Peugeot bakkie set to pay the price for lofty sticker

Forget Covid-19, BLM, LGBTQ, Global Warming and anything else remotely politically important for a moment and step back into the world of motoring.

Now try get your head around that Mercedes-Benz’ long gone X-Class was a Nissan Navara, and this was in turn a Renault Alaskan, and the next generation Mitsubishi Triton will be based on the new Navara. Mazda’s new BT-50 is Isuzu’s new D-Max, or vice versa. I can’t tell anymore these days.

Later this year, the new Volkswagen Amarok will be produced by Ford as a clone of their new Ranger. And as I say I am sure there will be more shared platforms going forward, it is time to introduce our Peugeot bakkie.

The Landtrek is based on the same platform as the Chinese Changan Kaicheng F70 and was our companion for the December holidays in flagship 4Action guise.

Right off the bat, the Peugeot bakkie seemed to be a hit on the road in terms of styling and there was a large amount of curiosity around it every time we drove it. South Africa is bakkie country and people want to know when something new lands on our shores.

The older generation will remember the 404 and 504 pickp-ups with fondness and might get into a bit of a tizz because of the Chinese link of the Landtrek and burn their berets in disgust.

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The younger generation, like my two daughters, not so much because they haven’t figured out yet that their Apple iPhones are manufactured in China. They just care that they look cool and work. Sort of just like the Landtrek.

My oldest daughter, who has only been legally driving for less than four years, and truly believes that she has learnt everything there is to know about driving and life, took huge offence to the Lane Departure Warning that kept reminding her that she was not exactly driving within the lines.

As if to add insult to injury, when she parked and the Landtrek’s wheels were not facing straight forward, a warning would flash up on the dash to remind her to straighten them, and which way to turn the steering wheel to do so.

The clever safety stuff doesn’t stop there, besides the accepted basics of airbags and ABS, the Peugeot bakkie comes with the likes of cruise control, auto on/off LED headlights, Hill Descent Control, Stability and Trailer Swing Control with a 3.5-ton towing capacity. The latter two seem a little weird as this top of the range R669 900 lifestyle vehicle does not come with a towbar as standard fitment?

My younger daughter was the next to revel in the tech on offer with the Landtrek. Unlike her sister, she is humble enough to know that she doesn’t know everything about driving. Yet! So, she loved the assistance from the front and rear cameras that allowed her to move around and park the Peugeot bakkie like a champ.

Finally, dad was given the more serious task of driving the family to the Vaal River to spend some much-needed downtime with friends on the water.

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Jumping in the Landtrek there was more than enough space for the whole family and getting comfy made easy thanks to full electrical adjustable seats in the front. Shiny silver derived switches, steering wheel, instrument cluster and other little touches reminded you that there is a healthy dose of French flair going on with the Peugeot bakkie.

What doesn’t have a lot of flair is the somewhat agriculturally sounding 1.9-litre turbodiesel engine under the bonnet. Producing only 110 kW of power and 350 Nm of torque, its adequate at best, but it did get us into the Free State without breaking any land speed records while consuming only 9.0-litres per 100 km of diesel on average.

I will admit I didn’t bother making too much use of the Sport or Eco modes on offer with the six-speed automatic gearbox and chose to leave the Landtrek in Normal mode for on-road duties.

But I did twiddle the thumbwheel to move from 2H to 4H to play in the mud around the Vaal River, where the bakkie was happiest playing in the dirt. 4L is on offer too, as is a rear differential equipped with an e-Locker system with automatic disengagement and that provides extra traction when one-wheel spins.

I never needed this sort of grip and would probably be more than happy with the cheaper 4×2 Allure version. I tell you something, once the Chinese figure out how to get refined high power engine units into their offerings, they will move another notch up the threat meter to the established hierarchy.

The Peugeot bakkie is not without its flaws, and I could live with most of them easily. But the price for me is going to be the biggest hurdle for the success of the Landtrek. For the same sort of money, buyers can shop on the showroom floors of their local Ford and Toyota dealerships for a Ranger or a Hilux.