Foton Tunland V7-C 4x4 2025 Review

The reborn all-new 2025 Foton Tunland line-up comprises four dual cab models split between V7 and V9 designations. The pricing walk starts with the $39,990 V7-C 4x2, progresses through the $42,990 V7-C 4x4 we’re assessing here. There’s also the $45,990 V9-L and the range tops out at $49,990 for the flagship V9-S.

All prices exclude on-road costs and giving you an idea of how sharp they are, even the most expensive V9-S tops out below the cheapest Ford Ranger 4x4 dual cab.

The Foton’s price is more in the realms of the GWM Cannon, JAC T9 and KGM Musso.

The other thing the Tunland offers is sheer size. It measures up at 5617mm long, 2000mm/2090mm wide, 1910mm/1955mm tall and has a 3355mm wheelbase. The V9s are wider because of their wheel arch cladding and the V9-S is taller because it has roof rails.

Compare that to a Ranger XLT dual cab at 5370mm x 2208mm x 1865mm x 3270mm and you get some idea of how large the reborn Chinese ute is. On the flipside it’s still shorter than a 5884mm long Ford F-150 – and that’s the short wheelbase!

The V7s and V9s are separated by some tech and equipment. While the core underpinning ladder frame, 120kW/450Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel mild hybrid Euro 6e powertrains and double wishbone front suspension are the same across the board, the V7s stick with tradie leaf spring rear-ends while the V9s swap to more comfort-focussed multi-links and coils to go with the Tunland’s rigid axle.

The V7-Cs are separated by the 4x4’s addition of BorgWarner’s dual range system, rear diff lock and all-terrain tyres. The V9s get the same system, but the V9-S also adds a front locking differential for even more mud-plugging prowess.

BorgWarner is one of a number of big names Foton has roped in to help with the Tunland. Cummins worked on the ‘Aucan’ engine, ZF supplied the eight-speed automatic standard across the range and a cross-shareholding between Foton parent BAIC (Beijing Automotive Group Co.) and Mercedes-Benz is obvious in the instrument cluster graphics.

The 4x4 system is also dubbed Fourmatic. It’s not quite Benz 4matic, but it’s close.

Exterior V7-C equipment includes 18-inch black alloy wheels, side steps, lighting and a spray-in liner for the tub and a damped tailgate. The V9s add a sports bar in the tub and get a different grille insert, trading in horizontal black bars for mesh and stacked LED headlights for a horizontal arrangement.

The V9s also add a lockable tailgate.

Inside, both V7-Cs get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen. Other interior equipment includes single-zone climate control, synthetic leather seat trim, wireless Apple CarPlay, AM/FM radio, four-speaker audio, two USB-A ports and 256 colour ambient lighting.

Voice control is offered but it struggled with my Aussie accent.

If you want dual-zone climate control, six-speaker audio, rear USB-A ports, a 220V/300W power socket, 18W wireless phone charging and heated and powered front seats then you’ll have to step up to the V9-L.

A panoramic sunroof with sunshade, ventilated front seats, driver’s seat memory, heated outboard rear seats and even facial recognition among other things are part of the top spec Tunland V9-S.

No Foton comes with satellite navigation while Android Auto is coming in early 2026 and will be retro-fittable. There are eight paint choices, seven of which cost $690.

Safety systems are shared pretty equally.

Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, various forms of lane keeping and centring assist, plus rear cross traffic alert (but not braking) are standard. Only the top-spec V9-S gets driver distraction and fatigue monitoring.

There are eight airbags, three child-seat top tethers (only two are often fitted to utes), and two ISOFIX points, front and rear parking sensors and a bevy of camera angles including 360 and transparent views. The picture quality is a bit grainy though.

An ANCAP rating does not exist for  the simple reason the Tunland has not been crash-tested as yet. That won’t happen until 2026.

The Tunland comes protected by a seven-year vehicle warranty, seven-year roadside assistance and seven-year capped price servicing. Intervals are set at 12-months/15,000km after a first free 5000km check-up.

Over seven visits to the dealer the cost adds up to $4492.39, or $641.76 on average for each.

The sheer size of the 2025 Foton Tunland means there’s plenty of room in the cabin, especially in the rear seat.

Dual cab utes often treat row two passengers as second class citizens and while it’s not dripping in features back here (no USBs or power ports in the V7-C for instance), two taller passengers will fit comfortably.

The rear seat 60/40 split-folds up, while the backrest folds down in one piece.

Up-front the seats are generously sized and bolstered and there is plenty of storage on offer, including space below the bridge-type centre console. Contact points like armrests even have some give in them. There are also physical volume and climate controls. All-up it doesn’t feel like a bargain bin special or ‘cheap fleet’ model in the cabin.

The tub is another beneficiary of the Tunland’s dimensions. It measures up at 1577mm long by 1650mm wide. Crucially, there is a 1240mm gap between the wheel arches, which means it can fit an Aussie pallet.

The V7-C 4x4 can also take a maximum 1050kg payload, which is 65kg less than the 4x2. Both V9s are rated at 995kg, meaning they qualify for novated leasing.

While we’re on numbers, the Tunland’s claimed 3500kg braked towing capacity is on par with rivals. Do the sums and the payload at max tow in the V7-C 4x4 comes at an impressive 700kg. That’s right at the top of the mid-size ute class.

The Tunland suspension also does pretty well when a load is thrown in the back. Over the last 12 months Foton and local distributor Inchcape have been working on suspension tuning for Australian roads.

We got to sample V7-C unladen and with 450kg of sand in the tub and no doubt the load settled the ride down from its intrusive and jittery unladen performance.

On a smooth road the stiff set-up of the chassis helped the Tunland be a surprisingly cohesive drive. The launch route included one of Victoria’s most famous twisty roads, the Reefton Spur, and it coped well.

There wasn’t much in the way of body roll, the electric-assist steering was accurate and quite quick in its responses, especially in the lightest of three modes. Ventilated disc brakes proved up to the task. Even the Giti tyres hung in there.

Unlike traditional part-time 4x4 systems, you can drive in these situations in all-wheel drive because the BorgWarner set-up comes with a centre diff and a set-and-forget auto mode.

All this meant the Tunland didn’t feel as egregiously over-sized as its measurements might suggest. It still felt like it fit the road, unlike the even bigger F-150 and other US-built full-size pick-up trucks. Still, you have to pay attention in tight spaces like carparks and the 13.5m turning circle is darned big.

Local tuning of the driver assistants also seems to have borne fruit. There was not too much evidence of poorly-tuned and intrusive driver assistants. Traffic sign recognition was the main bing-bonger and was easily switched off.

Parking sensors also proved over-active but were quickly deactivated via a button on the centre console.

Off-road the Tunland is aided by its sophisticated 4x4 system, 240 millimetres of ground clearance, 700mm wading depth and a graunchy hill descent control. Wading depth is 700mm, the approach angle 28 degrees, departure 26 degrees and the breakover 21 degrees.

Unlike Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max et al, there is no low range off-road traction control. The test course wasn’t severe, and nothing touched or scraped over the rough stuff.

The crux of the issue for the 2025 Foton Tunland is under the bonnet.

There’s nothing obviously wrong with the powertrain in terms of smoothness or the way it interacts with its attendant automatic transmission, it’s just that it has to haul a substantial vehicle – 2285kg kerb weight in the case of the V7-C 4x4 – and it just doesn’t feel that strong doing it.

And that’s without hitching a van on the back or maxing out payload.

The engine didn’t enjoy the one steep climb of the off-road course either. In high range – it wasn’t gnarly enough for low range – the engine twice went perilously close to stalling before dropping to a lower gear.

The redeeming factor here could be fuel economy.

The claim at 8.0L/100km is in the diesel ute ballpark and in practice – two-up with nothing in the tub – it came out at 10.2L/100km on one run and 9.3L/100km on another, according to the onboard trip computer.

The Aucan engine uses Adblue to clean up its nitrogen oxide emissions, so just be aware that’s another fluid level you have to monitor.

The mild hybrid system includes a belt-driven starter-generator sitting next to the engine and a tiny 48-volt battery sitting behind the rear seat (which is visible when the backrest is folded down).

It provides up to 9kW and 54Nm of assistance depending on battery state of charge. According to the graphic in the instrument panel the tiny 370Wh battery never ran dry.

The system’s key contributions are a smoother take-off from a standing start and a stop-start system that isn’t too intrusive when it fires up.

We’ve praised the work done on the suspension set-up of the Tunland, but just to be clear it is pretty jolting unladen, especially the leaf spring set-up. But it’s a working ute so there are going to be compromises.

Apart from its interior size the Tunland’s cabin is dominated by the two large digital screens on the dashboard. They provide an immense amount of tunability and a mountain of information to drill into.

However, there were some issues encountered here. Some icons on the touchscreen didn’t work, while others took multiple dabs to respond.

There are on-road/off-road and drive modes available via a dial on the centre console, but they could only be selected if the right function was also nominated in the instrument panel.

There were some hardware issues as well. While the steering adjusted for reach it was stiff and sticky, the manual seat wasn’t smooth in its sliding action either. There was obvious wind whistle off the driver’s side wing mirror and you could easily end up in neutral while trying to press the small P for park button on the gear shifter.

A volume roller on the centre console also included a power function. But confusingly, it only switched the touchscreen off and not volume.

Slightly disconcertingly, the steering wheel seemed set-up off-centre so I looked out over the left side of the boss and rim. Also, the back doors closed with tinny slap, contrasting with the sold thunk of the front doors.

Out-back in the sizable tub there’s no Ranger-like corner step to help quick access either.

The 2025 Foton Tunland has some big arguments in its favour. That low price is one and its sheer space and carrying capacity is another.

There is also evidence here that the local suspension tuning has delivered a positive result.

The underwhelming engine and sometimes recalcitrant controls work against it, as do some annoying details. The lack of an ANCAP rating until 2026 won’t help it secure fleet buyers either.

Perhaps the biggest deal for a working ute is that things like reliability, durability and service back-up from what is currently a small dealer network are unknowns.

But on the basis of real estate for the dollar you’re certainly getting a dual cab bargain here. It comes with imperfections and risk, you have to decide whether you are prepared to accept them.

2025 Foton Tunland V7-C 4x4 at a glance:
Price: $42,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel 48v mild hybrid
Output: 120kW/450Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 211g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Unrated

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