The 2020 Mitsubishi Triton might just be the Japanese midsized truck to take on the Ranger.
Midsize pickups are the new rage here in North America. Ford is bringing their famous Ranger back from overseas where it’s been hiding out for the past decade and a half, while Chevy’s Colorado has been battling the Toyota Tacoma for small truck supremacy. Everyone wants a piece of the growing small pickup market, which means now is the perfect time for a new contender to enter the ring.
Mitsubishi has just announced their latest small pickup, the Triton (also known as the L200). It’s made in Thailand along with a bunch of other midsize pickups sold around the world, such as all the previously mentioned midsizers. We’re not sure why Thailand has such a keen interest in small trucks, but they’re the second biggest buyer of pickups right behind the United States.
The current 2020 Triton/L200 will launch on November 17th in Thailand before making its regional debuts all around the world. It will eventually be sold in Oceania, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Latin America, for a total of 150 countries.
Its engine lineup hasn’t changed all that much since the current generation started production in 2015. Under the hood is either a 2.4-L naturally aspirated inline 4-cylinder producing 130 hp and 149 lb-ft of torque, or a 2.5-L turbodiesel that has been tuned to produce anywhere from 108 to 175 hp.
Power goes through either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic in 2WD or 4WD configuration, with either Super-Select or Easy-Select terrain management to help in either snow, gravel, sand, or rocky conditions.
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New for 2020 is a full suite of driver assistance features including forward collision, blind spot warning, lane change alert, rear cross traffic alert, and an ultrasonic misacceleration mitigation system which prevents accidental gas pedal slip from sending you through your garage door.
As Jalopnik points out, the Triton is sold as a badge-engineered model in Europe and the Middle East under the Fiat and Ram labels, respectively. It wouldn’t be difficult for FCA to work out a deal with Mitsubishi to get those trucks sold stateside if they wanted to take on the likes of the Colorado and Ranger.
Although if they were to start selling these trucks locally, FCA would likely have to find a more powerful gasoline engine to do the job.
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