Mitsubishi is still trying to make Ralliart a thing. The carmaker is adamant that it can revive the iconic badge with what are basically styling add-ons for current models like the Triton and Pajero. Mitsubishi will unabashedly stick to that plan at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, where it’ll debut the Vision Ralliart Concept.
You almost have to root for Mitsu at this point, because this latest concept has an even more tenuous claim to the Ralliart badge. Not only is there very little to distinguish it as a performance model from its production counterpart, the Outlander, but, crucially, the bright red and white livery is gone!
The gimmick behind the Vision Ralliart Concept more or less comes down to the blacked-out styling and body kit (or ground F-X) this Outlander is wearing. Mitsubishi says the matte black finish reveals blue highlights, which is OK, I guess. I prefer that to this being just a matte wrap. And Mitsubishi also points out the radiator shutter and rear diffuser, but the only mechanical bits Mitsubishi gave specifics for are in the running gear, emphasis mine:
To provide high driving performance, the Vision Ralliart Concept has a wide stance and is equipped with 22-inch large-diameter wheels and tires. Large brake discs and opposed-piston 6-pot brake calipers, which exert braking performance matching the powerful torque of the motors, are adopted to elevate acceleration, cornering, and braking to a higher level.
That’s it. For reference, the Mitsubishi Outlander is currently sold as a PHEV in Japan and does come with an all-wheel drive system. It’s likely that the Vision Ralliart Concept is a PHEV, too, and might also have mild off-road capability.
This concept seems more road-focused, though, like the Triton Ralliart twins Mitsubishi sells in Thailand. I was more into the design of that truck because even if it was light on the “Ralli” in Ralliart, its bright livery fit the badge better.
There is at least one other Mitsubishi model that went with a dark theme, which my colleague Adam Ismail pointed out. That would be the 2007 Lancer Evolution IX MR FQ-360, but don’t linger on it that long unless you want to yearn for Mitsubishi’s glory days. The consensus is those seem way off, but the main thing the Vision Ralliart Concept does wrong is conjure the past. It’s a cool concept that deserves to be unladen by a badge. That said, I really do miss the Lancer.
