Photo: Fiat
What a mighty name – Fiat Titano – right? It sounds like the Greek gods from Mount Olympus just waved away their copyright rights for the defeated Titans. However, you won't like what you'll hear next.
In fact, this 'fresh' Fiat Titano looks like a badge-engineered Peugeot Landtrek, which in turn is based chiefly on the Chinese mid-size truck Changan Kaicene F70. So, Stellantis just served us with a double surrogate of a little-known mid-size pickup truck model – or bakkie, as they like to call it across a major market, South Africa.
Luckily for most of the world, the Fiat Titano is not precisely destined for international greatness – instead, it will be offered across Latin America and the African continent. But a word of caution first about Fiat's convoluted pickup truck history. Not the most expansive automotive brand these days, the mainstay Italian marque has always played with the commercial sector, and they offer models like the Fiorino pickup, Strada, or Fullback, even in Europe.
In fact, the latter – save for its Fiat badges – was actually a very respectable Mitsubishi Triton (L200) underneath. The truck was mechanically identical to the fifth generation L200, had the same engines, and was even assembled in Laem Chabang by Mitsubishi Motors Thailand! Still, you could claim it with Mopar's customizations if you wanted. However, its short stint on planet Earth ended swiftly, and this decade has been without a mid-size Fiat pickup truck for the past three years.
Well, the draught has finally ended with the official introduction of the new Titano in Latin America and Africa as part of Fiat's semblance of a global product offensive. For now, the new model was revealed in two major markets – Brazil and Algeria. According to the company, which doesn't mention the Peugeot Landtrek or the Chinese parent, the new Titano "offers multipurpose usage focusing on design, technology and off-road capability in Brazil and fuel efficiency, robustness and technological features in Algeria."
The difference is that each market will get separate powertrain options. In Brazil, the new Titano model will join the Toro and Strada to make up a larger pickup truck family – its mission is to "seamlessly integrate multipurpose functionality with cutting-edge technology and uncompromised comfort. Designed to navigate rugged terrains easily, this pickup is poised to be a formidable companion for every day, with a mission profile to satisfy all working needs, including those of the agricultural sector."
Meanwhile, Algerian customers experience a different Titano in Africa as it "pivots towards placing a premium on fuel efficiency." However, there's one itsy bitsy tiny little problem with this strategy. We can't give any words of wisdom on whether the company is doing the right thing or not because Fiat hasn't said a word about the actual engines it plans to use in Latin America and Africa.
As such, we have no idea what's under the hood of the Titano, and we can only speculate that it may offer the same range of powertrains as the Landtrek – a 2.4-liter turbo gasoline mill with 207 hp mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission and RWD plus two diesels, one 1.9-liter with 148 hp and optional 4WD and another larger 2.2-liter BlueHDi packing over 200 ponies. If we had to guess, the Fiat Titano could receive at least the gas and base diesel options – the first one for Brazil and the other for Algeria.
Luckily for most of the world, the Fiat Titano is not precisely destined for international greatness – instead, it will be offered across Latin America and the African continent. But a word of caution first about Fiat's convoluted pickup truck history. Not the most expansive automotive brand these days, the mainstay Italian marque has always played with the commercial sector, and they offer models like the Fiorino pickup, Strada, or Fullback, even in Europe.
In fact, the latter – save for its Fiat badges – was actually a very respectable Mitsubishi Triton (L200) underneath. The truck was mechanically identical to the fifth generation L200, had the same engines, and was even assembled in Laem Chabang by Mitsubishi Motors Thailand! Still, you could claim it with Mopar's customizations if you wanted. However, its short stint on planet Earth ended swiftly, and this decade has been without a mid-size Fiat pickup truck for the past three years.
Well, the draught has finally ended with the official introduction of the new Titano in Latin America and Africa as part of Fiat's semblance of a global product offensive. For now, the new model was revealed in two major markets – Brazil and Algeria. According to the company, which doesn't mention the Peugeot Landtrek or the Chinese parent, the new Titano "offers multipurpose usage focusing on design, technology and off-road capability in Brazil and fuel efficiency, robustness and technological features in Algeria."
The difference is that each market will get separate powertrain options. In Brazil, the new Titano model will join the Toro and Strada to make up a larger pickup truck family – its mission is to "seamlessly integrate multipurpose functionality with cutting-edge technology and uncompromised comfort. Designed to navigate rugged terrains easily, this pickup is poised to be a formidable companion for every day, with a mission profile to satisfy all working needs, including those of the agricultural sector."
Meanwhile, Algerian customers experience a different Titano in Africa as it "pivots towards placing a premium on fuel efficiency." However, there's one itsy bitsy tiny little problem with this strategy. We can't give any words of wisdom on whether the company is doing the right thing or not because Fiat hasn't said a word about the actual engines it plans to use in Latin America and Africa.
As such, we have no idea what's under the hood of the Titano, and we can only speculate that it may offer the same range of powertrains as the Landtrek – a 2.4-liter turbo gasoline mill with 207 hp mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission and RWD plus two diesels, one 1.9-liter with 148 hp and optional 4WD and another larger 2.2-liter BlueHDi packing over 200 ponies. If we had to guess, the Fiat Titano could receive at least the gas and base diesel options – the first one for Brazil and the other for Algeria.
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