Just eight months after it was launched, the latest third-generation Mitsubishi Triton has come in for a small but significant spec update. Arriving as part of Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia’s (MMM) 20th-anniversary celebrations, the changes – specific to the top-spec Athlete trim, we must stress – not only brought the price down but also gave the pick-up truck some much-needed visual pizzazz, as you can see our full gallery.
At the front, the Triton’s angular “Beast Mode” design has been augmented with an additional decorative skid plate that gives the truck a square-jawed look. The silver trim and the black surround gel well with the also-black “Dynamic Shield” bumper trim and provide a nice colour contrast (unfortunately invisible on the Jet Black Mica example that was lent to us) compared to the slightly “naked” original body-coloured look.
Meanwhile, the rear bed finally looks complete thanks to the sports bar that helps visually lengthen the glasshouse. With these two changes, Malaysians finally get a Triton Athlete that looks similar to the one shown in press photos back during the 2023 reveal – although the sports bar that we get does ditch the Mitsubishi branding, suggesting that it is a locally-produced piece.
Other changes include the black and silver graphics on the bed sides and tailgate, which seems a bit excessive in this writer’s book but does tie in with the lifestyle truck flavour of this update. The last tweak is unseen but massively improves the Triton’s practicality, and that’s the tailgate damper that supports the said tailgate and prevents it from crashing down when opened.
Along with the update comes a considerable RM6,000 price cut, now sitting at RM159,980 on-the-road without insurance. This now makes Athlete the cheapest of all the flagship big-name-brand trucks, being around RM2,000 cheaper than the Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain, RM3,000 cheaper than the Toyota Hilux Rogue and a whopping RM11,000 cheaper than the Ford Ranger Wildtrak – and the Toyota and Ford have even more expensive variants on top of that.
Beyond that, the Athlete remains identical to before, coming with automatic LED headlights, 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels, roof rails, side steps, keyless entry, push-button start, a seven-inch multi-info display, a eight-inch OEM infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, a Qi wireless charger, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, faux suede and leather seats with orange stitching, seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning.
The mechanicals have also been untouched, continuing to be led by a 204 PS/470 Nm 2.4 litre 4N16 MIVEC twin-turbo diesel engine and a six-speed automatic gearbox. Mitsubishi’s Super Select 4WD-II system with full-time all-wheel-drive mode and Active Yaw Control (AYC) torque vectoring by braking are also fitted.
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