Upgraded 2019 Mitsubishi Triton here this year

An upgraded 2019 Mitsubishi Triton bringing cosmetic, mechanical and equipment enhancements will be released in Australia by the end of this year, motoring.com.au can confirm.

As you can see from these ‘spy’ shots taken by members of the public in South Australia, where Mitsubishi Australia is based, the MY19 Mitsubishi Triton facelift will be headlined by a new ‘Dynamic Shield’ front bumper and grille.

This will bring the Triton, which was the third most popular new vehicle in Australia last month after the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, in line with the Japanese brand’s closely related Pajero Sport, as well as the smaller ASX, Eclipse Cross and Outlander SUVs.

But the biggest changes will be hidden and they won’t be inside, where some Mitsubishi Tritons already come with a touch-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality.

The Mitsubishi workhorse also comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating, but it was tested under a less stringent scoring regime back in April 2015, soon after the current model was released in 2014.

Therefore the 2019 upgrade should see the Triton match key rivals like the Ranger in bringing autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which is all but a prerequisite for a five-star rating from 2018, as standard at least in some versions.

Perhaps more importantly for commercial and intrepid owners is an extensive local chassis development program, which we understand took place over several months in the Flinders Ranges and South Australian Outback.

It’s understood suspension changes for the MY19 Mitsubishi Triton are aimed at improving refinement, ride and handling both unladen and fully loaded, in much the same way Nissan did recently with its Series 3 upgrade for the coil-sprung D23 Navara.

Also expect running changes to the Triton’s trusty 2.4-litre 16-valve MIVEC four-cylinder turbo-diesel, which currently produces 133kW and 430Nm while consuming as little as 7.2L/100km, and – perhaps – an increase in towing capacity from its sub-par 3100kg maximum.

A 2.4-litre petrol engine with five-speed manual should continue to be available in the base single-cab, while the 2.4 diesel with six-speed manual and five-speed auto is offered across the Single Cab, 4x4-only Club Cab and Double Cab range.

All Tritons already come with traction/stability control, but currently only selected models come with a reversing camera, Trailer Stability Assist, Super Select 4WD, rear diff lock and Smartphone Link Display Audio.

Our sources say the midlife Triton upgrade will be launched in Thailand later this year before it is fast-tracked to Australia – the world’s second largest market for the model – in December.

We’ve learned that its local launch will be punctuated by the reveal of a tough-truck concept version, but sadly it’s likely to be just for show.

In fact, recent talk of a hard-core, high-output Triton to rival the Ford Ranger Raptor  is not related to the current model but the next-generation Triton, which is expected to be twinned with the next Navara but isn’t due until well into next decade.

The existing Triton has been Mitsubishi’s top-selling model in Australia for a number of years, with sales topping 23,500 last year and 13,800 in the first half of this year – up more than 18 per cent.

Last month more than 3600 Triton 4x4 sales (up 36%, placing Triton third in the new-vehicle sales race overall) helped Mitsubishi top 10,000 sales in a month for the first time, setting an all-time monthly sales record.