Tough-truck upgrade finally arrives for popular dual-cab 4x4 ute, thanks to Walkinshaw
Full details of the long-awaited 2023 Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme have finally been announced at the launch of the homegrown Mitsubishi Triton tough-truck, which was first rumoured last August, unofficially confirmed in October and strategically leaked in February.
The headline figure is a $71,990 sticker price, excluding on-road costs, which makes the Xtreme just over $15,000 more expensive than its donor vehicle, the Triton GSR dual-cab 4×4 ute ($56,940 plus ORCs).
The $72K price tag also makes it pricier than its closest tough-truck rivals, the Nissan Navara Warrior SL ($58,000) and PRO-4X Warrior ($67,515), and the wide-body Toyota HiLux Rogue ($70,200).
The only model that is more expensive in this space is the Mazda BT-50 Thunder ($73,410 plus ORCs).
Just 500 units will be built by Walkinshaw Automotive at its Clayton facility in Victoria and customer vehicles will roll into selected Mitsubishi dealerships from late August 2023, giving it roughly six months on sale before the new-generation 2024 Triton rocks up in early 2024.
Dakar Rally champion and Aussie off-road legend Toby Price helped validate what is expected to be the toughest mud-plugging new Triton ever released in Australia and, like its competitors, the Xtreme will be backed by a full factory warranty – up to 10 years in Mitsubishi’s case.
However, in this case all Walkinshaw modifications will be covered – for the duration of the factory warranty – by the same outfit that produced the HSV Colorado SportsCat and Volkswagen Amarok W-Series utes.
Speaking of modifications, the trail-ready ute’s biggest and most expensive upgrade are new Supashock dampers front and rear, similar to the shock absorbers seen on the SportsCat.
The Triton’s front springs underwent mild tweaks but the new 46mm monotube dampers, running gas-charged remote cannisters up front and piggyback units at the rear, were the focus of the development by Walkinshaw Automotive.
Other upgrades include new 18-inch forged alloy wheels shod with BFGoodrich all-terrain KO2 tyres (265/60 R18), a custom steel front bash plate with integrated LED light bar and sump guard protection, black wheel-arch extensions and mud flaps, a unique rear sports bar and Xtreme sticker pack.
The Walkinshaw team spent 18 months developing the Triton Xtreme, including stress testing across the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.
The Xtreme maintains the standard Triton’s 3100kg towing capacity, although that figure is far from class-leading with many 4×4 diesel utes able to tow 3500kg.
Another opportunity missed for the locally-developed tough-truck is the fitment of a lift kit to add ground clearance and road presence, although the upgraded BFGoodrich tyres increase the vehicle’s track by 34mm, while ground clearance is very marginally improved over standard (220mm).
“Suspension, wheel and tyre configuration exceeded the performance of the baseline vehicle in all aspects,” noted Walkinshaw, which said it aimed to improve the Triton’s capabilities both off-road and on.
The front bash plate features Triton lettering and extra cut-outs to improve cooling, while the 4.0-inch dual-tube rear sports bar also gets Triton branding and adds another tie-down point.
No changes to the Triton’s interior have been made (except for an LED light bar switch and an Xtreme build plate), nor has the pick-up truck’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (133kW/430Nm) or braking system been tweaked.
It also retains the standard six-speed automatic transmission and Mitsubishi’s switchable SuperSelect II 4×4 system with low-range ratios, plus locking centre and rear differentials.
The bigger tyres and bash plate add around 12kg to the vehicle’s kerb mass, which now stands at 2011kg, reducing payload slightly from 901kg to 888kg. But that’s still better than the Toyota HiLux Rogue (854kg) and Ford Ranger Raptor (753kg).
Mitsubishi had been hinting at a beefed-up ute to farewell the current-generation Triton for a few years now, and while the development and validation program was led by Walkinshaw – not Mitsubishi – the Xtreme allows both companies to cash in on the lucrative tough-truck craze.
Walkinshaw said it saw a market opportunity with the Triton, which has never really had a hero truck offering despite being Australia’s third most popular 4×4 ute in 2022 and remaining one of the five top-selling ute thus far in 2023.
Keyword: Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme pricing and specs announced