Peugeot Landtrek: a French bakkie on its way to win over South African hearts.

The Peugeot Landtrek double cab bakkie is an excellent newcomer on the South African market that poses a notable threat to other bakkies. That is already an impressive result on its own as the bakkie segment is a notoriously tough nut to crack in our country. Many brand has found this out the hard way.

Contrary to what one might think, this is not Peugeot’s first rodeo in the segment. In fact, they made many bakkies already. Bakkie-enthusiasts will probably remember the 202, 403, 404 and 504 bakkies that served as workhorses throughout Africa since 1938.

Williams Hunt dived in to see if the Landtrek has what it takes to make it in the highly competitive South African market.

Strong and attractive-looking

The Peugeot Landtrek is the brainchild of a joint venture between Peugeot and Changan Automobile. It’s effectively a rebadged version of the Chinese Kaicene F70 bakkie with all the goodness and appeal of Peugeot’s passenger cars.

The magnitude of the Landtrek’s size and design will certainly turn heads as you go. The strong and attractive-looking muscular front end of the car is defined by a large grille framed with a flashy chrome surround and LED headlights.

Roar

The 1.9-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 110 kW and 350 Nm of torque starts up with a roar and the bakkie cruises comfortably and effortlessly on the highway.

If you wish to save fuel, there’s an Eco drive mode to dull the throttle feel and transmission responses to optimise fuel consumption. If you are looking to perk up the throttle response to modify the transmission’s shift pattern to maximise performance, switch to sport drive mode.

Switch from 2H to 4H

Thanks to a shift-on-the-fly off-road dial you can switch from 2H (rear-wheel-drive) to 4H (four-wheel drive) and 4L (low range) to conquer tough terrain. Should you need maximum traction to battle a tricky off-road obstacle, the rear diff lock is activated at the push of a button.

The steering wheel provides a positive feel with a light motion, making it almost as if you are driving an SUV. We found the clear and sharp 360-degree camera extremely useful when parking, driving in tight spaces and off-road situations. This is arguably a highlight of the Landtrek making it one of the few cars in its segment to sport this feature.

Load up in the big bak!

The Landtrek has a maximum tow capacity of 3 000 kg and a payload capacity up to 1 050 kg with, what Peugeot claims to be, the biggest “bak” in the segment.

Another highlight is this bakkie’s interior. It’s not only impressive in terms of design and fit-and-finish, but also very comfortable. The materials used (leather seats and steering wheel) give the cabin a sophisticated and almost chique feel.

Safety features for the Landtrek include: 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control with traction control, brake assist, hill descent control, front and rear park distance control sensors, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, trailer sway control and tyre-pressure monitoring.

That’s a yes for us!

Can the Peugeot Landtrek win over South African bakkie buyers? We think that’s a yes! Get in contact with your nearest CFAO Mobility Peugeot Dealership for more information or book a test drive!