MITSUBISHI’S TRITON/L200 workhorse has won itself many a fan thanks to its versatility and capability, both attributes that we can attest to having spent a few days out in the bush with the GLX-R dual-cab.

Recent rumours have suggested that Mitsubishi is preparing to address the one major criticism of the Triton dual-cab, its small (compared to the opposition) rear tray area.

Those rumours have now gained serious traction with a Long Bed variant of the L200 (Triton) dual-cab ute being released in the UK.

The L200 Long Bed boasts an extra 180mm of tray length and a higher, more commodious cargo area. Rear overhang suffers as a result, but tradies will no doubt welcome the extra capacity.

The L200 Animal and Warrior variants will also benefit from a more powerful version of Mitsubishi’s 2.5 litre turbodiesel, which now spits out 131kW - 31kW more than the outgoing engine.

The Long Bed variants add £750 to the price of a Standard Bed L200, while the gruntier donk in the Animal and Warrior attracts an extra £250 premium.

As for when we can expect to see the stretched Triton hit Australian roads, Mitsubishi Motors Australia’s Head of Corporate Communications Lenore Fletcher says it may land here before the year is out.

“Mitsubishi here in Australia is very interested in the updates to our popular Triton utility line-up and we are currently working on a program to introduce this vehicle,” Ms Fletcher said.

“Timing has not been confirmed yet; however, we are certainly keen to see it here this year.”

Word has it that the Triton update may also see the grunty 3.2-litre DiD diesel engine currently powering the ML Triton replaced by a new smaller unit that will become the standard diesel for the higher spec models.

However, at this stage that’s just unconfirmed rumour and Mitsubishi declined to comment on when, or if, we’ll see a replacement for the range-topping diesel. Our gut tells us its coming, we just don’t know when.