IT may seem strange on the surface to see a pickup truck with the Peugeot griffin on the nose but that's a uniquely Malaysian problem.
Peugeot has been in the commercial vehicle segment since 1938 with its vans and trucks, with the 504 becoming famous for its reliability and dependability. But for Malaysia, a lot of that history isn't relevant - Peugeot is a passenger car brand, and a storied one at that.
But with parent company Stellantis seeking to dominate the Asean market, Malaysia is benefiting hugely from an expanded product lineup.
Peugeot's new Landtrek aims to be the most lifestyle of lifestyle pickups, offering more functional practicality for lifestyle users rather than trades people and commercial buyers.
This is evident from the Landtrek lineup, or lack thereof. It's being made available in a sole dual-cab variant, with a 1.9-litre turbodiesel up front and a six-speed automatic in the middle. Power goes to all-four wheels via a BorgWarner transfer box, something that Stellantis is clear to point out in an attempt to mask the fact that the Landtrek is based on a Changan truck of some variety.
The engine may seem small but it's more than up to the task. With 150PS and 350Nm of torque on offer, the Landtrek offers enough get-up-and-go for most situations.
With peak torque arriving early at just 1,800rpm, the Landtrek never feels lethargic, although it remains to be seen if it can maintain that composure under load.
As with many Peugeots, the most outstanding feature of the Landtrek is actually its styling. Look hard and you'll find traces of the unnamed Chinese truck, although it's been dolled up nicely by the designers at Stellantis.
With its Lion-Claw daytime running lights, bejewelled taillights, concave Peugeot grille and prominent badging on the nose and rump there's no mistaking the Landtrek for any other pickup. This is a key point to consider given that more and more pickups are beginning to look like loose copies of each other.
But it's the interior where the Landtrek pulls a fast one on you as save for the normal-sized steering wheel and orientation (where the instruments sit within the wheel, rather than above it in a iCockpit Peugeot), it feels like everything else is in the lineup.
Sure, there's hard plastic about and it does remind you of its utilitarian roots periodically, but as a whole it feels like the Peugeot it claims to be, rather than a pretender shooed in to fill a vacancy.
And that continues into the drive, where you immediately notice a more commanding seating position when compared to the likes of the Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Triton.
The wide bonnet and rising wings means that from the driver's position you never forget the sheer girth of the Landtrek. Peer out the back and you'll notice how far away the tail is - that's down to the "class-leading" interior space and full-size truck bed.
What's slightly irritating is the lack of blind-spot monitoring, as the marks on the furthest edge of the mirrors are actually heaters. How French.
But the ride is perhaps the most surprising of all, where in place of a jarringly uncomfortable ride like one would expect from what is ultimately a Chinese truck, you instead find the security and confidence of a European offering.
Even on the "crash-iest" of surfaces, the Landtrek maintains composure and poise.
The Landtrek apparently had completed 100,000km in six months as part of its stress test in Malaysia before it was cleared for sale. Therefore, its suspension should keep up with the very worst the country's roads have to offer.
One area where the Landtrek is somewhat a letdown is refinement. Wind noise is very well suppressed but road noise less so.
This may be down to the tyres, as the Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain rubber is an unusually aggressive choice for what's ultimately positioned as a lifestyle vehicle.
You wouldn't imagine seeing that on a 3008, would you? But it does, at least, set off the 18-inch dual-tone alloys pretty well, so perhaps it's a price worth paying for style.
This
brings us neatly to the elephant in the room: At RM120,074 (with road tax but not insurance), the Landtrek is not a budget offering like the Isuzu D-Max, aimed at the most price-sensitive of pickup buyers.
Instead, Peugeot believes that it will instead be seen as a value offering. The Landtrek is relatively fully-loaded, replete with the five-year warranty and service package that's become a Bermaz hallmark.
So is this a successful marriage of French flair and Chinese ingenuity? Perhaps. But what's clear is that Peugeot means business with the Landtrek, and it'll be fun to watch the scales potentially waver away from the Japanese heavyweights in the
segment.