Production Models

When Mitsubishi unveiled the latest generation Strada at its global premiere in Bangkok, Thailand, the radical change to its fascia and profile stunned many including long-time fans of the midsize pickup truck.

Mitsubishi calls the new front design the Dynamic Shield which has styling cues shared with other new vehicles like the Xpander.

Mitsubishi brought the Strada with the Defense Shield to the Philippines last year. The chiselled hood and squared front fender that framed the headlights with halogen fog lamps and LED daylight running light, the bold grille, large lower air intake, and muscular bumper with integrated skid plate- looked more powerful, tougher and more distinctive.

On the road, the Strada curved out a space that is 5300 millimeters long, 1815mm wide, and 1795mm tall with a 220mm ground clearance and a 3000mm long wheelbase.

From the side, it didn't look like the Strada changed much while the rear featured new design headlight.

When it later rolled out the Strada Athlete as the new flagship model for its pickup truck line in the country, Mitsubishi blacked out the chromed features, as well as the front bumper garnish, the radiator grille, the styling bar with bed liner, the rear bumper, the tailgate grip, even the roof.

The 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped by 265/60/ R18 110H tires were also given the black treatment.

The bold body graphics used thick splashes of black.

The Strada Athlete comes in three colors, Sunflare Orange Pearl that is exclusive to the 4x4 variants, White Diamond and Graphite Gray Metallic.

The 4x4 variant of the Athlete comes with a lot of the upgrades now filtering down from luxurious vehicles and becoming standard in top-of-line variants of more affordable models.

There is the keyless operating system which makes getting into the spacious cabin of the pickup more convenient.

Orange-black leather upholstery with orange stitching for seats, gear shift panel and knob, and parking brake lever help this Strada live up to Athlete monicker.

So do the front seats with oversized and well-cushioned side and leg supports to keep driver and passenger firmly but comfortably in place specially when driving on rough terrain or at speed, or doing both at the same time.

The driver can use his eight-way power adjustable seat to find the perfect driving position.

The J Line design of the Strada cabin allows for more cabin interior room, especially favoring those in the backseat.

The rear seatback features a pull-down center armrest with twin cupholders.

The Athlete comes with a dual zone automatic climate control system. The leather-wrapped steering wheel features magnesium alloy paddle shifter and controls for audio and cruise control.

For onboard entertainment, there's a touchscreen multimedia system with GPS navigation and complemented by a reverse camera.

The Athlete is powered by the same engine powering the more affordable Stradas- the 4N15 engine with 2.4-liter displacement, DOHC, 16 valves, Variable Geometry Turbo, Mitsubishi Innovative Valve Timing Electronic Control, and electronic common rail direct injection fuel system.

This engine is rated at 181 horsepower at 3,500 rpm and 430 Newton-meters.

The Athlete 4x4 comes with Super Select 4WD-II system. Driver gets to select from 2H or 2-wheel drive high range, perfect for cruising on the highway and drives in the city. Or 4H, four wheel drive high, torque splits 40:60 between front and rear wheels, for better traction, in drizzly and slippery conditions on highway.

For more slippery and rougher road conditions, there's 4HLc, 4WD high range, splitting torque equally between front and rear wheels.

On off-road trails and rough terrain, there's 4LLc mode, 4WD low range with locked center differential.

All these modes easily selected electronically with a turn of dial.

The Strada Athlete rides on a suspension system featuring double wishbone with coil springs and stabilizer bar in front and rigid elliptical leaf springs with telescopic shock absorber in the rear.

The brake system uses front 17-inch ventilated discs and rear 11.6-inch leading and trailing drums.

And for every road, weather and driving situations, the Strada Athlete provides a multitude of driver assist technologies, including among others Mitsubishi Active Stability and Traction Control, Forward Collision Mitigation System, Blind Spot Warning with Lane Change Assist; Rear Cross Traffic Alert; Ultrasonic Misacceleration Mitigation System; Trailer Stability Assist; Hill Descent Control; Hill Start Assist; Multi Around Monitor with guiding and expected course line; Auto High Beam; Anti-Lock Brake System, and Electronic Brake-Force Distribution,.

Added safety features include Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution or RISE body, 7 SRS airbags, 3-point ELR seatbelts for with double pretensioner for driver and single pretensioner with force limiter for front seat passengers, and 3-point seatbelts for all three rear seat passengers.

Mitsubishi describes the Strada Athlete as a well-balanced road warrior which manifests Mitsubishi's 40 years of truck engineering heritage.

The battle for supremacy in the pickup wars should be an interesting one, as we head to the final months of a difficult year in 2020. Many contenders have come out armed with all the latest auto and smart connectivity technology.