Photo: Renault
Introduced in 2016 and on sale in various markets in Latin America, the Renault Alaskan is more than just the French sibling to the Nissan NP300 Navara and Mercedes-Benz X-Class. Better late than never, someone over at Renault found out that the light commercial vehicle segment is pretty lucrative in Europe, so guess what happened next? Yup, the Alaskan has been finally confirmed to go on sale in select European markets from late September 2017.
According to sources close to the matter, Renault dealerships in France and Germany expect the first retail examples of the Euro-spec Alaskan will arrive in dealership lots in October. The automaker’s French website even offers a pre-brochure to prospective customers, but pricing hasn’t been made official at the present moment. Based on the Navara’s starting price, the Alaskan should kick off from €27,000 for the 4x2 manual with the 2.3-liter diesel.
Developing 163 PS (161 horsepower) and 403 Nm (297 pound-feet) in its most basic tune, the 2.3 dCi also has a twin-turbo derivative with 190 PS (187 horsepower) and 450 Nm (332 pound-feet) of torque at its disposal. Other than the six-speed manual transmission, the European Alaskan will be available with a seven-speed slushbox of the torque-converter variety.
“Following Alaskan’s release in Latin America, its availability in Europe is further evidence of Renault’s global ambitions,” declared Ashwani Gupta, global head of Renault-Nissan’s LCV department. “Alaskan is a robust, powerful pickup that has been designed to meet the needs of demanding business customers and private buyers alike.” And according to Renault, the 2.3 dCi is “the most fuel-efficient engine” in the mid-size pickup's segment.
For reference, the biggest competitors of the Alaskan in Europe are the best-selling Ford Ranger, the ever-popular Toyota Hilux, as well as the Mitsubishi L200 and even premium-oriented workhorses such as the V6-only Volkswagen Amarok. If you were in the market for a sub-€30,000 one-ton pickup truck, would you choose the Alaskan over its competitors?
Developing 163 PS (161 horsepower) and 403 Nm (297 pound-feet) in its most basic tune, the 2.3 dCi also has a twin-turbo derivative with 190 PS (187 horsepower) and 450 Nm (332 pound-feet) of torque at its disposal. Other than the six-speed manual transmission, the European Alaskan will be available with a seven-speed slushbox of the torque-converter variety.
“Following Alaskan’s release in Latin America, its availability in Europe is further evidence of Renault’s global ambitions,” declared Ashwani Gupta, global head of Renault-Nissan’s LCV department. “Alaskan is a robust, powerful pickup that has been designed to meet the needs of demanding business customers and private buyers alike.” And according to Renault, the 2.3 dCi is “the most fuel-efficient engine” in the mid-size pickup's segment.
For reference, the biggest competitors of the Alaskan in Europe are the best-selling Ford Ranger, the ever-popular Toyota Hilux, as well as the Mitsubishi L200 and even premium-oriented workhorses such as the V6-only Volkswagen Amarok. If you were in the market for a sub-€30,000 one-ton pickup truck, would you choose the Alaskan over its competitors?
Google News