Mitsubishi Triton

The cabin layout of Mitsubishi Triton has remained unchanged in this form for almost a decade now, which explains why it has begun to show its age, especially after the arrival of the all-new sixth-generation version. However, the overall layout is still pleasant to look at, with the all-black cabin having contrast silver highlights on the dashboard and door panels.

The VGT Athlete gets a sporty touch in its cabin too, with it having contrast orange stitching for the seats, steering wheel, transmission lever and handbrake lever. The VGT Premium AT and VGT Athlete variants have premium leatherette seats, along with leather finish for the steering wheel, transmission and handbrake levers in the VGT Athlete variant. The range-topping Athlete variant also has LED illuminated scuff plates. 

The driver’s cockpit of the Mitsubishi Triton has a four-spoke steering wheel with silver accents on the sides of the spokes. This silver finish can also be seen around the AC vents on the dashboard corners and surrounds the entire centre console. The upper centre console has vertical AC vents on the sides of the infotainment system, along with climate control switches below the infotainment screen. The transmission lever at the bottom of the centre console also has gloss black finish for its base. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Premium-looking leather finish in both variants

Con: Slightly-dated cabin theme

Features and Technology

For a midsize pickup truck, the Mitsubishi Triton is decently equipped with essential comfort and convenience features. Mitsubishi has equipped all variants of Triton with a tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel, all four power windows, and rear centre armrest.

The base-spec VGT variant feels pretty basic with standard features like a backlit instrument console with standard LCD MID, a 2-DIN audio system with Bluetooth and USB supports, and four speakers, a single front USB socket, manual AC, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, and manual driver seat height adjustment.

The mid-spec VGT Premium feels more premium with a push start-stop button, high-contrast instrument console, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (7-inch for manual and 9-inch for automatic variants), 6-speaker audio system, two additional USB charging ports at the rear, automatic climate control with rear AC vents, a multi-functional steering wheel, and cruise control.

The VGT Athlete variant exclusively comes with a coloured LCD MID in the instrument console and a power-adjustable driver’s seat.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Well-equipped Athlete variant

Con: Outdated instrument console

Boot Space and Storage

Measuring 1,520 mm long, 1,470 mm wide, and 475 mm tall, the deck of the Mitsubishi Triton has a payload capacity of 909 kg, making it one of the most capable workhorses. The cabin also feels practical with usable storage spaces, consisting of cup holders in the front centre console and rear centre armrest, bottle holders in door panels, storage space beneath the front centre armrest, and dual gloveboxes on the co-passenger side of the dashboard. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Usable storage spaces in the cabin 

Con: Front door storage pockets could have been bigger

Despite it being more than half a decade old now, the facelifted fifth-gen Mitsubishi Triton still looks attractive with its sleek front fascia and overall tough-looking personality, especially in the range-topping VGT Athlete variant which gets a host of blacked-out highlights.

The front profile of the Mitsubishi Triton, which was updated comprehensively in 2019, looks quite sleek with a swooping grille that has angular headlamps placed on its upper edges. These headlamps have auto bi-LED projectors with LED DRLs in the VGT Athlete variant, while the rest of the variant lineup gets an old-school halogen headlamp setup. The VGT Premium and VGT Athlete variants also have trapezoidal fog lamps on the corners of the front bumper. 

The angular swooping grille has an all-black finish in the Athlete variant and chrome finish in VGT and VGT Premium variants. In its side profile, the Mitsubishi Triton has the required muscular appeal with an upright bonnet and flared fenders. The VGT Athlete variant has gloss black 18-inch alloy wheels, door handles and outside rearview mirrors. Meanwhile, the VGT Premium gets silver 18-inch alloy wheels and chrome-finished outside rearview mirrors and door handles.

The Mitsubishi Triton also gets power-adjustable and foldable outside rearview mirrors in VGT Premium and VGT Athlete variants. At the back, the Triton gets a simple-looking deck lid with vertically-aligned tail lamps to its sides. The VGT Athlete further looks bold with additional highlights like gloss black finish for the front bumper garnish, rear step bumper, side steps and tailgate handle, aero side window deflectors and body graphics on the side profile.

Coming to the colour choices, the Mitsubishi Triton comes in White Solid in VGT and VGT Premium MT, Sterling Silver in VGT, Graphite Grey in VGT Premium, White Diamond in VGT Premium AT and Athlete, and Jet Black Mica and Sunflame Orange Pearl in VGT Athlete variants. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Muscular design, with added sportiness in VGT Athlete variant

Cons: Rear profile looks too basic

The Malaysian market gets the Mitsubishi Triton only with a four-wheel drive system, for which Mitsubishi claims a maximum fuel efficiency of 11.62 kmpl in the combined usage cycles. In real-world conditions, the Triton delivers 7-8 kmpl in city conditions and 10-11 kmpl in highway driving conditions. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Decent fuel efficiency on the highways

Con: City efficiency could have been better

The Mitsubishi Triton has always been a rugged pickup for off-road terrains with a sturdy suspension setup and a capable four-wheel drive system. This new version follows the tradition with a four-wheel drive system offered as standard, along with a suspension combination of a double wishbone with coil springs and stabilizer bar at the front and elliptical leaf springs at the rear.

The rugged suspension makes the Mitsubishi Triton feel rock solid over uneven and bad terrains, though the ride quality over well-paved tarmacs can be bouncy at higher speeds. The VGT Premium AT and VGT Athlete variants get off-road drive modes like gravel, sand, mud/snow, and rock, with the VGT Athlete variant also having a more capable Super Select-II four-wheel drive system. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Multiple drive modes are offered in the Athlete variant

Con: Bouncy ride quality at higher speeds 

Performance and Driving Dynamics

Under the hood of the new Mitsubishi Triton is the 2.4-litre four-cylinder MIVEC diesel engine, which produces a maximum power output of 181 PS and a maximum torque output of 430 Nm. While the manual variants get a 6-speed manual, the automatic variants have a 6-speed automatic transmission with sports mode. Like before, the diesel engine is tractable and can last long, the refinement levels at higher RPMs could have been better. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Reliable and torquey diesel engine

Con: Refinement levels at higher RPMs could have been better

The standard safety equipment in all the variants of Triton includes ABS with EBD and brake assist, active stability control, traction control, hill start assist, reverse parking sensors, ISOFX mounts for child seats and dual front airbags. The Premium variant also gets a reverse camera and digital video recorder, with the automatic version of this variant further having hill descent control.

The range-topping VGT Athlete variant gets all the safety features of VGT Premium AT, along with add-ons like side and curtain airbags, front parking sensors, forward collision mitigation system with warning and braking functions, blind spot warning, lane change assist, rear cross traffic alert, auto high beam and ultrasonic misacceleration mitigation system. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: ADAS features in VGT Athlete 

Con: No 360-degree parking camera

Competitor Comparison

The Mitsubishi Triton competes in a tough rivalry comprising equally capable alternatives like Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Nissan Navara, Mazda BT-50, Maxus T60, and Peugeot Landtrek. 

Conclusion and Final Verdict

With the launch of the all-new generation of Triton that’s already gone on sale in Malaysia, it’s only a matter of time before Mitsubishi discontinues this particular previous-generation version of the Triton. The price gap between this generation model and the all-new model too is very small, making the latter a much better value-for-money proposition.

That being said, this previous-generation Mitsubishi Triton is still one of the most well-priced pickups, justifying the decent equipment level, reliable diesel engine, and rugged mechanicals it comes with.