The appetite for hotrod pick-ups has created a new class of factory workhorses in Australia.

Most are trying to tap the same sentiments that made the classic Holden HSV Maloo and Ford Falcon XR, Aussie utes with undeniable local muscle, into cult cars.

The difference, now, is that sporty double-cab pick-ups come with additional off-road impact.

Ford set the bar impossibly high when it produced the Ranger Raptor, and now it’s also an impossible pick for most people with a starting price of $90,690. It’s a genuine off-road rocket, but too much of a good thing for some potential owners because it cannot match the 3.5-tonne towing of a regular Ranger.

There is also the Navara Warrior Pro-4X from Nissan, priced from $68,418, and now the Mitsubishi Triton Raider from $74,990.

To put these pick-ups into perspective, the carmakers involved have looked at the sort of extra equipment added by enthusiastic owners and done it for them. So it’s a one-off purchase without the need to spend big in the aftermarket world.

But there is a twist  . . .

Both the Warrior and Raider are tweaked by an Australian company, Premcar, which earned its chops in the days of Ford Performance Vehicles.

The Melbourne operation is crowded with talented engineers and technicians who know how to give pick-up owners what they want and sometimes need.

Which brings us to the Raider package, with massively improved suspension, some nice visual tweaks – externally and inside the cabin – to lift the Mitsubishi up from the ‘yeah, nah’ pack.

It’s definitely not a show pony, as the Raider gets unique dampers at each corner, changes to the sprints, and even a wider track with an increase in ground clearance.

Its ‘look-at-me’ ROH alloys are shod with Bridgestone AT002 all-terrain tyres. And there is a bright red bash plate under the nose.

Mitsubishi said it raided the existing accessories catalogue for side protection and a sports bar in the tray, with Raider labelling on the seats.

What does it all mean? Apart from the higher price, the Triton flagship drives like no previous truck with the same badging.

It is smoother everywhere, thanks to compliant but grippy suspension fully developed and tuned by Premcar, as well as nicely nicer in the way it looks.

It’s still powered by a dozy diesel which is nowhere near a rival for the petrol V8 powerhouse in the Raptor, but the package works well.

It is smoother everywhere, from potholed suburban streets to lumpy gravel roads, and that’s a big plus when so many pick-ups ride like a horse-powered wagon. And it can still tow.

The visual shifts bring more smiles and the car is nicely comfy from the driver’s seat, with everything you want in a work-and-play pick-up.

But … Mitsubishi still has intrusive driver-assistance systems, despite rapid-fire revisions when the new Triton first landed in Australia, with the ‘fatigue’ monitor particularly annoying.

And, despite all the upgrading and development, it’s still pricey for a Triton.

MITSUBISHI TRITON RAIDER

Price: from $74,990
Position: sporty double-cab pick-up
Engine: 2.4-litre turbodiesel
Output: 150kW/470Nm
Gearbox: 6-speed auto, four-wheel drive

The tick: nicer than expected