Renault has pulled the curtains back to reveal their new Alaskan pick-up late yesterday, June 30th, in Colombia. This is the French firm’s first such entrant into the space and has obviously borrowed a fair bit from sister company Nissan and their NP300 Navara.
We first caught our first glimpses of the production-spec Alaskan when Renault unveiled last year with the concept version, which to Renault’s credit, they have managed to keep much of the visual cues that broke cover then.
Despite sharing the architecture with the Nissan, Renault has been quite adamant about engineering their own designs and have kept in their most recent corporate face with the Alaskan, their first global pick-up. Further down the line, we should see Mercedes-Benz enter the fray, again using the NP300 Navara as a base on which to build their own contender.
Back to the new Alaskan. The concept’s look has been retained, which is most evident on the pick-up’s face, with its pronounced front grille and LED headlamps that curve around the front wings. Below them there’s the C-shaped metallic surrounds that house the fog lamps and skid plate. In profile is where the Nissan connection is most evidently on display, and the proportions seems nearly identical to the NP300 Navara.
That theme of sameness continues to the Alaskan’s interior where anyone familiar with the newest Nissan pick-up will probably feel quite at home with. Placement of fixtures and trim design don’t seem to differ much, and the only clear difference being the steering wheel. The Alaskan’s rear passengers get a 589mm of knee room at a torso angle of 23 degrees which Renault says will provide passenger car-like comfort.
Under the bonnet, the Alaskan will be powered by Renault’s 2.3-litre dCi four-cylinder turbodiesel engine and, depending on tune, should offer either 119kW or 142kW. A 2.5-litre engine with similar outputs will also be offered to customers in select markets. Both engines will be mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic.
Renault say the Alaskan will be offered in 2-wheel or all-wheel drive, have a ground clearance of 230mm and a towing capacity of 3,500kg, a bed-mounted 12V power supply, C-channels and four quick-fit hooks to quickly and safely secure loads.
Not much is known about the Renault’s rollout strategy for the Alaskan – with neither the timeframe or markets being detailed by the French automaker as of yet. What is known, however, is that it will be sold first in South American markets.
For more on Renault vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
