The 2019 Mitsubishi Triton was officially launched
by Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM). Five variants
are available, priced from RM 100,200 to RM 135,200 on the road without
insurance. The Triton
finally receives Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield face, which is characterised by
slim headlamps sitting atop a big fog lamp-signal lamp cluster, pushed to the
extreme sides and sawed off cleanly for a square jaw.
Central to the Dynamic Shield
look are chrome borders for the grille that starts from the headlamps, giving
it the appearance of sunken cheeks. This latest family face is as seen on the
Xpander MPV, and is “more extreme” than the face of the Pajero Sport.
By the way, Mitsubishi says that the Triton’s proud
bonnet line is 100 mm higher than before. Likewise, the truck’s wading depth is
now 100 mm higher than before, at 700 mm. On the side, the Triton’s
trademark “J-line” curved end to the cab is present, flanked by wheelarches
that are now squared off. At the back, the updated truck gets new lamp
clusters, which are very distinctive thanks to long-tail LED signatures. The
tailgate handle and reverse camera are now housed in a chrome letterbox.
The wheels sport a matching angular spoke design.
They’re 18-inch on the top Adventure X model and 17-inch elsewhere, but size
aside, both designs are rather similar. Four colours are available: White
Diamond, Jet Black Mica, Sterling Silver and Graphite Grey Metallic.
Relative to the exterior, the Triton’s interior sees
smaller changes that are less apparent at a glance. Comparing old and new, the
centre stack and console has seen some minor rearrangement – the centre air con
vents have a slightly different shape, while the visual flow from the ICE and
AC panel to the gear level area is no longer interrupted. The latter is now a
sharp edged square, which follows the overall angular theme.
More obvious are the new features such as a
first-in-segment air circulator with two rear vents on the roof, and a control
panel with four fan speeds. The location where one would normally expect rear
AC vents houses a new phone slot and USB charging ports. Up front, you’ll find
soft touch padding on the centre console box and tunnel, which your elbows and
knees will feel.
Under the skin, the new Triton is powered by a 2.4
litre MIVEC turbodiesel with 181 PS and 430 Nm of torque at 2,500 rpm. This
engine – which has an aluminium alloy block and variable geometry turbo – is
now mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The other gearbox in the range is a six-speed manual. Also new is the Super Select 4WD
II system on the Adventure X. It comes with a new Off-Road Mode which has four
presets (gravel, mud, sand, rock). Choosing a mode will see the system optimise
engine power, transmission and braking to regulate the amount of wheel slip and
maximise off-road performance. There’s also hill descent control, which frees
the driver to focus on steering during steep descents. The Off-Road Mode and
HDC buttons are behind the 4WD rotary knob.
There’s also big news on the safety front. Driver
assist features such as Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM), Blind Spot Warning
with Lane Change Assist (BSW with LCA), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA),
Ultrasonic Misacceleration Mitigation System (UMS), Auto High Beam (AHB) and
seven airbags are now available on the Triton Adventure X. By the way, UMS is similar to
Perodua’s pedal misoperation control; it prevents the car from moving forward
when an obstacle is detected, such as a wall. Some of these safety features are
first in the class. Lastly, the Triton boasts best-in-class turning radius of
5.9 metres.
It’s worth noting that the 2.4L MIVEC engine is now
standard across the Triton range, which was previously split between the 2.4L
(the best engine available for the Triton globally) and the older 2.5L. Also,
all five variants are 4×4 now. All these changes are not applicable to the
workhorse Triton Quest, which persists with the previous face and 110 PS/200 Nm
2.5L turbodiesel.
Imported CBU from Thailand, the 2019 Mitsubishi
Triton range is priced at RM 100,200 for the VGT MT, RM 105,990 for the VGT AT,
RM 112,500 for the VGT MT Premium, RM 118,600 for the VGT AT Premium and
RM 135,200 for the top VGT Adventure X. The factory warranty is for 200,000 km
or five years.