Is Mitsubishi Looking To Build A Ranger Raptor Rival With The New Triton?

Latest (third) generation Mitsubishi Triton competing in the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2023 event.

When the latest third generation Mitsubishi Triton debuted in Thailand late last month, its makers also opted to show off its sporting prowess by entering it in the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2023 event. Though it missed out on an overall victory, it placed a respectable third overall.

Perhaps this was at the back of the mind of Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Wescott when he reportedly told Australian media recently that a performance flagship version could suit well in said market Down Under. 

The Walkinshaw-developed Triton Xtreme was the closest to a factory-spec performance flagship a la Ranger Raptor the outgoing previous-gen Triton ever got to.

“I do believe there is some opportunity at the top end to do something like Walkinshaw have done,” said Wescott in reference to the Triton Xtreme special built by specialists Walkinshaw based on the outgoing model.

Wescott also admitted that such a follow up based on the latest-gen Triton to rival against the likes of the Ford Ranger Raptor is being discussed between Mitsubishi Australia and parent company Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.

Latest (third) generation Mitsubishi Triton that bowed globally in Thailand late last month.

Should a performance flagship version of the Triton be developed for Australia, the exec expressed his desire for it not to just be a sticker pack. Instead, Wescott insists that said performance flagship, likely to carry Mitsubishi’s Ralliart performance branding, must have added performance to match.

The exec reportedly rejected a proposal recently for the Ralliart appearance packages – the same offered on the current, outgoing Triton model  in markets like Thailand – citing his belief that the Ralliart name “should be true to the true blood” and used in actual performance vehicle.

Perhaps a sporty performance flagship is what the latest Triton lacks. However, Mitsubishi seems to be weighing out viable options to address which, and the output will likely bear the Ralliart name too.

Moreover, Mitsubishi’s chief product specialist Yoshiki Masuda was also quoted by Australian title CarExpert saying that the Japanese carmaker is mulling ways to employ the Ralliart name for the new Triton.

“Maybe we want to set several grades depending on customer preference, which is different to a sporty model, as Ralliart is to express the iconic model,” said Masuda. Whilst this sounds promising, whether this Ralliart-branded performance special will be marketed outside Australia as a Ranger Raptor rival remains uncertrain.

All-new from the ground up, the latest-gen Trition even features a peppier new 2.4-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel heart with max outputs of 201 HP and 470 NM.

All-new from the ground up, the third-gen Triton bowed last month with striking new looks masking its equally new chassis platform and powertrain. For the latter, the Triton harnesses a 2.4-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel mill boasting varying outputs, the highest readouts being 201 HP and 470 NM.

Said mill can be paired with either six-speed automatic or manual transmission choices, as well as the choice between Mitsubishi’s proprietary Super Select 4WD-II and Easy Select 4WD all-wheel drive (AWD) system, accompanied by a torque-sensing limited-slip differential (LSD).

Rivals Ford already have not one but TWO flavours of its Ranger Raptor on sale. Should Mitsubishi consider developing a similar rivalling 'Ralliart' offering based on the latest-gen Triton?

Whilst said running gear does somewhat see the new Triton standing on par against the latest-gen Ford Ranger, said rivalling carmaker’s Ranger Raptor – available with either a 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel or 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol  hearts – still reigns as the leading performance offering in this space.

Should Mitsubishi develop a rival to said Ford performance flagship? And perhaps offer it in more markets other than Australia? As always, share your thoughts in the comments section below, as well as our social media pages.