SYDNEY: Mitsubishi has started testing its next-generation Challenger off-road SUV which would be on road by 2017.
Instead, the Challenger’s snout will more closely resemble the facelifted Outlander, which is due to go on sale locally in the middle of April.
A broad chrome-framed grille will dominate the front-end styling of the new Challenger, while a set of bulging rear fenders will give it a more muscular stance.
Importantly for family buyers, it appears that side steps will become an integrated part of the Challenger’s design.
The new Challenger will retain its formidable off-road credentials thanks to a short front overhang and high rear bumper, along with a traction-promoting live rear axle.
Unlike the Triton – with which the current Challenger shares its platform and engines – the new Challenger will be coil-sprung at the rear.
Initially, expect the new Challenger to be powered by the same 2.4 litre turbo diesel as the Triton when it launches either late this year or early in 2016.
As with the current range both RWD and 4WD drivelines should be available, though later in the model’s life a plug-in hybrid variant may join the range.
A diesel-electric version of the Triton is already in the works, making a hybrid Challenger a virtual certainty.
