Even With A New Pick-Up, Renault Won't Be Returning To The States

Shame, as this truck looks pretty good.

With Renault enjoying quite a solid patch, it's of no surprise that we really wish the US had access to its various cars. Even without factoring in the range of terrific hot hatchbacks it produces, Renault currently makes a load of interesting and, crucially, competitive cars, ranging from the zesty Clio supermini to the huge Talisman that we feel could be one of the prettiest sedans on sale today. Now though, Renault's taunting us even more by announcing a model that would be a surefire success in the States: a pick-up truck.

The truck in question is called the Alaskan, which we feel is quite ironic considering Renault's absence from the United States marketplace means the pick-up won't actually be sold in Alaska. Nevertheless, the Renault Alaskan is quite an important vehicle for Renault. On top of being the firm's first ever one-ton pick-up, the Alaskan is also the first Renault commercial vehicle to be designed with a global mindset. As a result, this Renault flat loader will be available in pretty much every country in the world bar the USA; introducing the French market to buyers and territories it hasn't really experienced before. There's an awful lot riding on this pick-up being a success.

Given its focus on markets outside of the US, the engines we're accustomed to seeing in our Ram Rebels and Ford Raptors aren't present in the Renault Alaskan. Heck, buyers in the United Kingdom don't even get a gasoline engine to play with, as the only motor being offered in that territory is a 2.3-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that anyone jumping over from a more recent Renault panel van should be well accustomed to. Having that engine does mean the Alaskan has what Renault claims to be best-in-class fuel economy, and there's allegedly a fair bit of off-road ability on hand in the Alaskan as well. Whisper this quietly, but we think the Renault Alaskan would do rather well here in the United States.