Tough new Mitsubishi Triton previewed

With only a year to go until the next-generation Mitsubishi Triton rolls into Aussie showrooms, anticipation around the all-new ute is building and this fresh design preview proposes a tough new design it could wear.

These unofficial computer-generated renders of the all-new 2024 Mitsubishi Triton, which is set to be revealed in the first half of 2023 ahead of its Aussie release by the end of next year, come from the crew at Digimods Design and suggests stronger and more rugged exterior optics than the last interpretations we published previously courtesy of Nikita Chiuko.

Presenting an aggressively angular motif, the butch-looking Triton mock-ups lend the vehicle a proper mud-plugging personality and blend sleek headlight clusters with a squared-off grille and reasonable ground clearance.

Prominent square wheel-arches add a little more machismo as well, while the rear-end features a rudimentary sports bar and new-look vertically-aligned LED tail-lights.

And while the doors and roofline could have been lifted from any of the current crop of one-tonne dual-cab utes on the market, we reckon the tougher and more modern design would have broad appeal.

While the exterior design will play a big part in the success of the new Mitsubishi Triton, it’s the stuff lurking under the skin that will influence many potential customers.

Although we know from spy shots that the new Triton will be bigger and blockier than trusty but aged model it replaces, it will need to match its style with substance in order to challenge the Best Dual-Cab 4x4 Ute of 2022, the new Ford Ranger, especially since it’s unlikely to be as affordable as the current Triton, which continues to sell strongly as a result.

Japanese executives from Mitsubishi have told carsales a muscular new plug-in hybrid powertrain will eventually be offered in the new Triton, delivering more mumbo than the new Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV’s 185kW/450Nm PHEV set-up.

Other upgrades for the new Triton are understood to include a boost in towing capacity from the current ute’s 3100kg to 3500kg, in part thanks to what’s tipped to be a more powerful four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that will eclipsing the current 2.4-litre mill’s 133kW/430Nm.

A fair chunk of the new ute’s development program is being undertaken in Australia, but the new Mitsubishi Triton won’t be available with V6 diesel power like the Ford Ranger, its upcoming sister model, the MkII Volkswagen Amarok, and the next-generation 2024 Toyota HiLux.

Beyond its platform-sharing arrangement with the next Nissan Navara, few technical details about the new Triton have been officially confirmed by Mitsubishi.

However, the new ute’s local R&D component is being touted as a genuine game-changer and one that should see it catch up to class-leading utes in terms of technology levels and overall refinement.

Mitsubishi Australia’s product strategy chief, Owen Thomson, recently told carsales that engineering and development vehicles have been undergoing “on-road evaluation for the suspension” in secret locations Down Under, where local suitability of off-road systems is also being fine-tuned.

The Japanese car-maker’s local product strategy boss told carsales that Mitsubishi Australia has been involved in the new-generation Triton project since it commenced in 2015 – the same year the outgoing Triton was launched.

“It’s been a long-term project that we’ve had a voice in from very early on. And that’s a good thing for Australian customers, absolutely.

“We’ve been on a big journey and the next-generation ute will take things a step further in terms of just how good the new product is,” said Thomson.

When the new Triton arrives in Australia in late 2023 (which could become early 2024 if there are production and/or shipping delays), it will be offered initially in dual-cab 4x2 and 4x4 configurations, with single-cab and space-cab body styles to follow, in both cab-chassis and pick-up forms.

The Mitsubishi Triton is currently Australia’s third best-selling ute behind the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, largely due to its competitive pricing ($24,240 to $55,690).

The new model is almost certain to bring significant price rises, but should remain alone in offering an industry-leading 10-year conditional warranty.

Stay tuned for more details as the official reveal of the new Triton edges closer.

Digital Images: Digimods Design

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