A WHILE ago somebody coined the phrase SNAG - Sensitive New Age Guy - which meant all us blokes had to become in touch with our feminine side and so on.

Let's be honest - it was probably a woman.

And then all women suddenly wanted their blokes to be a SNAG. "Why can`t you be more like Dominic, he`s really nice to Teneille and always doing the housework and giving her flowers and .... "

Fair enough. But then, in typical fashion, that wasn`t enough any more - it doesn`t matter how many times you bath the baby it`s never enough - and along came the "metrosexual" where it`s OK to moisturise your legs and put expensive mud on your face at night.

So, in typical bloke fashion, we realised it had gone too far and had to take two steps back to get things on an even kiel - otherwise known as rebellion.

We`re REBELLIOUS - Rugged Everyday Bloke Everyone Loves Lots Irrespective Of Usual Sins. OK, so I didn`t have a lot of time to work on it.

Or perhaps I can put it in terms of cars - like I`m supposed to be doing with this space.

Take the Mitsubishi Triton GLX-R. It`s tough as nails but it has room in its heart for the kids as well with an extra row of seats.

It`s a workhorse during the week, and a stylish weekend warrior for a night out on the town, or to go bush with a group of mates.

It`s a little rough by modern standards but it can sure carry some weight on its shoulders. It`s reliable and dependable. It comes with ABS so it won`t ever hit the skids on you.

It might not be as handsome as some, but it takes pride in its appearance whether it`s at work or at play, with a chrome nudge bar with bash plate,

a chrome sports bar, soft tonneau with GLX-R logo, 16 X 7 alloy rims and side steps.

Inside, the GLX-R offers comfort of a leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-wrapped gear shift knob and transfer lever, titanium look instrument panel and air vent surrounds.

It might not be the high-performance machine everyone dreams of but it will go all day and night with power from the 3.0 litre SOHC electronically injected 24-valve V6 petrol, or the gutsy 2.8 litre intercooled and turbocharged diesel engine.

The standard transmission for both petrol and diesel models is a five-speed, fully synchronised manual transmission, while four-speed automatic is optional on the petrol model.

Drive is put to the ground through Mitsubishis Easy Select part-time four-wheel drive system that enables the engagement of 4WD from the drivers seat. The engagement and disengagement of 4WD (between 2H to 4H) can be made on the fly at speeds up to 100 km/hour. To engage Low range it is simply a matter of stopping the vehicle to shift from 4H to 4L.

Remote keyless entry and a rear window demister are standard.

The interior of the GLX-R is quite cool for a ute as well.

The only foible was with the lack of a footrest for the driver, and you need to awkwardly place your foot under the clutch to rest it. Not good in civilian shoes let alone workboots.

The only other thing of note was the rough ride due to the rear leaf suspension - but hey, it`s a workhorse first and foremost, and a bit of showpony as well.