Peugeot Landtrek 1.9D A/T Pickup Review: Well, It Is Cheap…

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A long kit list for a comparatively low price is the main selling point of this sub-par Peugeot pickup.

Very rarely in the Malaysian auto market do we see a European car be cheaper than its equivalent Asian counterparts, and it is almost unheard of for one that also simultaneously beats its competitors on the kit front. But here we have the Peugeot Landtrek, which lands locally in its sole fully-loaded spec with a price tag that is equivalent to only the (almost) stripper-spec Toyota Hilux 2.4E.

So, as any cynic would say when such an eye-popping deal comes about, what’s the catch? Well just before getting to that, let’s just look at the positives first with this RM 118,888 Peugeot pickup.

The Good Bits

The positives of this pickup starts right from the outset with the way it looks, which is admittedly more than decent actually for what it is. With a chiseled lion inset within its stylish grille that is then flanked by sleek (and very bright) automatic LED headlights up front, 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels down its side in addition to the comparatively more atas name of Peugeot stamped across its tailgate, this handsome Landtrek is easily to be the most city chic of all the available alternatives, particularly in this rather striking Magnetic Blue hue.

Aside from its handsome aesthetic too, the Landtrek further makes a case for itself from Peugeot having gone absolutely gang-busters with the standard kit, to the point that this pickup has features that even some cars costing twice the price are missing. Among the many bits of creature comforts included within this truck are:

360º surround view camera, with low speed activation to make it manoeuvring this behemoth of a pickup slightly easier on the driver.
Dual zone automatic climate control with rear aircon vents AND automatic ventilation from the key fob
Power operated external wing mirrors with auto-fold function
6-way electrically operated front seats (driver and passenger) with 2-way lumbar adjustment on both
Rear arm rest
10-inch central infotainment screen with bluetooth connectivity, as well as wired apple car play and android auto integration
Cruise control (the traditional kind though, not adaptive)
Rain-sensing automatic wipers
Cooled glove box
Tyre pressure monitoring system
Electronic 4WD selector mode with 2WD high-range, 4WD high-range and 4WD low-range
Rear differential lock
Lane departure warning system
6 airbags

In the attempt to further class up the joint as well, Peugeot has also further thrown in some nice materials within this well-appointed Landtrek. A rather nice leather-wrapped twin spoke (tilt and telescopic) steering wheel is complemented by decent leatherette upholstery on its seat and well-padded centre console, which altogether certainly elevates the overall cabin ambience to more than what one might expect from a RM 120k pickup.

Oh, and while not having the opportunity to give this Peugeot a proper pickup workout, the claimed 1-tonne payload and 3.5-tonne towing capacity for this Landtrek puts it on par with the rest of its competitors over here. What more is that this particular workhorse does come with the added bonus of lights on its roll bar shining into the bed too, which should make it slightly easier if and when reaching behind in the dark.

The Catch

Back to the catch now however on how can Peugeot afford to price this pickup less than its contemporary rivals, the main reason for this likely lies in the fact that the RM 118,888 price tag is basically how much a 10 year old pickup would be priced with all the mod-cons added to it. Such is as so utilitarian (to use the kindest possible term) is the driving experience with this Landtrek that it really does feel like a time warp back into the unrefined old days of pickups from a decade ago.

Starting with the more complimentary aspects of the not-so-good bits first with this pickup, the 1.9-litre turbodiesel four-pot is actually decently powerful enough, not just within the context of sub-2.0-litre pickups, but in general really. Ignoring the old-school lump of turbo lag from the get go —where nothing happens for about 2 seconds off the lights before the turbo finally decides to spool — the 150 hp and 350 Nm of torque offered up from the oil burner under the hood can nevertheless see this truck get up to some decent speed in a shorter than expected amount of time.

It however remains to be determined as to whether anyone is actually brave enough to keep one’s foot buried into its (admittedly decently trimmed) floor mats in order to be bemused at that prospect. That is as while the Landtrek can get up to speed with relative ease if one really wants to hustle it, its steering and brakes — that are as vague as a politicians answer and spongier than a shortcake respectively — will relay to the self-preservation part of one’s brain that toning it down to simply chugging along with this pickup is probably the safer alternative.

After all, it really is not that big an exaggeration to state that there is absolutely no feedback from the front wheels of the Landtrek above even a moderately low speed, with said same front wheels taking an armful of (rather effortful) twirling just to manoeuvre this Goliath around too. Its totally non-existent brake feel meanwhile offer no confidence at all above moderate double digit speeds, and bear in mind that this is with nothing in the bed and no one else in the cab!

Now understandably, complaints about a wooly steering and spongy brakes with a pickup is not exactly the most fair critique for a workhorse. Ultimately, no one will likely be treating this load-lugger like a Lotus Exige. That said, what can however be expected, née demanded, from a pickup (at least these days, with the likes of the Ranger Platinum on the market especially) is actually more than a modicum of refinement with these pickups. And it is on this point of NVH where, unfortunately, things really start go pear-shaped with the Landtrek…

Just being totally fair to the Landtrek here, there is to not be that much wind nor tyre roar emanating into its cabin that its meh quality 6 speaker sound system can’t drown out, especially when cranked moderately up. Though Adele will really need to be singing her heart out to actually mask the consistent chugging of the turbodiesel under its hood, which is bad under any form of load, but is actually somehow worse when at idle.

In fact, those within the Landtrek actually have it easy at idle, as the clatter is to be even louder still when outside of it, to the point that all your neighbours will know when your comings and goings with this pickup, after the initial wonderment of why the bin lorry is chugging through the neighbourhood at night of course…

That said, the driver within the Landtrek will have to nevertheless bear with the clatter not just being transmitted to the ear, but through to their fingertips as well. Handily however, this Peugeot pickup solves that particular problem by having a ride so rough, that the minor vibrations through the steering wheel is almost a non-issue at the end of the day.

Double wishbones it might have up front, but the leafs on the rear of this Landtrek is so stiff that its rear end basically bounces sky high when met with any and every uneven surface. The ride is therefore so unsettled that this Peugeot pickup also develops the bad habit of shimmying under one’s arse on any surface not devoid of impurities, with it being especially bad on rumble strips.

Now it is worth highlighting that there was unfortunately no opportunity to test the ride with load on the bed, which might just be decent then(?) Then again, just look around at any pickup truck out there and see how many actually have a bed full of stuff…

Also, while one of (the few) plus points with this Peugeot is for it to have a decent interior, this basically only extends to the major touchpoint. Such is as stray even just slightly away from anything not wrapped in fabric, and what one will be greeted is with a sea of hard and scratchy plastic that gives away what this truck really is — an agricultural Chinese workhorse with a lion stuck to its grille.

The Conclusion

So to sum up the situation with this particular pickup, the Landtrek is good-looking, fantastically well-equipped and rather well-priced… but it really needs to be in order to compensate for a driving experience that is at least one generation behind its contemporary rivals. Of which there are plenty of really competent choices, with the Toyota Hilux being well-rounded enough to be the default choice, the Isuzu D-Max (with the 1.9-litre engine especially) being refined yet economical enough to be the value buy, the coil-sprung Nissan Navara being cushy enough to be the comfortable option, and the Ranger technically being Ford enough for those who die-die want to workhorse from a Western marque.

Also, while the Landtrek might seem like good value now, do bear in mind what it might be worth (or more possibly not) when it eventually comes time to sell it. Thus to those who really desire a Peugeot workhorse, RM 118,888 could go a long way into tarting up a 504 Pickup, which certainly oozes more charm, is surprisingly just as capable and, frankly may actually drive better than this modern-day successor.

Odds & Ends

The power windows on the Landtrek do go up and down surprisingly speedily
There is a light in the Landtrek’s cooled(!) glovebox, with it being operated in a rather rudimentary but functional manner — with the plunger mechanism like on a fridge door.

The on/off knob for the radio that also controls the volume can never be exactly straight, which may annoy the more anally retentive. Pressing it in mutes the stereo, but funnily enough it can’t unmute with the same action.
There is no door lock tab on any of the interior door panels
The Landtrek may have LED headlights, but that is for the low beam and DRLs only. It instead uses halogen bulbs for its high beams and front foglight, which makes for an interesting white-yellow glow illuminating the night ahead when all lights are on.