Foton Tunland Ute: It’s willing but has a way to go

This eager entrant does a lot right but has some more hurdles to clear.

2017 Foton Tunland

Five things we learnt about Foton Tunland Ute.

1. It’s a United Nations effort

The Tunland may be Chinese-made but the components come from far and wide. The engine is a Cummins diesel from the US, the manual transmission — there is no auto — comes from Germany’s Getrag, while the transfer case, axles and differentials are also US-made. The Chinese car industry doesn’t shy away from “learning” from the best of the rest of the world.

2. The cabin is a pleasant place

Early examples of Chinese vehicles were either rudimentary inside or too chintzy. The Tunland interior feels well put together and the layout is simple but effective. The four-door, four-wheel drive version has imitation leather trim, cruise control, electric adjustment for the driver’s seat, Bluetooth streaming and tray liner.

2017 Foton Tunland

3. It’s not all good news, though

It’s roomy in the front but the rear seats aren’t as generous as some rivals. For some strange reason the aircon has to be turned on each time you start the car and the cruise control doesn’t maintain a constant speed — it can vary 10km/h depending on whether you’re going uphill or down. There’s only one 12V outlet — some competitors have up to three and others even have a standard household plug socket. There are no rear aircon vents either.

4. If you get T-boned, it could be curtains

The Tunland is off the pace when it comes to safety. Stability control — standard on almost every other new vehicle on the road — is not available. There are only two airbags to protect you in a front-on crash. The vast majority of competitors now have side and curtain airbags as standard fare. Given that such vehicles are increasingly doubling as family vehicles on the weekend, the omission is inexcusable. Not to mention the fact that tradies spend more time on the road than most and are therefore more at risk of having an accident. There’s no reversing camera, only parking sensors, so there’s more risk of running someone over on the worksite. Crash-tested in 2012, it received three stars.

5. It drives OK but the price isn’t right

The Tunland is a big improvement on the early Chinese utes. The engine may be noisy and down on power and torque compared with the opposition but it is a willing beast if you keep it humming along in its narrow sweet spot. The suspension and steering aren’t the worst in the class, either. The pricing is very tempting at $27,990 drive-away but Mitsubishi currently has the Triton at $32,990 drive-away. For the extra, you get five-star safety, seven airbags, more power and torque, five-year warranty instead of three, 600kg additional towing capacity, larger dealer network and less depreciation.

2017 Foton Tunland