Foton Tunland 2012 Review - International
Foton Tunland will join a booming one-tonne ute market later this year, but will it have what it takes to match the established players?Foton Tunland (pre-production model)
Beijing, China
What we liked:
>> Large size
>> Torquey diesel engine
>> Quality feel of drive line
Not so much:
>> Firm ride
>> Engine noise
>> Fit & feel of some trim
Foton Automotive Australia last week announced a delay in launching its Tunland ute to the local market, deferring its launch until October (2012). This says FAA, is while they refine the vehicle in Australian conditions to ensure it is right for our market.
Tunland is an all-new vehicle from Chinese manufacturer Foton. It follows the tried and true one-tonne ute formula of using a separate body-on-chassis design with a leaf-sprung live rear axle and independent front suspension using coil springs and wishbones. Double and single-cab body styles will be available, as will 4x2 and 4x4 drivelines. Initial vehicles will only offer a Cummins-sourced diesel engine and manual gearbox, but a petrol engine and auto will follow in 2013.
Foton is pitching Tunland as a higher quality vehicle than those Chinese makes we’re already familiar with [such as Great Wall] adding that it will also better ‘some’ new Chinese utes we’ll see in the near future [ZX, Tiger and Jac to name a few]. Much of the quality equation comes from the use of name-brand major components including the aforementioned Cummins turbodiesel engine, Getrag manual gearbox, ZF auto, Borg Warner transfer case and Dana axles. The vehicles are manufactured in a new factory in Beijing, China.
The Cummins ISF engine is produced alongside the Foton factory in a joint venture between the two companies. It’s a new medium-speed, 2.8-litre turbo diesel that makes 120kW at 3600rpm and 360Nm of torque between 1800 and 3000rpm. It will eventually be fitted to other vehicles from Foton as well as other Chinese vehicle manufacturers. Foton is using the Cummins name as a selling point and the Tunland utes feature a large ‘C’ Cummins badge on both front doors.
Production of the Tunland was due to begin in March this year, and following a tour of the Cummins factory back in February, we were given a drive of a pre-production vehicle on the streets close by. It was only a short drive, but it did reveal that, unlike other new turbodiesel engines, it doesn’t rev beyond 4000rpm, but has plenty of punch through the mid-range. As you might expect of a Cummins engine, it’s very truck-like and has a wide, flat torque band that should be useful in real-world driving. It’s also noisier in the cabin than other new diesels, but that could be down to the lack of sound insulation on this pre-prod’ vehicle.
The drive of Tunland across very rough streets also revealed stiff-riding suspension. The large ute cargo bed was unladen on this occasion and we feel it could soften up with a load in it. That said, it still felt stiffer than others in this highly competitive market. FAA says all variants in the Tunland line up will have a one-tonne payload.
The cabin of the double-cab model we drove was wide and comfortable with quality switchgear and controls. And although some of its hard plastic surfaces don’t feel so good, all the controls are simple to operate and fall easily to hand. Standard equipment includes air-conditioning, cloth seats, power exterior mirrors, a two-speaker single-CD tuner, and auxiliary audio input jack. This list is likely to change for Australian delivered vehicles which will be higher in specification.
The Tunland sampled had only front driver and passenger airbags with no side airbags fitted. This, and the absence of electronic stability control, are also factors that are expected to be addressed for Australian specification -- especially if FAA wants to achieve a five-star ANCAP safety rating, increasingly the norm in this segment.
Foton has chosen one of the most popular segments in Australia in which to enter the market, but we feel its Tunland ute will still be a long way from challenging the dominant Toyota HiLux and other established players when it arrives in October.
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