Published on August 17, 2005

Things started to look up for Mitsubishi ever since it launched the Space Wagon, and its new Triton pickup truck is a chance to build on that success. Could the successor to the Strada pickup turn out to be the bread-and-butter model that the auto-maker is looking for? You bet!

When I first drove the Toyota Vigo at its launch last year it amazed me with the sedan-like feel of its interior – plush upholstery and an LCD display for climate control. My conclusion then was that there would not be a new pickup truck of this calibre for the next 4-5 years. How I wish I could take back my words.

The new Triton is phenomenal by pickup standards. The exterior design is muscular but curvaceous. The wide front and almost tear-drop-like headlight design give it a very aggressive stance. Step inside and the glory continues. The beautiful instrument panel, awe-inspiring LCD display and beautiful steering show a fairly good build quality in pick-up standards. The seats although soft and comfortable, manage to provide enough support when off-road. Even the rear seats in the 4-door version I drove were comfortable.

Although it looks like it would be difficult to get in and out of the rear seats, it is in fact very easy. A much appreciated addition is an electric rear window that allows the passengers to reach into the pickup bed without stepping out of the vehicle.

The centre LCD display has an altimeter and compass, instruments which in the Strada were analogue and looked out of place. The display also shows the estimated range with the remaining fuel, fuel consumption and a trip meter. When playing music in the Triton’s MP3-compatible audio system the LCD displays shows the music system information as well.

Start the engine and feel privileged that you’ve just fired up the biggest power plant in the pickup segment – a 3.2-litre inline 4-cylinder with intercooler and hyper commonrail technology. All that technology adds up to 165bhp and 351Nm of torque – again, class leading.

There are four engine variants in all, the others being a 2.5-litre hyper commonrail unit with intercooler producing 140bhp and 321Nm of torque, a 2.5-litre hyper commonrail unit without intercooler producing 116bhp and 247Nm of torque and the base 2.5-litre turbocharged unit producing 90bhp and 198Nm of torque.

Mitsubishi arranged a short off-road event in Kanchanaburi to show the Triton off to journalists, who got to try out the pickup on a 5-kilometre off-road track and 2.5km of asphalt track. A more in-depth test-drive is to follow.

The Triton displayed good handling and poise off-road. On the road though, acceleration seemed to be lacking for an engine of this magnitude and the handling could be rated on a par with its competitors.

Once the initial thrill is over and you step out of the Triton to examine it more closely, slight flaws, or shortcomings rather, become apparent. One is that the truck bed section looks too small in comparison with the cab, and also feels like a completely different part of the vehicle.

The Triton is another pickup truck that needs huge tyres to look good, or else it gets a “giant in baby shoes” look.

The shift lever of the automatic gearbox looks aged and at odds with the technologically superior interior, while the climate control buttons are of the cheap knob type.

There may be other significant points that were not noticeable in the limited time the Triton was available to us, but the vehicle did prove itself a winner on the whole.

The final question is the price, which insiders at Mitsubishi hint will be relatively close to that of the Strada. If that’s true, the Triton could be the next success story in Thailand’s pickup history.

Vijo Varghese

The Nation

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