Mitsubishi Triton Review – 2.4L DI-DC A/T 4X4

When you hear the name Mitsubishi Colt, do you picture a small beige sedan from the 80s or the bakkie that was just recently replaced with the Triton nameplate?

That new pick-up badge was in fact the international moniker for Mitsubishi’s bakkies since 1978. Fast forward to today, though, and we’re looking at the second iteration of a Triton bakkie and there’s a lot to like here.

Exterior

Aesthetically the car is a striking slab of metal, sort of white rhinoceros-sans-horn. Ours was finished in a metallic grey, except for its overly polished, quasi-chrome visage made up of broad horizontal slats for its grille, sharpened (levelling) LED headlamps, electrically adjustable fold-away mirrors and brightwork completed with the obligatory polished diffuser plate – subtle.

In each corner Dunlop Grandtrek tyres are shod over two-tone 18-inch alloy wheels, big enough on paper but just about holding their own in the Triton’s cavernous arches. There’s an old school charm about it, a ruggedness that provides hints and clues to a 4x4 legacy that extends across among other things – this is a marque with 12 Dakar Rally victories, seven of which were done on the trot.

But this isn’t the Dakar and this isn’t a roll-cage hero, rather a production car that must in 2019 be competent on Tarmac as well as gravel, as well as be competitive against rivals of a more modern ilk. At R599 900 the Triton flagship with full 4x4 drivetrain with automatic transmission is priced right too.

Interior

When I say the words; luxury SUV, your mind probably doesn’t immediately wander to the Mitsubishi Triton, right?

Sure, it isn’t German, a nation that has cornered the premium market, but at this price it’s certainly comparable to something like a Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger with equal workhorse pedigree. The similarities don’t end there, each is a full-sized double-cab with seating for five and a copious load bay.

Ergonomics are typically Japanese, intuitive if uninspired, featuring acres of grey plastic, mostly scratch-resistant, even around the multimedia screen and controls. Also making its debut here is Apple Carplay and Android Auto. There’s more shiny plastic around the gear and drivetrain selectors plus dual-zone automatic air-conditioning – luxury bakkie and all that. 

The leather pews are generous and comfortable, also generous – the amount of off-road controls thanks to its Super Select II 4WD System.

Performance

At the heart of this behemoth is Mitsubishi’s 2.4-litre MIVEC DI-DC 16V turbodiesel mill. It’s an electronically controlled common-rail inline-four good for 133kW and 430Nm, with access to the sum of its torque early at 2000rpm.

It’s more juggernaut than sprinter, capable of a zero-to-hundred amble in around ten seconds but that’s to be expected in a truck this size. More relevant to you perhaps will be the fact that it can probably do so whilst hauling a small aircraft thanks to a maximum tow mass of 3100kg.

Its road manners are better than I expected too, most notably an automatic transmission that surprised me with creamy smooth transitions in bumper-to-bumper traffic and remaining buttery when the road cleared and allowed me to cruise at the national speed limit. You couldn’t accuse it of an agricultural drivetrain, yet it proved just as capable off the beaten track.

Okay Mitsubishi, you’ve got our attention here.

Handling

Being the proponent of a fully independent rear suspension further fortifies Mitsubishi’s luxury claim – the Triton genuinely exhibits the sort of car-like ride qualities that the marketing folks love to tout.

It also benefits from great 220mm ground clearance and copious approach and departure angles for aggressive ingressing and egressing of the hole you’ve gotten yourself into. Add to that the sheer heft of the thing and you really get the impression as the driver that you could roll over just about any sort of terrain… or bush or beast.

The surface transition from clay to grey is almost imperceptible, but stick it into a corner with any kind of menace and that pliant suspension robs the steering of some feedback in the translation, favouring vagueness over precision, and generating the sort of lean you’d expect from a tallboy were it asked to perform this ‘dynamically’.

You can also blame a helm with a slight dead spot around the centre, a throwback to the thumbs-out off-roadin’ days when rough terrain could send the steering wheel spinning with enough would force to amputate your stubbiest digit. You youngsters wouldn’t believe…

Verdict

The Triton is ultimately the sum of its parts – its hard-edged, pragmatic and rugged parts. It’s both old school (rear diff lock) and new, with the likes of modern features such as Hill Descent Control and Hill Start Assist. Add to that Japanese reliability and sensibility and an aesthetic that sets it apart and we’d commend you for choosing one as your next bakkie.

Mitsubishi Triton 2.4L DI-DC A/T 4X4 Spec: