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A new Mitsubishi Triton is expected to be with us before the end of the year, and that means its ute-based SUV sibling, the Pajero Sport, is coming soon, too. And details on just what might be powering Mitsubishi's new tough-road twins are beginning to emerge.
While the brand has confirmed an all-electric version of its Triton ute should be here within five years, the company's recent five-year plan suggests that, in the short term, both the Triton and the Pajero Sport will continue to be diesel-powered vehicles, and that they might never adopt a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Instead, the models seem ready to step from diesel power to fully electric. The battery electric vehicle (BEV) version of the Triton ute to arrive before 2028, with the brand unlikely to invest in an all-new diesel engine to fill that gap.
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But CarsGuide understands a power boost is on the cards, with Mitsubishi working to make its existing 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine both more powerful, and more efficient.
In the current Triton, that engine produces a total 133kW and 430Nm, but you can expect those numbers to increase for an all-new model.
One option would be to install twin-turbocharging, replacing the single turbo on the current engine. Nissan employs a similar strategy for its Navara, with the lower grades of that model employing a single turbocharger (producing a total 120kW and 403Nm), while the higher-grades employ twin-turbocharging, lifting outputs to 140kW and 450Nm.
If Mitsubishi employs the same tactic, then gains of at least 15kW-20kW of power and more than 20Nm of torque would be on the table, meaning a new Triton and Pajero Sport should produce around 150kW and 480Nm (although 500Nm would surely be the target).
The strategy would tie in with Mitsubishi's reported plan to elevate the next Pajero Sport to a true Ford Everest or Toyota LandCruiser Prado rival, delivering both the capability and the towing capacity to shine on Australia's tracks and trails.
When we recently asked what the next Pajero Sport would bring to the table, we were told Mitsubishi wanted to "grow the Pajero Sport globally".
"Pajero Sport has the potential to be stretched, to grow more," Mitsubishi's Vice President and Head of Vehicle Engineering Development, Hiroshi Masuoka, told us.
"Performance, comfort, the bodywork, and the powertrain itself. We believe the Pajero Sport has that potential."
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Both models will focus on Australia, with the brand recently vowing to focus its resources and product launches here to drive its next-stage growth.
"(We will) concentrate management resources into these core business regions, and aim to grow sales volume, market share and revenue," the company said in an investment presentation, before going on to promise "consecutive model rollouts" for our market.
In terms of timing, the new Triton looks set for launch in late 2023 or early 2024, with the Pajero Sport expected to follow 12 months later, in late 2024 or early 2025.
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