Summarize

Regular readers will know how highly we rate the Mitsubishi Triton around here. Not only did the latest incarnation of one of SA’s most trusted bakkies scoop our prestigious Best Bakkie gong for 2018, but we also rated it best in our most recent diesel double-cab shootout against the most recent arrival and others last issue. 

In fact we love everything about Triton, with one single exception – its less than competitive towing capacity was only half as good as some of its rivals.

But hang on a second – perusing the latest Triton Athlete special edition media information revealed a little secret – Triton – and its Mitsubishi Pajero Sport sibling have both been re-configured to deliver a now most competitive 3.1-tonne braked trailer towing capacity.

Which means that we now cannot really fault this bakkie on any front – and were we to re-score both Best Bakkie and last issue’s shootout, Triton would win by an even greater margin.  We had always criticised Mitsubishi on that shortcoming – we summed it up saying “So the brilliantly positioned reigning Best Bakkie takes an unexpected win … despite the Mitsubishi falling apart on pulling ability.”

But that little snippet confirming that Triton now gets a “heavyweight towing capacity of 3.1 tons added to its best-in-class acceleration credentials under normal, laden and towing conditions for any size or style of trailer,” turns it into an all-round winner. 

Mitsubishi further informs us that “Triton Athlete is not only quick out of the starting blocks ¬– it boasts the quickest acceleration in a towing test by an international magazine and now also boasts a towing capacity of up to 3.1 tonnes.”

So, Triton now offers almost flawless bakkie credentials – not only is it the quickest four-pot turbodiesel bakkie we have ever tested, but now both its towing and payload credentials are also competitive against any other on the market, while it also represents a pretty impressive bakkie bargain – even when packing a choice of special editions to personalise your Triton to your own taste.

Same goes for the Pajero Sport, which until now lagged only in towing capacity to present a sport ute par excellence. It too now benefits the same 3.1-ton towing capacity to no longer give anything away to the likes of Fortuner, Everest or any of the other bakkie-based sportutes.

Looked at in a little more detail, the new Triton Athlete special edition gains a sporty orange and black tweaked two-tone body kit with interior trim. Add a new-look honeycomb mesh grille and bumper design, diamond-cut black 17” alloys, while a black sports bar with integrated tailgate spoiler, black side steps, door mirrors, door handles and bumper designs complete a sporty exterior design.

There’s also increased 7 airbag and Isofix child seat safety, that upgraded 3.1-tonne towing capacity along with a best-in-class turning circle and best bakkie acceleration whatever the load or trailer thanks to that super-responsive 2.4-litre turbodiesel driving an intelligent 5-speed automatic and state-of-the-art Super Select II 4WD. Triton’s classy cabin brings premium room, comfort and luxury complete with 6.5” touch-screen radio-DVD MP3 and Bluetooth.

The biggest advantage however remains  that you get all of that – the flagship version of the quickest, nimblest, tonne-toting 3.1-ton-towing Best Bakkie 2018 Triton at an almost unbelievable R559K complete with 3-year/100 000km warranty and a 5-year/90 000 km service plan at 10 000km intervals. Which means all that super-cool Athlete kit does not cost you a cent – how’s that for a deal!