To the highest power

THE STRADA is about the power and reliability of a traditional pickup and the comfort of a sedan.

Mitsubishi’s Strada is one of those vehicles that is well-balanced: it’s not in-yer-face like a Ford Ranger with all its high-tech toys, nor does it have that mean-looking, confident stance of the Toyota Hilux, or the far-better ride comfort promise of Nissan’s independent rear suspension.

The Strada will always have its fans, including myself, because of what it offers: a roomy interior, excellent on-road driving dynamics, a compact size that makes it manageable to drive in the city (try that in a Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux), and off-road performance more in keeping with its heritage of fast and flowing rally-style dirt roads rather than slow hard-core trails.

In real-world driving conditions, the Strada’s pace on the highway is matched only by the Navarra, thanks to both of it possessing compliant-enough suspension that can tame the unladen rear bed.

The Hilux is a bit nervous at speed due to its stiff suspension, while the Ranger is all-over the place because of its soft suspension.

Approaching the middle of its current life-cycle, Mitsubishi decided to give an update to the Strada, specifically its heart. Out went the venerable 4D56 (the name is a misnomer, as it shares virtually nothing with the previous 4D56 engine that powered everything from Mitsubishi LCVs, the old Pajero SUV, L200 pickups, and ubiquitous L300 van), which powered the previous generation Triton Strada pickup and Montero Sport; in came Mitsubishi’s clean-diesel burning 4N15.

The 4N15 delivers an impressive 181 hp and 430 Newton meters of torque, not a far departure from the 178 hp and 380 Nm of torque that the 4D56 delivered. But the 4N15 has a MIVEC variable-valve and cam phasing, which broadens the power curve further, making the new Strada more responsive especially low-down.

There’s far less injection knocking, and it revs smoother to redline as well. The 4N15 is physically lighter, a by-product of reducing compression ratio, which allowed for a lighter alloy engine block up front versus the 4D56’s iron mill.

There are two things I was expecting Mitsubishi to include in the Strada’s upgrade, and these were the 8-speed automatic transmission, which we’ve seen on the Montero Sport. The shifting quality is CVT-smooth, which makes it a real whiz to drive in the city.

NUDGE bar and flat-black grill

The other feature I would have wanted to see in the Strada is the off-road mode software, a system that tunes the Strada’s traction/stability control to perform at its best over specific surfaces such as sand, mud, grass, rock, etc. This would have greatly improved the Strada’s prowess on more traditional off-road surfaces and trails.

The other changes for the GT variant are the nudge-bar up front, plus the roll-hoop/style-bar in the pickup bed, and a new, more aggressive flat-black grill that gives the Strada a more menacing stance.

NEW alloy wheels with Toyo Open Country A28 tires

New design 17×8 alloy wheels come equipped with a new tire: Toyo’s Open Country all-terrain tires that surprisingly gave the Strada a much more comfortable, more compliant ride even after I pumped up the tires to 35 psi.

ROLL-HOOP style bar

Out on the open road, the Strada drives sweet. The steering has a good balance of heft and feedback: you find yourself attacking winding roads with gusto, slicing up corners as you would in a sports car or sports sedan.

The rear suspension feels far more settled versus a Hilux or a Ranger, such that you have confidence in the rear end’s oodles of grip despite rain and an unladen bed.

BEST-IN-CLASS legroom and rear seatback angle

The brakes are strong, and despite a slight mushiness at the first millimeters of travel, offer fade-free predictable performance, again despite heavy downpours through Cavite and Batangas.

In traffic, the AVT multimedia system plays decent tunes, and the reverse camera makes it easier still to park in tight slots. The GPS/SatNav system also receives an update: it now tells you the speed limits on every road you are on, informs you of speed cameras on the highway, and warns you to slow down on intersections, pedestrian crossings and merging roads. Neat! Annoying at times, but really neat!

CLEAN diesel engine

If you ever need a pickup that will see a lot of highway use, and some light to moderate off-road dirt trails, the Mitsubishi Strada, with its all-new 4N15 engine is worth a look. Fast, efficient (an average of 9.7 km/liter on spirited driving, 8.7 km/liter in the city, and 14 km/liter on the highway), manageable in size, and the guilt-free feeling of driving a properly clean diesel engine is all rolled into a competitively priced package.

Mitsubishi’s Strada GT will always be a favorite. Check it out at this week’s Philippine International Motorshow.