Facelifted Mitsubishi Triton premieres in Bangkok
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) unsurprisingly choose Bangkok, Thailand as the venue to premiere the new facelifted Triton pickup truck. The truck is assembled at Mitsubishi Motor (Thailand) factory in Laem Chabang, and will begin domestic sales on 17 November. Sales launch in other markets will follow, including in Oceania, Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Mitsubishi says that the new Triton will eventually be sold in 150 countries.
When will it be launched in Malaysia? No strong indication yet, other than it will be previewed at the upcoming Kuala Lumpur International Motorshow (KLIMS).
The Triton model is celebrating its 40th birthday this year and is still a major sales success for the brand. “The New Triton/L200 is one of our most important global strategic models. Its success will accelerate the momentum of the company’s sustainable growth. The new model brings enhancements to the durability, reliability and comfort developed over the 40 years since the introduction of the series. “I am fully confident the New Triton/L200 will meet the diverse needs and wishes of our customers around the world,” said Osamu Masuko, MMC chief executive officer.
Exterior
The company uses “Engineered Beyond Touch” as a key catchphrase for the Triton’s design, with two design concepts as main inspiration – “Rock Solid” and the latest version of the Dynamic Shield front design.
The new body comes with curves with contrasting sharp lines, extended wheel flares and bright accents. The lighting and bumper looks tougher, framing the front and rear design as well as adding visual width.
Interior
Mitsubishi has added it a fair amount of soft touch materials on top of stitching on the floor console, armrests, and parking brake, all of which gives the cabin a more pronounced feel of quality. There are some parts which immediately reminds you that it is a Mitsubishi, such as the air-cond controls and gear shifter.
But clearly, the biggest change to the Triton comes in the form of a improved off-road performance and driver assistance systems. For the former, the new TRITON 4WD models are fitted with either Super-Select 4WD, which delivers optimum traction and handling characteristics for any given surface, or Easy-Select 4WD, which simplifies switching between drive modes for different road surfaces. With the addition of new drive modes, both 4WD systems deliver improved off-road performance.
New Off-road Mode
Both Super-Select and Easy-Select 4WD systems use a new Off-road Mode which has GRAVEL, MUD/SNOW, SAND and ROCK (in 4LLc only) settings. When engaged, Off-road Mode integrally controls engine power, transmission and braking to regulate the amount of wheel slip and thereby maximize all-terrain performance and self-extraction performance in mud or snow.
Hill Descent Control also makes its way into the package.
Active Safety / Driver Assistance Systems
New TRITON/L200 retains the current model’s high-durability, high-reliability ladder-type frame and high impact-safety cabin structure while featuring class-leading advanced active safety and driver assistance systems.
Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) | Detect vehicles and pedestrians in front of the vehicle. |
Blind Sport Warning (BSW) with Lane Change Assist (LCA) | Helps avoid sideswiping another vehicle when changing lanes by detecting vehicles behind or at the rear quarter and alerting the driver with an audible alert and flashing light in their door mirror. |
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) | Detects incoming vehicles when reversing (e.g out of parking). |
Ultrasonic Mis acceleration Mitigation System (UMS) | Reduces accidents resulting from improper use of the accelerator when moving off or reversing in car parks and other confined spaces. |
Multi Around Monitor | Generate bird’s eye view of vehicle’s surrounding area using cameras, projected on screen. |
Performance
We’re not fully briefed about engine details, but we do know that stopping power is improved with larger front rotors and caliper pistons. The suspension system now uses larger dampers at the rear; and the previous 5-speed automatic transmission has been replaced with an automatic with 6-speeds.
MMC plans to sell some 180,000 units of the new and current models this fiscal year. Triton is a core global strategic model and is MMC’s second biggest seller, following Mid-size SUV Outlander in the MMC lineup last fiscal year.
Aside from being present at KLIMS 2018, the new Triton will also make an appearance at the following locations:
Date | Venue | Time |
7-9 December | My Town | 10.00am-10.00pm |
17-23 December | IOI Puchong Mall | 10.00am-10.00pm |
10-13 January 2019 | Aman Central Mall | 10.00am-10.00pm |
23-27 January 2019 | IOI City Mall | 10.00am-10.00pm |
11-13 January 2019 | Karamunsing Mall | 10.00am-10.00pm |
11-13 January 2019 | Imperial Permaisuri Mall | 10.00am-10.00pm |
18-20 January 2019 | The Spring Shopping Mall | 10.00am-10.00pm |
MMM will also plan to hold a special display of the New Triton in Johor Bahru. Those who are interested are encouraged to register for interest at http://mitsubishi-motors.com.my/new-triton-teaser/ for display locations and for further information about the New Triton.