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Mitsubishi's rally-inspired Triton XRT previews next-gen pickup

The Triton pickup just might be the most interesting thing in Mitsubishi's lineup. The midsize pickup is available in approximately 150 countries, though the U.S. isn't among them. Overseas it's a serious contender against the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, so the next version is very important for the company. As such, Mitsubishi is drumming up excitement for the next-generation pickup with the Triton XRT Concept, unveiled today at the Bangkok Motor Show. The truck features a more blocky, upright grille than the outgoing model, a trend we've seen on full-size pickups in the past few years. The bulked-up XRT features wears flared fenders, a snorkel and mud-terrain tires that likely won't be found on run-of-the-mill Tritons when the model debuts.  It's possible, however, that Mitsubishi plans to offer its own interpretation of an off-road rig similar to Toyota's TRD Pro line of trucks. The Triton XRT concept wears the logo of Ralliart, Mitsubishi's motorsports division that racked up many victories in the WRC and Paris-Dakar Rally. Mitsubishi recently relaunched Ralliart after over a decade of dormancy. Though initially Ralliart appears to be peddling only cosmetic upgrades, the Triton XRT could change that. Ralliart entered and won the Asia Cross Country Rally last year and plans to do so again for 2023. Helming the program was Hiroshi Masuoka, a Mitsubishi factory driver that won the Dakar Rally twice. While the dearly departed Lancer Evolution doesn't appear to be anywhere on the horizon, a truck-based Ralliart program might be just what Mitsubishi needs to rekindle the brand in enthusiasts' hearts. These days 4x4s and overlanders are arguably more popular with customizers than all-wheel-drive sedans, and Mitsubishi is well-poised to capitalize on that with its many off-road motorsports accomplishments. Unfortunately, the Triton has huge hurdles to overcome if it's to make it to U.S. shores. Foreign pickups are still subject to the Chicken Tax, a 25% tariff on trucks that aren't assembled in the U.S. Toyota and Nissan build their trucks in America to bypass the tax, but Mitsubishi doesn't have the manufacturing base to do that. Still, it's something Mitsubishi execs are trying to figure out, as our insatiable appetite for pickups isn't going away anytime soon. 

2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV to get a much bigger battery

So it turns out we still don't have full details on the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Information will continue to trickle out instead. But at least we have information on one of the SUV's most critical parts: the battery pack. It has more capacity, and should have more range. The outgoing Outlander PHEV had a 13.8-kWh battery pack good for 22 to 24 miles of all-electric range. The new model's battery expands to 20 kWh. On the WLTP cycle, it's good for 54 miles, but the U.S. EPA numbers will probably be lower. The capacity increase is about 45%, so applying that to the miles, we're expecting somewhere around 32 to 35 miles of electric range. That would put it close to the Ford Escape PHEV's 37 miles of range and the Kia Sorento PHEV's 32 miles. It would still trail the RAV4 Prime's 42 miles of range. Mitsubishi also noted that the gas tank has expanded, too, so the Outlander PHEV's overall range should increase. Despite all this, the plug-in hybrid also retains a third row of seats, something its predecessor lost. This is due to a revised rear motor that includes the motor controller as part of the unit. The previous model had the controller located in the passenger compartment. Mitsubishi says this freed up interior room for the rear-most seats and also reduced the amount of high-frequency noise in the cabin. As for the powertrain itself, Mitsubishi isn't sharing output details. All it has said is that the Outlander PHEV still has dual electric motors, plus a gas engine. That engine is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder similar to the current model. The press release Mitsubishi provided suggests the electric motors are more potent, so we may see more than the 221 combined horsepower of the outgoing model. The Outlander PHEV will go on sale in the United State in the second half of next year. We should have many more details on it as we approach the on-sale date. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander exterior and interior walkaround

Angry dad smashes son's Mitsubishi with Xbox

It's normal for parents to get frustrated with their kids sometimes. Moms and dads have high hopes for the success of their brood, and when the youngsters let them down, it hurts. That's not an excuse to be destructive, though. Especially not to the point of destroying a Mitsubishi Montero Sport with an Xbox 360 like in this video.
The clip claims to be about a dad upset that his kid doesn't have a job and stays home playing video games. The guy takes his anger out not just on the console but also his son's car. The Mitsubishi definitely takes its fair share of the punishment here even after the Xbox is broken.
If this were real, it would be a pretty horrifying fight to watch. But while we can't be entirely certain, we're almost positive that this argument is completely staged for a number of reasons. The major one is that the same uploader also has videos with millions of total views of the same "Psycho Dad" dropping an Xbox in a pool, running over games with a lawn mower and taking an axe to a laptop. Furthermore, just looking at the clip itself, people don't generally wait for the other person to stop talking when yelling at each other. It also seems a bit suspicious that the kid directly speaks to the audience at one point.