As promised, Mitsubishi gave the all-new Strada a power upgrade. Its 2.4-liter MIVEC diesel has two turbochargers (for high-spec versions), now packing over 200hp and 470Nm of torque. It’s a substantial upgrade over the current model, and a much needed one, too. However, there are those wondering why there’s no V6 option.
Of course, the reason it was brought up is because one of its chief rivals packs a six-cylinder under the hood, namely the Ford Ranger. Mitsubishi gave an explanation to that recently when asked by Australian motoring site, Drive. Apparently, it’s not as simple as sticking in any V6 from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance parts bin.
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Mitsubishi did say that the larger dimensions of the redesigned Strada makes it possible to fit a V6 under the hood. However, the Alliance does not have a six-cylinder engine that currently meets emission regulation laws in certain parts of the world. Looking at engines from the three companies, the only suitable candidate is what’s called the V9X engine, and that was discontinued all the way back in 2017.
If you’re curious, the V9X does pump out healthy numbers. The 3.0-liter V6 diesel put out 228hp and, more importantly, 550Nm of torque. It’s still behind Ford’s Powerstroke V6 diesel (250hp, 597Nm), but the V9X isn’t bad for something that was first introduced in 2009.
The Strada’s chief product specialist, Yoshiki Masuda, explains, ‘At the end of the day we chose the 2.4 diesel engine, and some gasoline engines for some countries. At this moment we start with this one, the 2.4’. When asked about the V6, he said ‘But we also have to think about efficiency, CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations), those kind of things. We haven’t decided.’
