There’s room for a more hardcore Ford Ranger Raptor rival in Mitsubishi Australia showrooms, the company says.
The company has unveiled its most capable dual-cab ute yet – the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Raider – which is due on sale next month and will take on the Ford Ranger Tremor.
Speaking to CarExpert at the unveiling, Mitsubishi Australia general manager of product strategy Bruce Hampel said the Triton Raider is a toe in the water for potentially even more capable off-roaders to come.
“We think there’s this opportunity – and I guess we’re testing the water here now [with Triton Raider],” he said. “What we’re seeing is if the customer demand is really there for these types of products – if it is, we can go further, right?”
The Triton Raider is tuned locally by Melbourne-based Premcar, with upgraded off-road suspension and steering, wider 18 x 9.0-inch ROH alloy wheels and all-terrain tyres, fitted in Australia alongside visual exterior and cabin tweaks.
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While more capable, Mr Hampel said it’s positioned against the Ford Ranger Tremor and Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior, which are priced around $75,000 before on-road costs – a price point Mitsubishi hasn’t previously targeted.
That positioning means the Triton Raider doesn’t yet match the capability – or the $90,690 (before on-road costs) price – of the Ranger Raptor, but that doesn’t mean Mitsubishi isn’t preparing to take a slice of Ford’s pie.
“Across the range, we can deploy the Raider concept on other nameplates potentially, but we can also look to further enhance the Triton to a higher level again,” he told CarExpert.
The Ford Ranger Raptor was developed in Australia, with the first generation launched in 2018 featuring advanced off-road suspension, including Fox dampers, creating an instant class of its own.
The second generation, launched in 2022, addressed the main criticism of the original by replacing the 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine producing 292kW and 583Nm for hot hatch-like acceleration.
While rivals have introduced more off-road-focused variants of their utes – including the Toyota HiLux GR Sport – and Nissan enlisted Premcar to develop the Navara Pro-4X Warrior, the Ranger Raptor still lacks a genuine head-to-head rival and remains the benchmark for dual-cab performance utes in Australia.
Premcar boss Bernie Quinn, speaking at the same event, said the Melbourne-based firm is ready to step in if Mitsubishi decides to pursue a more extreme Triton.
“We’re always going to be there to support,” he said. “No one knows what the ceiling is yet; I mean, the ceiling just keeps getting higher and higher, especially with dual-cab utes. So, I envisage this [Triton Raider] is step one and then we’re going to keep pushing out from the ceiling.”
