The easiest way to turn your pickup truck into an SUV-of-sorts would be to cover the bed with a hardtop canopy. Of course, that won’t magically give you a full-fledged off-roader to drive. Still, this looks more or less like something Chinese carmaker Dongfeng did with its Rich 6 model.
Called the Palaso, the new crossover SUV inherits the unibody design of the pickup it is based upon, which in turn is a licensed spin-off of the Nissan Navara (see video). The frame, the leaf spring-based rear suspension, the doors, the cab framework, most of the roof and the interior with its rear sofa for three people stay the same. The main novelty comes in the guise of a roomy trunk department, which exists in the same space as the cabin. Expectedly enough, the rear fascia looks different from that of the truck and only measures 5,227 mm long (down from 5,290 mm). The body is 1,864 mm wide and up to 1,989 mm tall.
The cargo area sports a plastic trim with some carpeting at the bottom and storage pockets for smaller items. The tailgate is a regular fifth door with gas struts. The base spec ships with a solid partitioning wall installed behind the rear seats, but you can simply unscrew the bolts and remove it if you don’t need it.
Powering the original truck is a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated gasoline engine rated at 158 PS and 230 Nm of torque. Customers can also opt for a 2.3-liter turbo diesel with 163 PSS and 380 Nm at the crank. In contrast, the new Palaso SUV only ships with a single-option 1.8L turbo rated at 231 PS and 300 Nm. The transmission is six-speed manual, and while the drive stays on the rear axle, you could pay a bit more for an on-demand AWD system.
Sales start in November, and the price is going to lie slightly above the truck’s $13,700.
On a separate note, there is another licensed Nissan Navara clone available in China. It is called the Terra and has smoother body curves along with an advanced spring-based rear suspension. Having said that, it retails for no less than $25,000.