Meet the Peugeot Landtrek– a French/Chinese double-cab that was launched in our market this week. South Africanshave an insatiable appetite, love, and passion for bakkies, but the Landtrek is up against a horde of well-established models. Does it stand a chance? We got behind the newcomer’s wheel.

This week, some social media commentatorssuggested that every new (non-mainstream) bakkie on our market seems to be based on the Nissan Navara, but this is NOT the case with the Landtrek. Instead, the Landtrek is a result of Peugeot and its Chinese joint venture partner Changan Automobile working together to create a sub-brand called Kaicene and its first product was the China-only F70.

The more seasoned petrolheads among us canattest that the Landtrek is not Peugeot’s first rodeo in the bakkie market;the French brand at least has some legacy in this department – the 404 and 504 bakkies from 1963 and 1979 are the most well-knownexamples. The lineagestretches back even further than that – a Peugeot 202 pickup debuted as long ago as 1938, as a matter of fact!

Peugeot SA is in a good space – it’s opening new dealerships and the brand’s sales numbers are on the up. Its newcomer enters a segment of the market that, despite the pandemic and difficult economic conditions, has rallied throughout the past 2 years;it commandsaround 30% of total new vehicle sales andbuyers tend to favour double-cabs with turbodiesel engines mated with automatic transmissions.

What’s on offer?

The Peugeot Landtrek is built in China and retains some styling traits of the French marque, both inside and out. Peugeot is offering the Landtrek in 2flavours: Allure 4×2 and 4Action 4×4. Both are powered by a 1.9-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 110 kW and 350 Nm and is combined with a 6-speed automatic transmission. So far, the newcomer is on trend with the market’s preferences, then.

In terms of off-road capabilities, the Landtrek 4Action 4×4 offers shift-on-the-fly 2H to 4H,as well as a low-range transfer case (for 4L), has an approach/departure angle of 29 and 27 degrees respectively, a maximum wading depth of 600 mm and a ground clearance of 235 mm, which puts it in good company.

The Allure 4×2 and 4Action4×4 comewith an impressive array of standard equipmentand customers can choose from 6 exterior finishes. Peugeot SA also confirmed it would be offering an accessories programme for the bakkie, which includes canopies, bike racks,and roof racks, to name but a few options.

Landtrek specifications

Allure 4×2

17-inch alloys

Chrome detailing

Electric, heated folding mirrors

LED daytime running lights

Load bin light

Partial cloth/leather trim

Cooled glovebox

6 cupholders

Leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel

Electric windows

10-inch HD infotainment system with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay

10 GBonboard storage

2x USB ports

Auto lights and -wipers

Tyre pressure sensors

180-degree reverse-view camera

Rear park assist

4Action 4×4

All of the above, plus:

18-inch alloys

Side steps

Further chrome detailing

Leather trim

6-way adjustable driver and passenger seat

On-board satellite navigation

360-degree camera

4×4 low-range gearbox

Rear mechanical differential lock

Additional safety features: lane departure warning.

Standard safety equipment includes ABS with EBD and EBA, electronic stability -, traction-, hill descent- andtrailer stability, as well as hill-start assist. Half a dozen airbags are fitted.

Peugeot Landtrek ride and drive

The Peugeot Landtrek is a rather attractive and premium-looking bakkie, particularly when viewed from the front. The array of interesting exterior colours, including Olea Green (shown here), makes itstand out a bit more than other offerings in the segment. When you step inside, you’ll spot traditional Peugeot trim details, such aspiano key-likeswitches on the fasciaand the substantial infotainment screen.

There’s adecidedly upmarket feel to the cabin, which has a thoroughly modern design and is equipped with enough tech features to keep most buyers happy (we think). For a bakkie – a vehicle that is a light commercial vehicle at its very core – the Landtrek is among the plusher and better-equipped offerings in its segment.

Our launch route was lengthy;it comprisedhighway driving, urban crawling and we had a chance to put the vehicle through its paces on a 4×4 track. Our first impression of the newcomer was, unfortunately, not positive:the 1.9-litre engine feelsquite sluggish when pulling away. There’s a bit of turbo lag when you flattenthe accelerator pedal, so you’ll need to be mindful of the motor’s leisurelyacceleration.

However, once the French bakkie is up to speed, it offers adequate performance for its engine size; it does not battle to keep up with traffic, for example. The 6-speed automatic ‘box provides smooth upshifts, but, again,tends to hesitate beforechanging down. There’s a manual override and a sport mode, which helps negate this lethargy by increasingthe engine’s responsiveness. There’s also an eco-driving mode, but we didn’t feel its effect…To the bakkie’s credit, in normal mode, we averaged around 9 L/100 km, which is close to Peugeot’s claim of 8.9 L/100 km (4×2) and 9.1 L/100 km (4×4).

As far as ride and handling are concerned, the Landtrek’s on-road demeanour is not dissimilar to those of most bakkies (based ona ladder-frame chassis with a leaf-spring suspension at the back). Without any weight on the rear axle, the Peugeot’s body does tend to jiggle about when traversing uneven road surfaces. We did, however, find that the front suspension coped admirably with some particularly poor sections of road and the level of NVH was pretty low. Then there’s that steering setup, which is very light and easy to wield – and that’s handy when executingtight maneuvres in a large double-cab bakkie.

Meanwhile, the 4Action derivative completed the 4×4 course with little fuss. The 4×4 operation is straightforward with a rotary dial that enablesyou to switch between 2-High, 4-High and 4-Low with ease. The rear diff-lock is activated by a button and helped to get us out of one particularly nasty dip. The 360-degree camera system lets you survey the surrounding terrain and itsdisplay is impressively sharp.

Summary

Not to be unkind, but the Peugeot Landtrek is unlikely to challenge the marquee bakkie nameplates(Hilux and Ranger).Peugeot, despite its bakkie history, simply does not have brand cachet in the bakkie market, which partly explains why the discontinued (Mitsubishi Triton-based) Fiat Fullbacknever sold well. The bakkie fraternity is decidedly brand-loyal and usually reluctant to adopt as-yet-unproven models.

Having said that, with the bakkie market being so diverse (it offers a variety of models across a broadprice spectrum), there’s an opportunity for the Peugeot Landtrek to steal sales from the other fringe players, such as the Mazda BT-50, Mahindra Pik-Upand Mitsubishi Triton. The tremendous value-for-money proposition of Chinese brand GWM’s P-Series is bound to trouble all of the above, however.

So, should you take a second look at the Peugeot Landtrek? The newcomer offers a well-appointed, upmarket cabin with good levels of fit and finish– it will certainly appeal to family-car buyers. The weak point of the Landtrekpackage is its seemingly gutless powertrain. Peugeot, JAC and Mazda offer a1.9-litre turbodiesel engine in their bakkies, but most manufacturers offer bigger motors in their products and we have to remind ourselves that the majority of bakkies that journalists evaluate produceconsiderably higher outputs than the Landtrek. Perhaps we should lowerour expectations accordingly.

We look forward to a second date with the Landtrek, this time on our home turf for a longer period of time to really understand the bakkie and get to grips with what’s on offer.

How much does the Peugeot Landtrek cost in SA?

The new bakkie offering from Peugeot is sold with a 5-year/100 000 km warranty, and a 5-year/100 000 km service plan.

Landtrek Allure R579 900

Landtrek 4Action R669 900

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New Peugeot Landtrek in SA (2021) Specs & Price

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