00:00 You join me today with another Mitsubishi Triton video but this time around we're not
00:06 shooting in Japan.
00:07 This time around we're in the Philippines and we finally have our hands on the local
00:13 spec of the Triton.
00:27 Well this is it folks, we are finally driving the Triton on Philippine soil.
00:32 Now specifically we're in Antipolo where there's a lot of hills, a lot of uphills and downhills
00:37 and whatnot.
00:38 Now we're in the top of the line athlete variant so it's got the 2.4L 201hp and 470nm arrangement.
00:47 The other models have the 2.4L but with a single turbocharger so 181hp and 430nm of
00:59 torque.
01:00 Now granted the whole twin turbo thing sounds like a recipe for a Ranger Raptor but it's
01:05 not that kind of pickup truck engine though because it has a 6-speed automatic transmission.
01:14 Now I honestly don't mind it because it's actually pretty well spaced, it's well balanced,
01:19 it doesn't hunt for gears all the time and because of the Mivec system, power spread
01:23 is pretty even.
01:25 Now interestingly it's not the pin you back to the seat kind of thing but more of a gentle
01:31 surge and you're just going to be surprised at your speed when you look at the speedometer.
01:37 I do have to point out that this athlete version comes with electronic power steering.
01:44 It's light in the right places and there's enough feel and there's enough sort of feedback
01:51 for this sort of model.
01:54 And of course this being Mitsubishi, turning radius has always been pretty good.
01:59 Now the old Strada had a turning radius of about 5m from curb to curb and I expect it
02:05 to be the same for this Triton.
02:10 First impressions when it comes to ride and I have to say that the ride is really much
02:16 improved over the old Strada.
02:18 Yes, there's a bit of scuttle that's typical for all pickups but it's a lot less.
02:23 Body control is so much better in this one and remember we drove this thing at 140km/h
02:30 around a bowl in Okazaki.
02:34 So the chassis is good.
02:35 It shakes off the bumps pretty well and it's not entirely jarring.
02:40 In Gone are the Days, at pickups, you have to break your back to ride in them and actually
02:45 use them and that's something you just had to deal with.
02:48 But really, the true test of the new Triton is going to be in the real world.
02:53 Now yes, we're driving it around in the country right now.
02:57 We're driving it around Andepolo.
03:01 But really, if we take it out in the city and we try to really live with it, that's
03:05 going to be the ultimate test of the Triton and it's going to take a lot to dethrone the
03:13 de facto king of the segment which is the Ford Ranger.
03:16 Now I know you guys have comments about the Ford Ranger when it comes to a certain thing
03:22 called reliability.
03:24 However, I do have to say that from a reviewer's point of view, the Ranger is a great pickup
03:33 truck.
03:34 So it'll be interesting to see how this one fares against the Blue Oval.
03:40 Now when it comes to the exterior, well, okay it looks exactly the same as the Japanese
03:45 spec model we saw at the Japan Mobility Show and the one we drove around Okazaki and the
03:50 one that was previewed here a few months ago.
03:53 Now the bumper's the same, headlights, wheels, even the tire choice is exactly the same.
03:59 There is one difference though and that's the variant name.
04:02 Now yes, this top of the line model is still called the Athlete here in the Philippines
04:06 and in most of Southeast Asia.
04:08 But over in Japan, it's called the GSR.
04:11 So a bit of a throwback there for those 90s Mitsubishi fans or Lancer fanboys.
04:16 Although the GSR name's always been used in other parts of the globe for the top of
04:20 the range Triton/Strada and Pintero Sport/Pincero Sport models.
04:26 So yeah, would be nice to use GSR again but we think people have gotten used to Athlete
04:31 so that's what we get.
04:34 Now I am glad to report that the interior of the Triton is basically unchanged from
04:40 other markets.
04:41 Now okay, the one in Okazaki was called an International Markets model so we had them
04:46 both in left and right-hand drive but regardless of steering orientation, the design's exactly
04:51 the same and more importantly, everything you see here, you know the switches, the dials,
04:56 the screens, they're also exactly the same.
05:00 So up front, you have a semi-digital cluster.
05:03 Your tachometer and your speedometer are still analog but you have a large multi-information
05:08 display in the center.
05:09 And here, right in the center stack, it's also the same.
05:13 And the orientation actually is similar if not a copy-paste of the one we drove in Japan.
05:21 Happily, the infotainment system has not been changed from the foreign market models and
05:27 that's a good thing because Mitsubishi's new infotainment system looks very crisp, very
05:32 clear, you know the graphics are fantastic and it's very, very responsive.
05:39 And of course, it's got Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
05:42 And to bring it sort of to the new decade, it now has one USB-C port because apparently
05:47 that's a thing these days and sorry to those who have USB-As.
05:51 That being said, you can still port your USB-A and you can link it to your Apple CarPlay/Android
05:58 Auto.
05:59 Regardless if it's an Athlete or if it's a GLS 4x4, all four-wheel-drive models come
06:03 with your Def Loc.
06:07 Now this being the Athlete, of course, it comes with orange highlights regardless of
06:10 the exterior color.
06:12 So you have them here on the dashboard, on the secondary glovebox cover, and there's
06:18 more orange on the seats.
06:20 So it's not just the stitching and the piping here, it's the corners as well.
06:24 While we're on the subject of the seats, I have to say they're pretty nice and comfy
06:29 and I know I've experienced them before but you know, revisiting these seats, yeah there's
06:34 a greater appreciation for that.
06:37 Oh, mechanical parking brake, so nice to see in a modern pickup.
06:42 Now some of you guys prefer the electronic but personally for something as utilitarian
06:47 as this, I prefer the good old lever.
06:51 So a couple of Athlete exclusives, so for starters it has advanced driver assist systems.
06:56 Also exclusive to this model is the drive mode, so it's got dirt, gravel, mud, ruts,
07:03 etc. and stuff like that.
07:05 And it has a 360-degree view camera.
07:11 It's pretty high definition for, you know, for something in this segment so props to
07:15 Mitsubishi for that and props to Mitsubishi Motors Philippines for not decontenting it.
07:23 It's a short and sweet drive of this all-new Mitsubishi Triton but you know, in those short
07:27 minutes, we've managed to learn a lot but it also helps that we drove the car prior
07:32 to it landing here.
07:34 If you're coming from the Strada, this is a very good evolution of the Mitsubishi pickup
07:39 truck lineup.
07:40 It may not have the Strada name anymore but you know what, it's still basically the same
07:44 truck people have loved for nearly 50 years or over 50 years in some countries.
07:49 Now what we're looking forward to actually is putting this up against some of its biggest
07:54 rivals.
07:55 Now you got Toyota who's launching the all-new Hilux by 2025.
07:59 Of course you have the Ranger and the Navara and the Isuzu D-MAX.
08:03 So we're genuinely curious how this one fares but again, as we mentioned earlier, the pickup
08:10 wars of this decade is just getting heated up.
08:13 [Music]
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