Mitsubishi just updated its Triton ute and Outlander SUV, and the changes are more than skin-deep. Richard Bosselman reports.
See what happens when the Triton in original form gets called a "girlie truck''?
It goes away, shapes and toughens up ... then comes back intent on beating the living daylight out of the opposition.
While the early-life update's primary focus is to address one shortcoming - load capacity - by adding a 180mm longer and 55mm deeper tray that enhances practicality, it also becomes more muscular in other areas.
Significant strengths are improved safety and, in the four-wheel-drive models, the bonus of a new high-power common-rail 2477cc four-cylinder turbo-diesel that sets new power and torque highs. It is miles better than the carryover, same-capacity unit in the cheaper rear-drive models.
The all-paw models are tough trucks, Mitsubishi asserts, so they laid on a tough trip to prove it. The formed-road drive out to Paharoa Station, a huge farm on the Wairarapa coastline, was not for the faint-hearted, with switchbacks, deep gravel and single-lane stretches.
The run back, along basic tracks through razorback bush country, was definitely a knee-knocker: Not always a lot of grip and dizzying drop-offs.
A colleague who fears heights took to walking the most precipitous sections.
Choosing to tackle this in the outwardly least-rugged version, the flagship auto 4WD GLX, might not have seemed wholly prudent, especially since it was on street rubber, but actually it went OK.
While the new engine's torque is toned down by 53Nm on the auto, it still has more pull than the old 3.2-litre, and certainly more pep. Our truck might not have skipped like Hillary up the steepest hills the drive programme could muster, but it rarely slipped up.
The Triton, and a facelifted Outlander sports wagon (driven the next day on proper roads), are key models.
While both vehicles occupy categories that have lost heat since the economic climate turned chilly, they still offer Mitsubishi the best chance of achieving a sales lift, being the strongest sellers for a brand desperate for a return to better days.
Safety could help shift the Triton. Eight models now have side and curtain airbags. All but four workhorse variants also boast stability and traction control, both new features for this category.
A new five-speed auto and the full MATT (Mitsubishi All Terrain Technology) all-wheel-drive electronic four-wheel-drive system from the Pajero also reach buyers, but only at GLS level. MATT integrates the Super Select "shift on the fly'' four-wheel-drive system, stability and traction control, Multi Mode antilock brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution and a locking rear diff.
The less expensive models continue with a more rudimentary, but still rugged, four-wheel drive and continue with a four-speed auto. However, it's worth noting that the rural-focused 4WD GL workhorse variants are the only models in the market to host rear diff lock as standard.
The new range also gets some subtle styling improvements inside (seat fabric and seat pads, instrument panel, audio upgrade) and out (bumpers, grille and side turning lamps).
The freshened Outlander is even easier to spot, thanks to its Lancer-style "jet fighter'' snout.
While the three mainstream 2.4-litre CVT versions are unchanged mechanically, the more expensive 3-litre V6s have extra power and torque - now 172kW and 296Nm - and adopt a better all-wheel-drive system with Tarmac, Snow and Lock modes.
All versions also get hill start assist and while the basic interior design is unchanged, there are improvements to comfort and convenience.
Outlander is still petrol-only and the six-cylinder line-up has been cut back from three to two seven-seat models, while the four-cylinder car is present in seven-seat specification, in three levels, and there's also a five-pew entry car.
The V6 is the big improver on the road and superior to the 2.4-litre for three reasons: More usable grunt, a better transmission - the six-stage auto is much less busy than the CVT - and Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC), which is Japanese hyperbole for a trick electronic front differential.
This allows it to steer sharper in tight corners, because when the inside front wheel loses traction, the computer directs more torque to the outside wheel to help turn the car. The rear axle, meanwhile, also gets torque sent to it via the all-wheel drive. It contributes positively, wet or dry.
Mitsubishi will continue its onslaught on the family sports vehicle sector with a new Challenger wagon, landing in January in five- and seven-seater form, and from midyear a small SUV, the cX.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
