The Mitsubishi Triton Athlete has now arrived in
Malaysia. In
contrast with the Thailand version which comes in a white
exterior finish, ours for Malaysia comes only in Black Mica paint, though with
plenty of orange highlights to help it further stand out.
The Triton Athlete for Malaysia is
identical to the one offered in Thailand; adding a splash of colour are the
orange accent stripes on the front bumper, along the lower door edges and on
the sides of the cargo tray sports bar. Gloss black trim is also found on the
front and rear bumpers, wheel arch extensions and side mirror covers, while the
17-inch wheels are also painted gloss black.
The black-and-orange theme continues into the cabin.
Perforated leather seats come in the aforementioned colour scheme, while orange
stitching also features on the seats, steering wheel, gear lever, door card
panels and the centre console, while the seat backs are embroidered with
‘Athlete’ script. The driver’s seat retains eight-way powered adjustability,
and the touchscreen infotainment system now supports Apple CarPlay.
The Triton Athlete is based upon the Triton
Adventure X plus extra kit, which means the inclusion of Bi-xenon HID
headlamps, daytime running lights (DRLs), a multifunction steering wheel, shift
paddles, an upgraded instrument display, a smart key system with engine starter
button and automatic dual-zone air-conditioning.
Mechanical underpinnings remain the same, with
motive power courtesy of a 2.4 litre MIVEC turbodiesel engine produced 181 PS
at 3,500 rpm and 430 Nm of torque from 2,500 rpm. Unlike the Thai market Triton
Athlete which offers a choice of manual and automatic transmissions, the
Malaysian market offering comes solely with the five-speed automatic gearbox,
including Easy Select 4WD with a Shift-on-the Fly selector.
The Athlete’s safety suite also takes after that of
the Adventure X, with seven airbags, Isofix child seat anchors, ABS, EBD,
electronic stability control, traction control, hill start assist, trailer sway
control and brake override system.
All in, the Thailand-built Mitsubishi Triton Athlete
is tagged in Peninsular Malaysia at RM 126,990 on-the-road without insurance –
the same as the Triton Adventure X – including a five-year, 200,000 km
warranty.