I’ve got this soft spot when it comes to Mitsubishi off-roaders.  Call them crude, but there’s something—either with their stance or look that simply makes them ruggedly beautiful.  This is especially true with the likes of the first L200 and Pajero that became Filipino favorites.  Even today, the amount of L200 that you still see plying the roads is a testament to their excellent durability.  As the years past through, these modern day workhorses soon became overfed and overweight.  Soon, the Strada (as what the 4WD model is now called), the L200 gained all sorts of fender extensions, needless interior knickknacks and other hefty accessories that simply penalized performance (if the 2.5-liter 4D56 engine wasn’t already being pushed to its limits).

Now on what could be its swansong year, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines has recognized the Strada’s rather substantial weight gain and decided that this pick-up needed to go to the gym.  The net result is the Strada GLX Double Cab.  From a glance, the Strada is a testament to simplicity—no more fender flares, sensors, automatic this and automatic that.  Even the rear bumper comes as an accessory.  And it’s beautiful.  It manages to bring back the days when pick-ups were simply pick-ups: modern day beasts of burden that’s supposed to haul lots of stuff—everything else is secondary.  Still, the Strada GLX Double Cab manages to be butch with its squared-off frame, large multi-reflector headlamps and the trademark turbo hood scoop.  There are some interesting details here and there such as the single pen stroke line that runs from the front fender all the way to the bed and the white-out combination lamps.  Being 2006 though, Mitsubishi still gave the Strada GLX some decisively modern (if not expected) cosmetic enhancements: chromed mirrors, fat 15-inch steel wheels with 205/80 R 16 all-terrain rubber and a built-in black sidestep board (improving ingress/egress too).

Like its exterior, the Strada GLX’s interior is a mix of the past and the present.  Overall though, the ergonomics is beginning to show its age with an awkward driving position (more of the steering wheel angle) and the lack of minute seating adjustments (it only moves in four directions).  Except for people with large frames, the seats themselves are quite comfortable with the perfect balance of support and bolstering.  The rubber/fabric combination and see-through headrests also lend the interior a degree of sportiness—perfect for those who’re dreaming of running the Dakar rally.  The beautiful seats aside, the Strada GLX’s interior is pretty basic with just the Kenwood Stereo/CD/MP3 sound system as the major highlight.  Again, the controls and switches are all basic but at least they’re easy to understand and operate.  The ventilation controls though could have at least benefited from rotary rather than slide switches as the latter’s clumsy to use.

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