Head to Head

The pickup truck wars are more heated than ever before with a wave of new trucks coming in to the market.  For the longest time, Toyota and Mitsubishi have been battling for pickup truck supremacy and both have their respective followings. All new since last year, the longtime competitors are ready to take their rivalry to the next level and the focus of this week's head to head. 

We will be comparing the Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Strada and see each truck stacks up. Let's first take a look under the hood.

The Mitsubishi Strada is powered by a 2.5 liter, four cylinder turbodiesel that puts out 178 PS and 400 Nm of torque. Meanwhile, the Toyota Hilux is saddled by a four cylinder turbodiesel as well but has a smaller engine at 2.4 liters. It produces 177 PS and 450 Nm of torque. Both pickups have intercoolers, variable geometry turbochargers and direct injection.

For the Mitsubishi Strada, power is shifted via a five speed automatic transmission with sequential shift. The Hilux one ups the Strada by offering a six speed automatic, also with sequential shift. The Strada is equipped with Super Select II 4WD which allows for open or closed rear differential when 4WD high is engaged. Over to the Hilux, it too has a shift-on-the-fly 4WD system that will let the driver engage 4WD high while on the move. The Hilux also comes with an automatic front differential and a built-in differential lock for the rear.

Being pickups, both the Hilux and the Strada ride on independent suspension up at front and a rigid axle with leaf springs at the back. Both offer 1 ton payload capacities.

From under the hood and into the cabin, the Mitsubishi Strada offers a black and grey themed interior, along with silver and piano black accents in the center console. The Hilux comes with a solid black interior with silver trim on the dashboard. As for their instrument panels, the Hilux is equipped with Toyota's Optitron gauges along with a multi-information display. The Strada on the other hand comes with back-lit gauges, also with a multi-information display. Both these pickups have cloth-trimmed seats, steering wheel mounted audio controls and automatic climate control.

When it comes to infotainment systems, both are equipped with touchscreens. The Toyota Hilux is equipped with a 6.5 inch touchscreen with DVD, tuner, Bluetooth, MP3, USB and auxiliary input. Sound is then relayed through a six speaker audio system. The Mitsubishi Strada has a slightly bigger 6.75 inch touchscreen with Bluetooth, Telematics, wifi display and Navigation. Like the Hilux, it too comes with a six speaker audio system.

On the outside, the Mitubishi Strada features a rounded off front end with a bold chrome grill and a pair of foglights. Moving to its side, it has what Mitsubishi calls a "J-line" rear door which is said to increase space for the rear passengers. The cargo bed of the Strada is squared off when compared to its predecessor, making for more useable space. As for the Hilux, its styling is evolutionary and was given a more aggressive look with wider headlights, integrated fender flares and bold chrome grill. As for its cargo box, it features the longest bed in its segment.

For safety systems, the Toyota Hilux is equipped with seven airbags with driver, passenger, side, curtain and knee airbags. Anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution is standard and so is traction control, stability control, hill start assist and brake assist. The Mitsubishi Strada gets driver and and passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, backing up camera and tire pressure monitoring system.

Prices for the Mitsubishi Strada GLS Sport V 4x4 A/T start at Php 1,520,000 while the top of the line Toyota Hilux 2.8 G 4x4 A/T starts at Php 1,685,000.