Photo: Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Ralliart has returned, bringing its signature “motors-ness” to the market in Thailand with the best pickup I’ve seen in a while, the Triton Ralliart. Mitsubishi also applied the branding to the Pajero Sport. When an iconic badge reappears with a mild reskin of an SUV and a pickup, usually I’d cry foul but not with these. This is good Ralliart and a sign of life from Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi says the Triton Ralliart will come in two different configurations, and will start at ฿667,000 or about $19,800. There will be a Mega Cab and a Double Cab, but the rest of the truck looks identical. The Triton isn’t sold in the U.S., because of course it isn’t, though it is sold in other export markets as the Mitsubishi L200. I see the Mexican market L200s often and always cheer up at the sight, but they’ve never looked this good:
Photo: Mitsubishi
These Ralliart trucks are based on the “low-rider variant” of the Triton, which looks like a sportier model more than an off-road focused one. It’s clear that these are not meant for serious off-roading. Neither model is equipped with four-wheel drive, nor appear to have underbody protection. And, obviously, there’s very little ground clearance.
But amidst the many modern trucks that come out of the factory unironically looking like monster trucks, these two Ralliart models are outstanding. Think of how easy it would be to load and unload the bed, to climb into the back. No need for complex tailgates here, just hop up and step in.
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Both models will get the same engine, a 2.5-liter turbo diesel in-line four that makes about 126 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. That turbo diesel drives the rear wheels, and sends its power through a five-speed manual transmission.
Image: Mitsubishi
The Triton Ralliarts will come with 16-inch black wheels. I’m not in love with the lack of color, but the small wheels and tires fit in with the rest of the them. I would also rather disc brakes in the rear since this is a sporty truck, but it looks like Mitsubishi is going with drum brakes in the back and discs up front.
The lack of performance upgrades does highlight that these models are mostly normal Tritons with some appearance tweaks, but the L200 is a great truck to begin with.
You could say this is a weak attempt at reviving Ralliart and I would say, yeah, sure. This is no Pajero Evolution. But I think it could have gone worse. At least Mitsubishi didn’t slap Ralliart on some run-of-the-mill SUV like the Outlander and call it a day. Oh, wait. It kind of did!
Photo: Mitsubishi
The Pajero Sport is otherwise known as the Montero Sport, which looks a lot like the Outlander Sport, but is on a whole different platform. There’s a lot to like here, and I’ll steadfastly continue to argue the main problem with modern Mitsubishi SUVs is that they don’t come in two-door models.
The Pajero Sport Ralliart model is more off-road focused than the Tritons, so it’s probably a more fitting model to revive the name. But the Pajero will start at ฿1,365,000, or $40,540, meaning that off-road capability comes at a premium.
Photo: Mitsubishi
Image: Mitsubishi
Keyword: The Mitsubishi Triton Ralliart Is A Glorious Compact Pickup