Mitsubishi’s heartland ute, the Triton, will inherit the engine debuting in the company’s reborn Pajero.
When the current Triton launched in 2023, it introduced an updated 2.4-litre, twin-turbo inline-four diesel engine, producing 150kW and 470Nm. That engine is overhauled for the Pajero, incorporating AdBlue to obey Euro 6D emissions rules, and replacing the twin-turbo set-up with a single, variable-vane turbocharger.
Though peak power is unchanged (150kW at 3500rpm), the Pajero’s engine is both cleaner and, from Chasing Cars’ first impressions, more refined than the Triton’s. Though peak torque is 10Nm higher than the Triton (480Nm between 1750 and 2500rpm), it’s available in a narrower rev-band.
An educated guess is that the Pajero’s engine will spread to the Triton by 1 July 2028, when Euro 6D comes into force in Australia.
Upon the current Triton’s launch, Mitsubishi retained its six-speed auto on durability grounds, rather than inheriting the discontinued Pajero Sport’s eight-speed auto. It’s possible, but not certain, the Triton could inherit the new Pajero’s eight-speeder – the Pajero is heavier than the Triton and has a slightly greater gross vehicle mass (i.e. maximum weight), so the durability challenge may have been overcome.
Mitsubishi’s all-new Pajero
Though Mitsubishi has said the Triton’s engine bay fits a V6, Chasing Cars unfortunately has no evidence a V6 Triton is planned to directly rival the six-cylinder Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok. A V6, however, could broaden the Pajero’s appeal.
A hybrid Triton?
The hybrid powertrain rumoured for the Pajero could carry over to the Triton.
It’s not completely certain whether it would be a series-parallel hybrid (the kind popularised by Toyota, that doesn’t need to be plugged in), a plug-in hybrid, or whether both will be offered. All hybrid utes sold in Australia currently are plug-in hybrids.
The Pajero’s longitudinal ladder-frame underpinnings, shared with the Triton, mean the Outlander’s plug-in hybrid powertrain needs modifications to fit.
Mitsubishi was a plug-in hybrid pioneer with the Outlander PHEV. The Outlander’s hybrid powertrain cannot, however, be adapted straight into the Triton; the Outlander’s engine is transverse (east-west) whereas the Triton’s and Pajero’s is longitudinal (north-south).
