This is it, ladies and gentlemen. This is perhaps the most important pickup launch of the year.
After months of countless teasers, videos, and previews, Mitsubishi has finally unveiled the all-new Strada in nine years. Known as the Triton in most parts of the world, the extensively redesigned pickup boasts a new chassis, a more powerful engine, and heaps more tech than ever before.
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Perhaps it comes as no surprise that the all-new Strada/Triton looks much like the XRT Concept that was shown in Bangkok earlier this year. The new pickup boasts a more upright and bolder design, along with a more prominent Dynamic Shield grille. It also has high-mounted lights and foglamps that follows Mitsubishi’s current design language.
There’s more of that boxiness on its side, and the ‘J-Line’ doors are less pronounced that before. As for the bed, it had larger tail lights and the overall area is larger than the current model. Being a pickup, the new Strada/Triton will come in a variety of body styles. There’s the cab and chassis, single cab, extended cab, and, of course, the dual cab.
The blocky and angular theme of the exterior carries over to the interior. The dashboard fascia is much more angular than the one found in the outgoing model, and the infotainment screen is now a large, nine-inch ‘floating’ unit. Further giving it a utilitarian aesthetic are the toggle switches on the center stack.
We can also expect the new three-spoke steering wheel to appear in more Mitsubishi models down the line. Plus, Mitsubishi is rather proud of the interior materials used in the all-new Strada/Triton with soft touch materials at the front. Also, the larger body means more interior space with 50mm more shoulder width than the outgoing model.
Powering the all-new Strada/Triton is the 4N16 MIVEC clean diesel engine. As promised, it now packs more power than the familiar 4N15 engine used in the outgoing model. The new 4N16 now punches out 201hp and 470Nm of torque, so it’s no longer at the back of the pack. For comparison, the 4N15 made 179hp and 430Nm of torque, so the new engine sees an improvement of 22hp and 40Nm. Now those are gains we expect to feel if we get our hands on this truck in the future.
Also upgraded is the four-wheel drive system and it includes Active Yaw Control, active LSD, a torque-sensing center differential, and seven driving modes including Eco, Normal, Mud, Snow, Sand, Gravel, and Rock
Mitsubishi improved the active safety systems in the pickup. There’s now junction assist, front cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and autonomous emergency braking. The company is aiming to get high marks in crash and safety tests given its stronger and sturdier frame.
Production for the all-new Strada/Triton has begun with Thailand being the first to get it. Mitsubishi says rollout will for other countries will start soon after. As for the local launch, that’s still up in the air, but we’re hoping it’s before the end of 2023.
