Want a ute that’s got a bit more muscle? Walkinshaw Performance have tweaked the turbodiesel Mitsubishi Triton to enhance power and handling, giving the well-to-do tradesman a little more performance in their weekday workhorse.
The Walkinshaw Performance edition Triton, which is being sold in Europe as the L200, features a variety of Ralliart upgrades to its 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine, resulting a power figure of 125kW/168hp - not bad for a small capacity diesel - while Koni dampers stiffen up the ride. On the outside, a set of 20-inch rims and a stainless steel fuel door, tailgate cover and door handles add some bling. Leather seats, a DVD navigation screen and a 420-Watt sound system pimp out the interior.
I must admit I’m a little bit baffled by the sport truck phenomenon. First it was the TRD Hilux, and now Mitsubishi are getting in on the game too. I know that these things will probably sell quite well among the tradie crowd, who see these kinds of work vehicles as a rolling endorsement of their success, however I can’t help but feel that a “performance truck” is a fundamentally compromised design. Sure, they might be faster than most other trucks, but they would probably be beaten by any modern sedan in a sprint. As for their suitability as a work vehicle, those fancy suspension mods and big wheels will do nothing to help load-carrying capability, while it’ll no doubt handle like a pig when time comes to head off-road thanks to those shallow-tread tyres.
Do you agree, or do you think I’m just whinging for no good reason? Let us know whether you’d buy something like the Walkinshaw Performance edition L200/Triton in the comments below.
Loading ...
Comments
Click here to jump to Add Comment box
How do you get a picture next to your name?
Get a Gravatar. Click here to find out more.
I don’t mind the idea of a sports truck, but only in diesel (shame about the price of diesel at the mo tho).
I wouldn’t buy one however, I’d get the standard truck otherwise you limit yourself to the black-top pretty much with the big wheels and lower profile tyres.
The HiLux was the best selling vehicle in Oz last month so we should get used to seeing more ’sports trucks’ on the road.
Yep I cant see the point in them either Steane,I mean if you want grunt in the bush buy a mud runner,you want a fast road ute,buy FPV or HSV,do you really want or need both.I doubt it!
Not bad, not bad. I’d have liked it more in black, methinks. And with big driving lights, raised suspension, big chunky tyres, small-diam deep-dish rims, and a big ol’ bullbar.
Hmm… too much Back to the Future I think!
They may have improved the performance and handling etc but they had absolutely no chance of improving the looks.. although its nowhere near as ugly as a Ssangyong Musso
I actually happen to know that when Toyota developed the TRD Hilux they put a fair bit of development and thought into what spec it should carry. It has been fitted with Bilstein shocks and there was a decision to cap the wheels at 17″, both of these things done so that it would maintain its off-road ability. 230kW and 400Nm+ should also mean it has more grunt than this Triton, although as you say it’s not going to convert what is essentially a truck into a sports car.
I don’t mind the way the Triton looks, it has more character than its competitors.
mmmmmmmmm,Ill give you that Steane,if your referring to the TuRD range.
Haaaaaaa the ” Turd range” haaaaaa piss funny Bm !
careful babe I dont want you falling off the office chair………….
Yeah well we know what happened last time i did that? Nah all good they have removed all sharp objects and my forks have corks :o)
Glad to hear it. Off to GYM now back later……
hahaha.pimp my ride on the Rolls ya think………well I guess this is trick my truck then !
I agree with Klose’s comment….Triton has more character, lineage and style the boring bland others!
Missile to gym….Iam off to work! I get $ for mine and you look at a mirror and think “WOW. Nice lineage like the Walkinshaw beefed up Triton”
With those flared guards and front bumper it looks pretty good for a “Walkie” the only thing missing is the huge whaletail from the VL Group A [Batmobile]
and possibly change the wheels
Your lucky NM …..you get paid to workout…..some chicks do too but its not an industry Im interested in getting into!hehehe….
A Walkingstick Pickup Wheelnut !Best thing about that Group A was that it was a VL……..the best Commodore they made up to that point I think. The Heinz variety they have now is ok though…..is that an evil glare Im getting through the computer screen?? mmwwwaaa
Ha Ha MISSILE.
Gotta agree with ya nutter. The wheels are shyte and need to be a 3 spoker as boring Toyota look and fibreglass rear lid, oversize rear rollbar with serious rear spoiler, black bezel background to the front lights and take orange colour out of front blinkers in headlights.
Too True babe.. The VL Was a Fantastic car - sinfact I would have thought as a tribute to “Major Tom” HSV would have made the bodyjit on the W427 look more like the original Walkie instead of a Euro wannabe
got a 2005 diesel, as a of road great, as a road thats not what they were built 4 does okay , but if you buy a real 4 wheel drive thats what you get… i like the look of the walkie,, but the wheels would make it useless as a 4 wheel drive,,be like driving a boat as a fast roadie..
I would buy one in a minute,if they sold them in the U.S. I think
they have changed the same old pickup look that the dealers have sold year after year this truck has a new look that is STYLISH,it is UNIQUE and it has a lot of character. I’ll take the
six cylinder one!!!!!!
From a UK point of view lots of reasons to buy one of these.
1. You get a decent road car with all the extras, capable of going long distance without discomfort.
2. You get a decent off road vehicle, at least for snow work (perhaps not as functional as standard due to the rims)
3. You get a vehicle capable of carrying 1000 kg and loads of space
4. You have an individual vehicle in a country of some 70 million people each having 1 point something vehicles
5. You stick one to the taxman
I have driven and owned all sorts of high end supposed 4 x 4 ’s IE Q7, X5, range rover sport. All completley useless off road or on orad in Ice or Snow due to being auto’s. I also have had to pay my useless goverment nearly 20% of my wage a month for the pleasure. With the L200 i pay virtually nothing to the tax man becuase it is classed as commercial and smile all the way to the other car I can now buy for the weekends, and still have some spare. So for the UK you buy one for tax reasons and stick it to the man. Thanks Tom!