First look at the new Foton Tunland bakkie in South Africa

Foton has returned to South Africa with a compelling entry into the fierce bakkie segment.

With a starting price of just R399,900 – or R319,900 if you want the single cab – the new Tunland G7 is poised to compete against wallet-friendly favourites like the GWM P-Series and Mahindra Pik Up.

We spent a few hours getting handsy with the bakkie before it hits showrooms later this week in six individual flavours.

While we unfortunately didn’t get to drive it just yet, first impressions among the motoring media were generally upbeat and enough to get us excited for the vast portfolio of products the Chinese brand has in store for South Africa in the future.

Budget bakkies are booming

The new Tunland is a massive upgrade from its predecessor which was sold here around a decade ago in every way, shape, and form.

Perhaps the biggest leaps were in design and technology. It now looks much less polarising than before, but still has unique lines and proportions to help it stand out among the crowd.

It also strikes a good balance between being small enough to fit comfortably on our roads and parking lots, but big enough to offer good cabin space and a large load box. For a better comparison, it’s 15mm longer, 40mm wider, and 55mm taller than the Toyota Hilux Legend.

The rear bin boasts dimensions of 1,520mm long, 1,580mm wide, and 440mm deep. Foton didn’t reveal the payload capacity of the double cabs but said the single cab can support a mass of up to one tonne.

The entire Tunland double cab range is kitted out with an array of nice-to-haves, highlights of which include a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a digital instrument cluster, imitation leather seats, an illuminated multifunction steering wheel, automatic airconditioning, cruise control, a drowsy driving reminder, a reverse camera, hill-hold and descent control, tyre-pressure monitoring, and alloy wheels of between 17 and 18 inches.

The pricier variants bring even more goodies to the table, such as heated and ventilated seats, a sunroof, a wireless smartphone charger, forward-collision warning, blind-spot detection, door-opening warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Getting to know the Foton a bit more, the look and feel of the interior is what you’d expect from a modern bakkie in this price range and not out of odds with its rivals.

It’s worth noting there is an abundance of shiny plastics inside the cabin that are prone to picking up scuff marks and fingerprints, and the central display isn’t exactly the snappiest we’ve played with but makes up for it by being a large 12.3 inches from corner to corner and offering clear graphics and intuitive operation.

The turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel engine under the hood of the Foton – co-developed by Cummins – generates 120kW and 390Nm, which puts it about in the middle of the pack in terms of pure output.

Foton said the power unit is rated for a minimum lifespan of 500,000km with proper care, which for the average driver who does less than 25,000km a year, should take around 20 years to complete.

The single cab and entry-level double cab feature a six-speed manual transmission while the rest get an eight-speed automatic sourced from ZF Group, the gearbox provider for brands like Aston Martin, BMW, and Ford.

With a maximum towing capacity of 3,000kg, the Tunland should be capable of helping families safely get their caravans and trailers to the coast when the mood strikes.

For those interested, an electric version of the bakkie is also in the pipeline for South Africa which is slated to arrive sometime in 2025.

For the price, and if it’s as dependable as Foton says it is, the G7 seems to be a good alternative for South Africans aspiring to have a proper lifestyle double cab but can’t afford to shell out close to seven figures.

It’s safe to say that if you want all the same bells and whistles from one of the big three in the bakkie game, you’ll have to pay a few hundred thousand more.

The Foton brand is backed by a network of 40+ dealers across South Africa with parts and components supplied by Mandarin Parts Distributors.

The Tunland is also available with a range of accessories such as bullbars, a decorative tailgate garnish, and tonneau covers.