Mitsubishi Philippines quietly launches the Strada Athlete

If you take a quick look at Mitsubishi Philippine’s website you will find that a new model has been added to its lineup. It isn’t, however, the Xpander Cross which is set to make its debut on March 13, 2020. This new vehicle is a pickup truck, the Mitsubishi Strada Athlete to be precise. Pricing for the new variant of the Strada starts at P1,443,000 for the 2WD model and P1,760,000 for the 4WD model.

The new variant of the popular pickup now comes with features that set it apart from the other variants in the model lineup. These features include an Orange and Black leather seats with orange stitching, a new orange bodycolor,  blacked-out radiator grille, black door handles, black side mirrors, a new black roll bar at the rear, a new set of black 18-inch wheels, blacked-out headlights, and new graphic stickers that can be seen on the sides. If it isn’t obvious by now the Athlete carries a black and orange color scheme that can be seen both on the exterior and interior of the pickup truck.

Two variants are available for the Strada Athlete, these come in the form of a 4x2 and 4x4. Both of these variants come with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The four-wheel-drive variant also comes with a Super Select 4WD system giving the pickup truck grip when you need it most. Powering the orange and black-clad pickup truck is the familiar 2.4-liter 4N15 inline 4 DOHC turbo diesel engine. The diesel fed powerplant produces 178hp and 430 Nm of torque. 

Just like the Strada GT variant, it’s based on, the Athlete also shares in the following safety features: Mitsubishi Active Stability and Traction Control, Forward Collision Mitigation System, Ultrasonic Misacceleration Mitigation System, Hill Descent Control, Hill Start Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Trailer Stability Assist, It also comes with a reverse camera, auto high beams, and lastly 7-SRS airbags. While the quiet release was unexpected its still a welcomed addition to Mitsubishi’s local lineup.