2000 Mitsubishi Strada GLX review from Thailand

There was a serious problem with the brakes, the hoses had leaks coupled with a faulty power br brakes unit which needed to be replaced.

Other than that everything is working fine.

This car is very reliable, apart from the breaking problem which I assumed was the nature of the car having mushy breaks eventually led to me crashing the car at a higher rate of speed. The car held up OK because I crashed over the cement median that separates two roads and so the undercarriage and bumper was replaced by the insurance agency.

There is no ABS on this trim level "GLX" which is the second highest trim level available, but there is on the top model. I probably should have gone with the top model the GLS Grandis because I would have had the ABS and driver side airbag. Not having ABS is not a problem now that the break system is working as the truck breaks decently. My Friends Camry with ABS breaks much better than my truck as did the Honda Jazz and a few other cars which arguably are lighter than the strada.

The car looks very very nice, the hood and lights of this car look more modern than the offerings of Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu and Ford/Mazda for the year 2000 and to some degree still as modern as they are now, this is probably why the new L200 still offers the same face virtually minus a grille change in 2002 which looked ugly and a recent one in 2004 which looks similar to mine.

I don't have airbags in my car, but there is power windows, power mirrors, airconditioning, and all the other cabin comforts you would want in a modern car. The dash board looks modern with all the controlls in easy access, I don't have a time display which was apparently present on previous models, most the competition has it, and tho not necessary its absense is missed.

The seats are supportive and comfortable for a truck, I'm tall at about 6ft 1, and there is plenty of room for me thanks a lot to the rear backseat bench of the megacab design, I'm not sure what allowance single cabs would get. Mine has 2 doors with a back bench, though the larger 4 door may have even more room for passangers. You really have to weigh out what you want though, because the 4 door really has a small truck bed, I'm happy with my choice because whilst the single cab has a larger bed, there is room if needbe for 2 others to jump in the back yet enough space to justify getting a pickup, id probably get an SUV if I was getting a 4 door pickup. American pickups tend to be much bigger than their Japanese counterparts so my comment really only applies to the Japanese offerings.

The truck has been driven offroad in wet muddy conditions and handles very well, that said If you are doing a lot of it, id recommend a 4wd version of the L200 Strada because a few times like when backing up on loose asphalt and trying to turn I've lost grip and dig a whole rather than move (rear wheel drive vehicle)

Whilst interior fit is good, theres a very annoying problem with rattling which I think I've tracked down to one in the dashboard, the window plastic shields (to smoke with windows cracked in rain, tho I don't smoke) and maybe in my side of the door. the stereo playing does little to muffle the sound tho I do have keen hearing due to my djing hobby perhaps as my dad and others don't see the rattles as that big a deal.

The car handles very well for a truck, and doesn't tend to have much play in it. I don't like driving it at high speeds however, perhaps I'm a little reluctant to after my accident which was really the brakes problem I should of addressed and not the cars fault, nevertheless I've lost the confidence to really drive the car like I had before.

Its been a good reliable car for me, it's a diesel and so returns good mileage for a motor of this size, the truck is a good worker, doesn't strain under heavy loads when carrying furniture and other heavy items I've taken when moving house and it returns decent performance when driving around town, Its not a gutless wonder despite it being an automatic transmission paired to the naturally sluggish diesel, yet its not a sports car nor intended to be one, it cruises well on the highway with the OD. flooring the pedal or gunning it will turn that frugal diesel into a very thirsty beast believe me, I see the fuel indicator change after a brief agressive drive. Trucks are also geared to carry heavy weights and not to be fast though I can get almost 130kmph on straights and over 140kmph on downs. I will probably get a sedan for my next car as id like a quicker acceleration and more secure handling. The suspension is remarkable for a truck as it rides very very well, and is definately carlike.

I read reports that a Mitsubishi SUV derived from this truck the "montero sport" is not very safe in crash tests. This contradicts my experience tho, and Id doubt any other offering in the class of small pickups be any better, get ABS models with airbags if this is a major concern, and do some additional research on crash ratings if you need additional information.

I definately recommend this car as its reliable, and easy to love due to its attractive face and "stand by you" character, pickups are no longer just workers as they are SUV alternatives and lifestyles vehicles, this is clear when getting into the Mitsubishi strada and its competitors upper trim offerings.