot, in 5th. (won't do that again...)
3. slight wind noise from the rear door seal on the driver's side.


otherwise, I'm chuffed and as a stock vehicle to have the great legroom behind, awesome (read best of the competition) entry, breakover and exit angles and of course the performance of the 3.5 V6 is a winner, when comparing with toy, ford and nissan 4.0l .


I would buy another one if I had to!


Enjoy m8!