All New Mitshubishi Triton.

I only have great memories of the Mitsubishi Triton. A while back, when living in the UK as a 17-year-old motorsport student, my father owned one. In England, the model is known as the L200. Ours was the Raging Bull Edition; it featured bright red paint, lots of chrome and Raging Bull embroidery on the door panels and seats.

My driving progressed quite a bit during the process of my father owning that vehicle. I went from learning to drive, to “ drifting “ it around roundabouts ( traffic Circles) with my college mates in the back during lunch time.  Take “drift” with a pinch of salt, although the rear would come loose when RWD was selected. This shenanigans stopped after the front wheels went sliding with the rear on one occasion, lamp-posts became too close for comfort that day. We came very close to losing it, but never did.

Why am I telling you this story? Well, Mitsubishi has recently released a newly designed Triton, and reading up on the specs threw me back to 2009. The all new Triton features visual changes from all angles and although I like the updated tailgate, the front end of the Triton has yet to appeal to me, maybe this will change with time.

Tech and Interior

The new Triton comes with a nice standard spec list, which includes features such as Touch Screen Infotainment and Keyless Stop/Start system. Further to this, you can accept cruise control, dual-zone air-conditioning, reverse camera and leather interior. These are nice, but for the price of the new Triton, its expected as other manufactures operating in the same market offer the same.

Mitsubishi have aimed to give more space to the interior cabin by extending it by 20mm and improving shoulder room in the front and rear. Further to this they have also incorporated a higher density foam to increase seat comfort on long distance drives.

Drivetrain

The changes don’t stop there; a new 2.4 MIVEC Diesel engine has been introduced, producing 133kw and 430Nm. Mitsubishi states that the engine weights 30kg less thanks to features such as an all aluminium block. It also provides much less vibration due to new mounting points. They also state that an upgraded turbocharger provides faster spooling and in conjunction with a lower compression ratio, aids a more responsive torque delivery.

Power delivery will be provided through either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic, with the choice of 4WD or 2WD (Drift mode). For the 4WD, power is delivered as a 40:60 split rather than the conventional 50:50 method. This apparently has many benefits, especially on gravel, which will be interesting to test.

The new Triton also has an improved power steering system, providing 3.8 turns of the wheel lock to lock, compared to the 4.3 turns of the previous model.

Models and Price

Fancy one? Four double cab models in 4×2 and 4×4 variants are available immediately, with either a manual or automatic gearbox. Other models will be available at a later date.  Prices are as follows:

Mitsubishi Triton 2.4 Di-D 4×2 (man) – R479 900

Mitsubishi Triton 2.4 Di-D 4×2 (auto) – R499 900

Mitsubishi Triton 2.4 Di-D 4×4 (man) – R539 900

Mitsubishi Triton 2.4 Di-D 4×4 (auto) – R559 900