When it presented the world with the Alaskan, Renault made it clear that it has global ambitions with its mid-size pickup truck. Now on sale in the South American country of Colombia from 111,900 Colombian pesos (or $38,235 at current exchange rates), the all-new Renault Alaskan was put to the test by the local media in off-road situations in Colombia's Santander department.
As you can see in the video below, the off-road test performed by Carroya.com saw the Renault Alaskan climb mountains, wade rivers, the lot. Equipped with the top-of-the-range 18-inch two-tone wheels, designed for use on the road, the Alaskan didn’t break a sweat on its Colombian adventure. For a one-tonne pickup truck based on the fully-boxed ladder frame of the Nissan Navara NP300, that’s seriously impressive.
In Europe, the 2017 Renault Alaskan will be built at the Navara’s factory in Barcelona. Slated to go on sale by mid-2017, the Euro-spec Alaskan will be powered by a familiar 2.3-liter turbo diesel in 160 PS and 190 PS formats. The Euro 6-compliant and AdBlue-enhanced dCi engine emits as little as 159 grams of CO2 per kilometer and, in the Navara’s case, NEDC fuel consumption is rated at 46.3 UK miles per gallon or 6.1 liters per 100 kilometers.
In terms of towing capacity, the Alaskan offers 3.5 tonnes or just about 7,715 pounds, making it a better workhorse than the Ford F-150 with the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 and with 4x4 (7,700 lbs or 3,492 kg). But other than the tough stuff, the Renault Alaskan happens to be pretty good as a people hauler.
The five-link rear suspension, for example, offers sufficient comfort and handling for a commercial vehicle. Then there’s interior space: 589 millimeters of knee room for the rear occupants. Other creature comforts include heated front seats and automatic air conditioning with dual-zone climate control.
A 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system is also available, as is a 360-degree camera system, which integrates four camera in the front bumper, door mirrors, and tailgate. For those people who would rather not shift gears themselves, a 7-speed automatic transmission is also available.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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