At one of the company’s launch events in Johannesburg today, Peugeot launched its new Landtrek 2.2D to members of the South African media. Peugeot’s Landtrek bakkie has been around in South Africa for a few years, so it’s not entirely surprising to see another crop up. The difference here is that the 2.2l diesel offers drivers more power while being impressively comfortable.
Stuff has access to the 4Action trim of the new vehicle. We’ve spent enough time in it today to give at least a few impressions of how Peugeot’s newest is to drive. Right off the bat, we could tell that it wants a gravel road to play with. Before our full review in a week or so, we’ll make sure the 2.2D 4Action gets what it wants.
Great Landtrek
The launch venue at Stellantis’ Johannesburg headquarters was a surprisingly apt place for the launch. From the first moment we put this 147kW bakkie into motion, it felt like it was looking for dirt roads to churn up. There’s a sense of torque that desperately wants to be used. Decent slopes (paved, sadly, with brickwork instead of gravel) in the complex made for a good first impression. The business park twisted and turned, with speed bumps providing a great concept of how it would handle on rougher roads.
Those rougher roads were just outside the complex, as it happens. Midrand isn’t known for its smooth surfaces, and we got to trample potholes and rumble strips with equal impunity. The LandTrek 2.2D made short work of both. Mostly, road surfaces registered as noise rather than body sway. This bodes well for when we take this double-cab somewhere even less friendly.
A lengthy trip on the N1/N3 showed us that it could handle higher speeds just as well. It wasn’t long before we’d inadvertently exceeded the speed limit. For such a large vehicle, it’s surprising how quickly it’ll respond to a lane change and sudden acceleration. For all that, it’s quite comfortable to drive.
First impressions count
One thing we didn’t have time to exhaustively test was the digital systems. A 7in instrument cluster sits behind the steering wheel, which itself is populated by a whole mess of physical controls. Today’s experience was all about the drive, with the driver assists working at their default settings.
There’s plenty for us to examine further. Hill start assist, blind spot notifications, and proximity indicators fill the Peugeot LandTrek 2.2D 4Action’s options. The 360° camera’s automatic timing seems a little strange, occasionally flicking on when taking slow corners in traffic, but that’s the point of a review.
What we can say is that this was one of the most comfortable first drives we’ve had with any vehicle. Even poking its lumbering nose into a parking space wasn’t as anxiety-inducing as it has been with other bulky vehicles. Steering, changing lanes, and navigating all displayed impressively nimble characteristics. We’re very keen on seeing what the LandTrek 2.2D can really do in its natural environment.
