A MIGHTY "roar" isn't something you often "hear" about when one talks about the French lion.
Let alone associate the act with any of the brand's models, which isn't surprising when the company's engineering for decades has been known more for its design and executive leaning.
Until now that is.
Stealthily, Peugeot decided to throw in its lot with the roughest and toughest of the terrain by pouncing into the 4x4 pickup truck scene.
Brave introduction for all the loud rumble it makes but it is no easy fight if it wants to come out on top as the king of the Pride Lands.
In a market where reliability and hardiness dominate the pack, the Landtrek has its work cut out as it finds itself in the middle of a stiff and grit-soaked stand-off.
PUTTING IN THE WORKS
Pivoted towards lifestyle offerings, the sole dual-cab 1.9D Allure variant Landtrek's cabin is decked in a sole leatherette upholstery option. Both front seats get six-way power adjustment with two-way lumbar support while the rear seats have a 60:40 split-folding layout.
The telescopic adjustable steering wheel is also wrapped in leather.
The central instrument cluster houses a 4.2-inch colour display while the 10-inch touchscreen infotainment head unit supports voice commands and smartphone connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The head unit also supports Bluetooth for telephone and audio playback while the reverse camera feed display includes distance and width guidelines.
The front exterior is fitted with automatic LED headlamps and daytime running lights while there are fog lamps on the front and rear.
Standard highlights include rain-sensing windscreen wipers, power-adjusting and folding exterior mirrors with indicators, keyless entry, roof rails and side steps.
There are two parking sensors in front and four at the back while the door handles are finished in chrome.
At its heart is a 1.9 litre inline-four turbodiesel engine that delivers 152PS at 4,000rpm and 350Nm of torque from 1,800rpm.
It is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission that delivers power to all four wheels via a BorgWarner transfer box.
A rotary dial allows for the selection of several drivetrain modes, which are two-wheel drive (2WD) high-range, four-wheel drive (4WD) high-range and 4WD low-range.
The rear axle incorporates a mechanically locking rear differential.
It runs on 18-inch alloy wheels with ventilated disc brakes in front and drums at the rear. It has a double-wishbone setup in front and leaf springs at the rear.
Off-roading capabilities include a wading depth of 600mm, a side-slope angle of 42 degrees, and a ground clearance of 235mm.
The advanced features include a lane departure warning system, hill descent control and hill start assist, anti-lock braking system, stability control and anti-skit regulation.
The standard safety features include airbags on all sides (driver and front passenger, front side, as well as a front and rear curtain), seat belt reminders in the first and second rows, pre-tensioning for the front row, load-limiting belts with height-adjustable anchor points, Isofix anchor points, and top tether positions for the child restraint system.
The Landtrek is priced from RM120,072 on-the-road without insurance and comes with a five-year or 100,000km, whichever comes first, manufacturer warranty.
It is available in the six exterior colour options of Ceramic White, Silver Grey, Magnetic Blue, Red Rubi, Rockstone Grey and the Landtrek-exclusive Olea Green.
SINO-FRENCH DNA
It may come as a surprise to many but this isn't the French carmaker's first rodeo with pickup trucks.
Its earliest venture can be traced back to 1938 with the 202 model that came with a two-door pickup variant.
A few more models throughout the years would follow a similar arrangement until the 504 pickup truck that was officially introduced in 1979, signalling the Lion's more dedicated take in the pickup scene.
Fast forward to today and the Landtrek, which has been jointly developed with Changan Automobile, shares its platform and most of its looks with the mid-size pickup truck Kaicene F70.
The result is a partnership that has a little of everything that's good and what isn't so much - credit and responsibility are shared either way since this is a collaboration.
What the Landtrek benefits from is the Peugeot brand's DNA characteristics in design. It might just be the most executive-looking pickup truck in the current market.
This goes for both inside and out. This writer likes the bold look of the exterior that feels massive and mighty, yet not so outlandish.
The cabin gives a good sense of premium by pickup truck standards with a mix of hard plastic and leather.
The keywords are executive, modern and refined. It is comfortable to be in - at least for the front passengers - and pleasing to the senses everywhere both visually and to the touch. My personal colour pick is Olea Green as it really makes the truck a standout.
Performance is where things get rough around the edges, especially the more you spend time with the pickup. It's a quality that either works in the Landtrek's favour or not.
Everything starts out smooth and fine until you hit certain speeds or go through certain terrain conditions.
When I mentioned "roar" earlier, I meant it in a literal sense. The engine can get quite loud by modern standards, even if it is a pickup truck.
This escalates the more you press on the accelerator, which wouldn't be so bad in itself other than being a head-turner. The biggest offender is the external wind noise that you get from inside the truck when it reaches around the 120kph mark.
My guess is that the soundproofing of the Landtrek needs more work. The cabin of the truck becomes a noisy mess at that point, which can only be drowned out by the increase in audio volume from the infotainment unit.
The steering feel could do with more modern refinement as well as it can get heavy, akin to back in the old days of what driving a pickup truck feels like.
Its suspension could also do with some tuning as the current setup feels especially stiff in the rear. Pickup trucks aren't generally known for their refinement in this area but the bounce you get on a rough road can be a lot. If you're a rear passenger, get ready for one bumpy ride.
Unfortunately, there were some technical mishaps that happened during my time with the truck but were not experienced by others, so this may be an isolated case.
They include locked indicators on the driver display and even a drive transmission that locked itself to a certain speed limit, which could only be rectified after turning the pickup truck on and off multiple times. This happened after we switched to 4WD mode and wanted to go back to 2WD.
In the end, we couldn't figure out what the issue was and again, I would like to emphasise that mine seemed to be an isolated case.
VERDICT
If "Hey, that sounds just like a pickup truck" is what's going through your mind right now, then you are correct to say the Landtrek is a true-blue pickup truck.
I actually enjoyed my time with it. It's not a bad model and actually drives smoothly with little to no vibrations felt in the cabin. Just that it is rough around the edges.
The Landtrek's greatest burden is its image paired with expectations. Call it a crisis of identity if you will as it's a clash of lifestyle aspects.
Peugeots have always been known for refinements but this stops at the looks department, with not much more found in the performance.
Does the Peugeot badge make a difference to you versus what a pickup truck is meant to be? You'll need to balance your expectations between character and usability.
Another field it will have to trek across is the fierce competition it faces. The French lion, as you can tell, isn't the most prominent contender in the pickup truck game.
Therefore, it has to prove its reliability against more established rivals in an already savage (limited) market - and the only way to know that is through the test of courage and time.