Pros and Cons: 2021 Mitsubishi Triton Athlete, this over the Hilux and new D-Max?

Malaysia’s pick-up truck market is seeing a revival of sorts, buoyed by a rapid succession of new model launches. The Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Triton, Isuzu D-Max, and Nissan Navara have all been updated. This will soon be followed by the new facelifted Ford Ranger and an all-new Mazda BT-50.

The de-chromed new 2021 Mitsubishi Triton Athlete that you see here replaces the previous Mitsubishi Triton Adventure X. The latter’s chrome bits have been replaced with either dark chrome or polished black materials.

The update came quite fast because the Triton Adventure X had already received one round of update (new infotainment, built-in DVR, and 360-degree parking camera) in November 2019. It goes to show how fast Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia responds to changing customer demands.  

Mechanically, the Triton Athlete is identical to the Triton Adventure X that it replaces. So has giving the Triton a new suit enough to see it fending off younger rivals like the recently launched all-new 2021 Isuzu D-Max?

But first, here's a recap of the 2021 Mitsubishi Triton's range:

Also read: Review: 2021 Mitsubishi Triton Athlete is the best Hilux that you want to ride in

Pros:

• Comfortable ride
• Tight, rallycross-like handling
• Super Select 4WD II offers wider range of terrain management than rivals
• Lower road tax

Cons

• Long rear overhang
• No rear differential lock
• No ‘easy lift’ closing tailgate

Pros – Comfortable ride

A truck shouldn’t be measured by their on-road behaviour but it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Triton’s cabin is quieter than many sedans, with a suppler ride too!

Like all Mitsubishi models, there is a very high level of depth to its chassis tuning. It’s very comfortable and quiet when driving on-road, and is equally capable when the road ends and the dirt track begins.

Even the seats are very supportive and very work-friendly. Instead of horizontal cut lines on the leather seat’s back, the Triton uses a vertical cutline so air flows better to cool your sweaty back.

The controls and buttons around the cabin are big and easy to use even when you are wearing safety gloves – a sign that the truck is built by people who understands how trucks are used by real truck drivers.

Behind, the slanted rear seat is also the only one of its kind, making the Triton reasonably comfortable sitting behind. But of course, ride quality won’t be as good as the front row seats.

As a consolation, the roof-mounted rear air-cond vents, the only one of its kind, cools much better than competitors like the Hilux, D-Max and Navara’s floor-mounted vents.  

It rides better than a Toyota Hilux Rogue, slightly better than a Ford Ranger but the all-new Isuzu D-Max has edged ahead of everyone. It is after all, the latest model.

Pros – Rallycross-like handling

Even when held up against younger rivals like the updated Toyota Hilux and all-new Isuzu D-Max, the Mitsubishi Triton continues to stand confidently tall.

The Triton has a distinctively different driving character – dirt roads-friendly long travel suspension with well damped body control, and a more communicative steering.

This is one area where the Triton still holds a strong lead over the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max.

The Triton’s steering rack is sharp on-road while still maintaining just the right amount of free-play in the centre position so it’s not too fidgety when going over deep ruts and loose surfaces.

The people that developed the Triton’s suspension must have a lot of experience in building rally cars.

The Triton’s shorter 3,000 mm wheelbase also grants it better agility and a best-in-class turning circle (5.9 metre, versus Hilux's 6.4 metre), important not just for urban users, but also it helps when navigating tight off-road trails.

However, this greater agility comes with a compromise elsewhere, more on that later.

Pros - Super Select 4WD II, a budget Range Rover

Where other trucks’ Part-time 4WD drivetrain can only be driven in 2WD mode (rear-wheel drive) on tarred roads, the Triton Athlete’s viscous coupling centre differential Super Select 4WD II (lower variants use regular Easy Select 4WD) allows you to optimize the truck’s traction on wet tarred roads.

You can switch to 4H mode even on wet tarred roads, working it almost like a Full-time 4WD vehicle.

Where other trucks simply locks the centre differential to 50:50 front:rear once the vehicle is in 4H or 4L mode, the Triton Athlete’s vicious coupling can vary the torque split between the front and rear axles (4H mode, unlocked centre differential), thus allowing the vehicle to corner on tarred roads without any risk of binding – which will happen if this is done on other Part-time 4WD trucks.

The additional 4HLc and 4LLc mode locks the centre differential to 50:50 front:rear, similar to other trucks.

However on dry tarred roads, it is recommended that drivers keep it to 2H mode for lower fuel consumption, which based on our own tests, averages 10.5-litre/100 km in real-world driving conditions (all on-road, mix of urban and highway)

The Triton Athlete also benefits from a Range Rover-style terrain management software that adjusts the electronic traction control, varying the allowed angles of wheel slip depending on surface condition.

Unlike on-road driving, off-road driving requires a certain degree of wheel slip for the tyres to dig in on loose surfaces, which is the total opposite of on-road traction control system’s programming.

In other trucks, you would just have to completely disable traction control and rely on your right foot to modulate the throttle but not so with the Triton Athlete. Simply toggle the Off-road mode button to select Gravel, Mud, Sand or Rock, and let the electronics do its magic, precisely controlling each wheel’s rotation to get you out of sticky situations.

It’s better than the Ranger and D-Max off-road but is it better than a Toyota Hilux?

That’s debatable because the Hilux comes standard with a locking rear differential, even on the cheapest single-cab variant – that’s a huge plus point.

The Hilux also adds Automatic Limited Slip Differential and an off-road mode traction control (A-TRC), the latter is comparable to the Triton’s Off-Road mode – less sophisticated but it gets the job done anyway.

Mechanically, the Hilux offers a very compelling off-road package.

Pros – Lower road tax

The 2.4-litre Triton Athlete’s road tax is not as low as the Isuzu D-Max 1.9L, but it offers a lot more power, 181 PS / 430 Nm vs 150 PS / 350 Nm.

In fact, the Triton’s lightweight, quiet operation 2.4L aluminum block MIVEC engine’s output nearly matches the Isuzu D-Max’s 3.0L’s 190 PS / 450 Nm, but at less than half the road tax cost.

Price of 2021 Mitsubishi Triton Athlete vs rivals (Pen. Malaysia):

• Mitsubishi Triton Athlete: RM 141,500
• Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain: RM 141,938
• Nissan Navara Pro-4x: RM 142,200
• Toyota Hilux Rogue: RM 146,880
• Ford Ranger Wildtrak: RM 152,388

Cons – Long rear overhang

Remember the class-leading turning circle? Well that’s achieved by bringing the rear axle closer to the front.

However in doing so, the Triton’s rear overhang is longer than other trucks, which means that when climbing up steep off-road trails, the rear-end is more likely to scrape the ground.

The Triton has a departure angle of 23 degrees, poorer than the Hilux’s 26 degrees. However, it’s approach angle of 31 degrees is slightly better than the Hilux’s 29 degrees.

Once loaded with heavy cargo, weight balance on the Triton will also be poorer than a Hilux or a D-Max (because of the longer rear overhang, and rear axle is closer to the front), so be extra cautious on the highways if you are carrying heavy load in the Triton.

Cons – No rear differential lock

On the Toyota Hilux, a rear differential lock is a standard feature. On the Isuzu D-Max, it’s available on the 3.0L X-Terrain variant.

However on the Triton, this feature is not available in Malaysia, even though it’s offered to customers in other countries.

That’s a bit of a bummer. For most casual truck users, this is not a feature that they will use but for the keenest off-roaders, this could be a deal breaker.

Cons – No ‘easy lift’ tailgate

While the lack of a rear differential lock is not an issue to most casual truck owners, the lack of dampers / torsion bar to assist in the closing of the tailgate is, as this is now considered a must-have item for today’s lifestyle trucks.

This feature is already available in the Hilux and D-Max. Even the ageing Navara has it.

But of course, this is a small matter than an after-market accessory can easily fix.

In terms of safety features, here's how the Triton Athlete compares against the range topping Hilux and D-Max variants. Yes, the 2021 Isuzu D-Max is very well equipped.

Also read: Quick Review: All-new 2021 Isuzu D-Max 3.0 X-Terrain, Malaysia's new best pick-up truck?

So there you have it, the pros and cons of the 2021 Mitsubishi Triton Athlete.