In the local market, carmakers with pickup trucks in their lineups offer special variants that provide the same output, but with a lot more style and goodies. For example, Toyota has the Hilux Conquest, Nissan has the Navara Black Edition, and Chevrolet has the Colorado Trail Boss. Let’s leave Ford out of the equation because its Ranger Raptor delivers a much higher level of performance. But what about Mitsubishi?
Unfortunately, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines (MMPC) has none such vehicle in its roster to compete with the likes of the aforementioned pickups. Elsewhere in the region, though, that has just recently changed with the debut of the all-new Mitsubishi Triton Athlete in Thailand. In case you didn’t know, the Triton is the Strada’s counterpart in other markets.
We wish MMPC would bring this in—in the near future, hopefully? For now, let’s go ahead and take a look first.
We’ll get this out of the way first: The Triton Athlete sees no changes under its hood, as it still packs a 2.4-liter MIVEC Clean Diesel engine that generates 179hp and 430Nm of torque—that’s the same engine powering the Strada here in the Philippines. The changes you get with this new pickup are aesthetic: The front grille, bumpers, side steps, and roof have all been blacked out for a deeply aggressive look. The wheels have also been given a similarly blacked-out design, and special decals have been applied around the exterior.
The cabin features a similar theme as the outside. The leather seats sport a two-tone design and the Athlete logo. The soft-touch materials on the side panels also bear the same contrasting colors.
Safety features apart from the usual brake assist and ABS with EBD include hill-start assist, active stability control, front-collision and ultrasonic misacceleration mitigation systems, blind-spot warning with lane-change assist, and rear cross-traffic alert. A 360-degree-view monitor for easier parking has been equipped here as well, including an automatic high-beam function.
So, what do you think about this look for the Strada? Do you think it’ll stack up well against the competitors in its segment?
