2019 Mitsubishi Strada Spied In Santa Rosa, Flaunting Its Dynamic Shield Design

The refreshed Mitsubishi Strada, known as the Triton/L200 in many parts of the world, has just been unveiled last November 9 in Bangkok, Thailand, and it seems that it has arrived in the Philippines much quicker than we thought.

While we were shooting for our Christmas special reviews for this year as our way of saying thank you for making this a special year for us, we’ve stumbled upon a curious looking Strada, flaunting its Dynamic Shield design and toughened lines and edges.

This particular Graphite Gray unit is roaming around Sta. Rosa, Laguna, which is within close proximity to the brand’s manufacturing plant and joint training center with Nissan, probably undergoing local testing before the Strada is finally released to the public.

We initially speculated an early 2019 launch, but the Strada’s arrival in the Philippines signals that its launch is probably much closer than we initially thought.

Nevertheless, this gives us the opportunity to finally see the Strada in the Philippines. The pick-up’s mid-cycle refresh gives it a heavily refreshed look, as well as a new transmission and more high-tech safety features. The new Strada follows the “Engineered Beyond Tough” theme, with the designers placing emphasis on the Strada’s tough and follows a “Rock Solid” concept. This is evident with the Strada’s new fascia, featuring the latest interpretation of Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield grille. The high engine hood line and beefier-looking lamps located higher up give the new model a more powerful and imposing front face.

Inside, the changes are much more minor, and these include the center console, buttons, switches, and aircon vents. The addition of soft touch materials in the armrests, center console, door inserts, and parking brake do a lot in improving the cabin vibe of the Strada. Satin silver finishes are scattered in key places in the interior, which gives the interior a modern and sophisticated look

The engine remains unchanged, which is the 2.4-liter inline-4 4N15 MIVEC turbodiesel engine, producing 181 hp and 430 Nm of torque. This time though, it gets mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission. 4×4 models receive either a Super-Select 4WD or Easy-Select 4WD, which simplifies switching between drive modes for different road surfaces.

The biggest internal change to the Strada, however, is the addition of a new set of high-tech safety gear. This includes Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Forward Collision Mitigation with pedestrian detection, as well as Ultrasonic Misacceleration Mitigation System.