trinituner.com

Being in the market for a new van within the next 6-12 months, I thought I'd made up my mind with the new Ranger. It certainly is on the top of my list of choices, however while waiting for the funds to grow and perhaps the new model to come out, I decided to look around at other pickups that are available on the Trini market.

Here's my list of choices right now:

1. Ford Ranger - Thunder or Wildtrak
2. Mitsubishi L200 Triton
3. Toyota Hilux
4. Nissan Navara


If you've read some of my previous posts, I went on to say that I hated the styling of the L200 Triton. Well, I think it's starting to grow on me. I do like the front - the headlights are quite aggressive looking and I find them appealing. But the swooping lines around the rear doors and the unorthodox tray-design put me off at first. However after reading a bit about the Triton, I realized there's more to that big pickup than just visual aesthetics. There's a lot under the hood too!

Here's the 2010 Mitsubishi MN Triton's specsheet

2010 Mitsubishi MN Triton GLX-R
Body Type Dual-Cab Ute
Classification SUV
Configuration Front-Engined
Engine Type Common rail diesel with Intercooled Turbocharger
Cylinders 4 In-Line
Capacity 2477cc
Bore - Stroke 91.1mm x 95.0mm
Compression Ratio 16.5:1
Cooling Liquid-Cooled
Fuel System Diesel
Induction System Turbo
Max Power 131kW @ 4000rpm
Max Torque 400Nm @ 2000rpm (M/T), 350Nm @ 2000rpm (A/T)
Kerb weight 1977kg (M/T), 1992kg (A/T)
Economy l/100km - 8.3 (M/T), 9.3 (A/T)
Drive Type 4-Wheel-Drive
Fuel Tank Capacity 75 litres
Suspension Front Front double wishbone with coil & front stabilizer
Suspension Rear Rigid - elliptic leaf spring
Brakes Front Ventilated discs, single piston calipers
Brakes Rear Drums, leading & trailing shoes with Load Sensing Proportioning Valve
Wheels Alloy - 17" x 7.5”
Tyres 245/65R17 111S RF
Wheelbase 3000mm
Track Front 1520mm
Track Rear 1515mm
Ride Height 205mm
Seating Seats 5
Towing Capacity braked 2700kg (3000kg cab-chassis)
Towing Capacity Un-Braked 750kg
Cargo Bed Length 1505mm
Cargo Bed Width 1470mm
Load capacity 972kg (M/T), 953kg (A/T)
Active safety features Driver & passenger SRS airbags, Side & curtain SRS airbags, ABS with EBD, Active Stability Control, Driver & front passenger seat belt pretensioners
ANCAP Rating 4 star
Interior Trim Type Fabric
Headlight Type Halogen




This is what appeals the most to me about the 2010 Triton:

- Improved low-power on the new engine and VGT turbo (can now match the current Ranger WLC pound-for-pound for low-end responsiveness for torque, and match the current Navara 2.5L for top-end power)
- Improved styling. Mitsubishi FINALLY fixed the sloping-lines of the tailgate & tray, flattening them out (now it looks like a REAL pickup-tray and not the tail-end of a Space Shuttle) as well as lengthening it a bit. I passed by a 2007-era Triton in Pricesmart today and checked out the tray - it's even smaller than the D22 Frontier's!!
- 4-star ANCAP safety rating. The Ranger XLT only has 3-stars, and the Wildtrak/Thunder has 4-stars.
- Legroom in the back. I roll with the family a lot and they always complain about the harsh ride in the backseat of the D22 Frontier, plus lack of legroom. The Triton was rated as having the most legroom out of all the current pickups by many auto-websites, more than the Navara and Hilux.

- Overview of the 2010 MN 2.5L Triton GLX-R

- Road Test & Review of the 2010 MN 2.5L Triton GLX-R


So while the Ranger is still top of my list (esp. that Wildtrak), I think the L200 Triton is worth a serious look. The styling may be unorthodox at first, but I've found it's growing on me. With the right set of accessories and nice fat A/T tires (NOTE - NOT THE SH*TTY CHROME CRAP THAT TOO MANY PPL LIKE TO SLAP ON THEIR TRITONS), it looks like a solid contender for my money.

Ranger Wildtrak/Thunder = Bachelor's truck, manly, aggressive & sporty.
L200 Triton GLX-R = Ditto, but with room for family & friends too!

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And now for some pics & vids of the Mitsubishi Triton/Sportero



I REALLY like the stainless steel bull-bar on this guy's Triton, as well as the brushed aluminum sports-rims. Anyone in T'dad has these available?

Better than (crappy) bling, anyday, anywhere, anytime!

Check out the front coil-overs. Not as rugged as torsion bars on the current Ranger, but loads more comfortable in ride-quality (just like the Hilux & Navara).


The stainless-steel nudgebar looks pretty good too.


2010 Model MN Triton. Notice the new foglight surrounds as well as the new grill.




The new 2.5L Di-D engine. Torquier, smoother and more powerful than the old 3.2L (unless you put an aftermarket ECU chip in the 3.2)


Mitsubishi listened to their customers, and straightened & lengthened the tray. This makes a world of difference IMO but that's just me.


Maybe on the next Icacos run??


Lots of room for legs in the backseat (i.e. no more feet kicking into the driver's back!)


Interior isn't as refined as the hilux, but it's a lot more functional than the Navara, and as modern as the Ranger's, IMO


An older-model Triton, with the typical chrome-rims that average buyers like to slap on. I'll take a set of 18's with some aggressive A/T's with whitewalls over that bling anyday!
(but the truck does look good in Black & Silver)


This truck would look good with some Pirelli Scorpion A/T tires, maybe 265/60R17's or 265/60R18's




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And now some videos of the Triton:

Overview of the Triton in Malaysia


Triton GLX-R 3.2L D1-D review:




Triton burnout


LOOK!! A Triton goes Swimming!!!



Pretty girl in a truck - what every guy needs.

^ nice info man...the 2010 sportero's have the best lookin interior and alot of features, it has a digital display with compass and all kinda info tht plots graphs..real cool

got a 2010 3.2 sportero thinking about selling, looking to upgrade..if any1 interested let me knw

Just came in from Diamond motors, checked out their sportero. Looks pretty sweet in the inside, felt more like an SUV than a pickup truck.

Ansa Mcal has a special on the InOne plan specifically for the sportero - instead of 3 yrs coverage you get 5 Years,

Will give detailed update later tonight.

nice

i could see me in one

Lol sleeper, whaz dat one boy?

badart - what you gonna upgrade to?

there is a special right now - brand new 4x4 Sportero - for around 200K you get free bedliner, steps, alarm, tint, reverse sensor - i find its a good deal

RT - nice vid man, really enjoyed that. I wanna try the see-saw!!

WRT to Rugby, all I can say is - NZ All Blacks FTW.... HAKA!!!

This is what a Triton can do...

lighthammer wrote:badart - what you gonna upgrade to?

not sure as yet, havent set my mind on anythin

these mitsu pickups r under-rated...the only thin i dont like is the tray kinda small but everythin else is good

BadArt for an Upgrade += 2010 Prado..... LOL

done knw prado ftw

Some more Triton videos.....


now THIS guy is dedicated to his truck. He is my new hero.




Monster Tritons being tuned in Thailand

#1 - Holy Frick, what have they done??!!!! They've transformed the triton into a hissing, spitting, heaving beast! Powerlab from Thailand dropped in a new turbo on a 2.5L triton.


#2 - More Triton tuning. 3.2L D1-D with a new turbo, being dyno'ed in Thailand. I need to go visit thailand, and bring me back one of these!



Getting a chrome nudgebar installed on a Triton:

So, I checked out the Mitsubishi L200 Sportero in Diamond Motors yesterday, brought the madam along too for her to see and voice her opinion.


Verdict: We both loved it.


Being familiar with the external styling already, the first thing we checked out was the interior cabin.
First impression: ROOMY and COMFORTABLE.

The cabin had a lot of space in both the front and rear seats. Lots of legroom, seating position was high and well-supported. It felt more like sitting in an SUV rather than a truck or even a big car. The styling of the dash and armrests seemed space-age, swooping like the exterior lines, but IMO it felt more modern than the dated flat-dash styling of traditional pickups like my current D22 frontier. My better half also loved the interior, there was a LOT of room for her to stretch out. She also liked the dash and the driver's sitting position felt natural as well.

Rear leg-room was generous. One of the sales reps who's approx 6feet plus a few inches tall came and sat in the backseat. Even with the driver's seat rolled all the way back, his long legs still had a couple inches to move. The swooping lines on the rear-door meant Mr. Tall-sales-rep was even able to swing his legs out comfortably, as if he were in a car/suv. Usually passengers in my Frontier have to uncomfortably contort their legs to get in and out. Family and friends will no longer complain whenever they have to ride in the backseat. Other trucks like the ranger and BT-50 don't have nearly as much rear leg-room as the L200.

One drawback was the rear tray being a bit shorter than the L200's rivals, esp the Hilux and Navara. Hence this is not the truck to get if you're moving large or extended loads. Also the styling on the tray is a bit different than traditional trucks so its not for everyone. I used to hate the curvy lines on the rear tray, but I realized that if you were able to put some chrome bars underneath, like the Ranger Thunder's, then it offsets the looks considerably on the tray. The top-edge of the tray by the tailgate still slopes a bit - but Mitsubishi's new 2011 model MN L200 will have a flatter and longer tray, just as long as the Navara and Hilux.
A chrome roll-bar would also do well for the rear-tray's styling and add positively to the truck's overall looks.


I didn't get to test-drive the truck that day, but I'll have to call Diamond motors soon to schedule a test run. Hopefully the rep will be able to source a 3.2L 4x4 in manual-spec, cuz I wanna take that thing up Lady Chancellor hill to test the low rev power and responsiveness. The missus will have to come too, so she can try out the manual's shifter for ease of use. She prefers an auto but after I told her that the auto transmission cannot handle the power from the 3.2L engine thus Mitsu had to de-tune the engine for the auto, she now prefers the manual.


Overall, the positives for me outweighed the negatives - despite the mixed styling, I really liked the comfort and roomy factors of the truck. After all, I'll be spending most of my time inside, so comfort and ease of driving is a must.


From what the rep told me, Ansa Mcal is running a special on the InOne package for the sporteros only - for a limited time they'll be able to give 5-years of coverage instead of the usual 3-years. This is only for Sportero trucks, the other vehicles like the lancer still have 3-year coverage.


Pricing:
A basic 4x4 manual, 2.5L D1-D with cloth seats, fully powered,CD-player/MP3 Player, free tint and mats, no sunroof or back-sliding glass, no rollbar/bullbar, no duraliner will be $230K on the road.

A fully-loaded 4x4 auto 3.2L D1-D with cloth seats, fully powered, CD player, fully loaded with sunroof/powered back-glass, sidesteps, duraliner will set you back - $265K on the road.


According to the rep, Diamond Motors should be bringing down manual transmission versions of the 3.2L fully loaded L200 within the next couple of months.

i checked them as well this week but it ain't seem like they are getting the higher hp 2.5 engine as well as the longer tray becuz the sales rep don't really know about it. However I didn't know the 3.2's coming in manual if so it wud definitely be a beast on the road.

Manual 3.2L + ecu chip = unstoppable

May void the warranty, however

It's a nice truck ... nice features ... digital display/sunroof is the bomb. There is a problem though where the air bag light comes on (defective clock spring) and it's usually covered under the warranty. Another consideration is maintenance cost .... it hot !

sweeks wrote:Another consideration is maintenance cost .... it hot !

if buying parts by DM and servicing by them - yes

if buying your own parts and servicing by your mech - no

as for warranty - what warranty are you really getting

on the Lancers they only give you warranty on engine and transmission - no suspension, no electrical

are they giving warranty like that on the Sporteros

Hmmm will have to check that out. Will let you know when I make a pass back sometime soon.

^^ what's the after sales service like at DM? Do they stock parts regularly?

They seem to never have stock w.r.t. the clock spring and it's something that goes on the Sporteros regularly.

^^ does that mean the airbags are malfunctioning once the clock-spring goes and the warning light comes on?

yes it means that teh airbags are malfunctioning - they cannot deploy with defective clocksprings

Ohhhh. That's a serious problem then, thanks for clearing that up.

Maybe Mitsu fixed that problem in the new 2010-2011 model?

around wht mileage does the air bag light come on?

My neighbours - 50 000km, mines - 39 000km.