Decades of development experience will elevate the homegrown tough-truck over its chief rival, says Walkinshaw
Nothing can frighten a Triton, as the Mitsubishi marketing catchcry goes. Not even the broad-shouldered Nissan Navara Warrior, it seems.
The architect of the just-announced 2023 Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme tough-truck, Walkinshaw Automotive, is confident its decades of automotive development experience – including with HSV – will give the toughest and most expensive new Triton to date an edge over its closest rival, the Navara Warrior.
Walkinshaw Automotive’s chief engineer Trevor Barallon said the Xtreme project was an 18-month undertaking that has improved the Triton’s capability both on- and off-road, thanks primarily to the fitment and tuning of new Supashock dampers and BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrain tyres on 18-inch off-road alloys.
“From a suspension perspective, and I don’t know what kit they’ve got in their Warrior, but the Supashocks are a pretty good bit of kit and have been tuned – that whole system, wheel and tyre and suspension – together by our team who’ve got 20 and 30 years’ worth of experience going all the way back to HSV days.
“So I think we’ve put together a really good package based on a lot of experience. I’m not sure Premcar have got the same level of experience that we do,” he said, referring the engineering team behind the Warrior, some of which previously helped develop Ford Performance vehicles.
The trail-ready Triton Xtreme will be limited to 500 units and has a bit of added celebrity power, with Dakar Rally champion Toby Price helping to test and validate the mud-plugging Mitsubishi ute.
In addition to new shocks, wheels and dampers, other extras include a steel front bash plate and sump guard with integrated LED light bar, pumped-out wheel-arches and a bespoke rear sports bar. Interior changes are limited to a numbered badge.
On paper, the Nissan Navara Warrior matches the Triton Xtreme with Monroe dampers, Cooper AT3 all-terrain tyres, a rear sports bar and sticker pack, but adds a winch-compatible steel safari bar up front, Warrior logos on the head restraints and a 40mm suspension lift kit via Monroe springs and jounce bumpers, taking ground clearance from 220 to 260mm.
The Triton Xtreme lacks a front bull bar and does not get a suspension lift kit, leaving its ground clearance at the standard 220mm.
Which of the two locally-engineered utes will turn more heads on the street and has greater road presence is subjective, but Barallon understandably backed his team’s efforts.
“In my opinion and jumping in from a design perspective, I think what we’ve done with Triton is better than Warrior,” he said.
But it’s harder to argue with the price.
Adding a $15,000 premium over its donor vehicle, the Triton GSR dual-cab 4×4 ute, the auto-only Xtreme is a more expensive proposition than the equivalent Nissan, priced at $71,990 plus ORCs compared to the Navara PRO-4X Warrior ($67,515 for the manual and $70,015 for the auto).
The Warrior project has a been a hugely successful venture for Nissan and its partner Premcar, so much so it’s spawned a second, cheaper version in the SL Warrior and will soon be joined by the Nissan Patrol Warrior.
Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior
While Premcar has now produced more than 5000 Navara Warriors, Walkinshaw will limit Xtreme production to just 500 units in the lead-up to the new-generation Triton, which is set to arrive in Australia in early 2024.
Walkinshaw Automotive chief designer Julian Quincy said he is confident there will be strong customer demand for the limited-edition Mitsubishi Triton.
“Going back and looking at the sales figures, last year in 2022 Triton was the third best-selling ute. You’ve got [the top-selling] Ranger and HiLux, they’ve both got halo models, and I think it made a lot of sense for us to look at Triton and see how we could best develop something that was going to bring Mitsubishi a halo ute.
“So it seemed like a product that was obvious to us and how it compares to the Nissan is down to perception,” added Quincy.
The Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme will also likely be cross-shopped with several other tricked-up utes such as the Mazda BT-50 Thunder ($73,410), the upgraded wide-body Toyota HiLux Rogue ($70,200) and perhaps even the Ford Ranger Raptor.
Asked if there could be a Walkinshaw Performance tuning upgrade for the Xtreme, which brings no powertrain changes, Walkinshaw spokesperson Andrew Wiles said:
“They always can, but that’s totally separate to the Mitsubishi business. There are no discussions currently underway for WP to do work.”
Head over to the reviews section to see how we rated the new Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme.
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Keyword: Walkinshaw: Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme will crush Nissan Navara Warrior