On the dynamometer at the Bosch Diesel Centre in Pietermartzburg,
the Foton Tunland made 379 Nm, 19 Nm more than it has on paper. (INSET) Hayden
Keating — KZN’s youngest certified expert on modern, high-pressure diesel
systems — declared himself favourably impressed by the big new
Chinese.
IF you are in the market for a double cab, you can do a lot worse
than the Foton Tunland 4x2.
This big Chinese bakkie retails for just under R250 000, but
performs on par or better than bakkies in its power league, offering as many
Newtons as the Defender Pickup, but costing R110 000 less.
Wait, who
is Foton?
If you have never heard
of Foton, you can be impressed by the fact that this state-owned Chinese company
convinced the Americans at Cummins to built a special engine for their bakkie —
at 2,8 litres, it is the smallest in the legendary Cummins stable.
Cummins were only too happy to be associated with Foton, which lay
claim to be the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in terms of
sales since 2009.
South African is one of more than 125 countries where Foton models
are sold, including Foton tractors, which have ploughed a respectable furrow for
themselves in KZN.
So how
strong is this Tunland?
Foton says their Cummins
ISF 2,8 turbo diesel generates 360 Nm at 1 800 rpm. This puts it on par with the
3,0-litre Defender and among the five strongest bakkies in SA, none of which can
compete with the big Chinese in price.
Its peak work rate is a respectable 120 kW at 3 600 rpm. But that’s
on paper. On the dynamometer at the Bosch Diesel Centre in Pietermartzburg, the
Tunland gave 19 Newtons more — 379 Nm at 137 km/h on the test bed. The extra
power happened at 2 897 rpm, but as most South Africans drive their double cabs
like a petrol, these high revs seemed tailored to our market.
How does
it rate against SA’s strongest bakkies?
Nissan’s very thirsty
Navara 3,0 dCi V6 leads the pack with 550 Nm,
Next up is Ford’s formidable Ranger 3,2-litre at 470 Nm, a spot it
shares with Mazda’s BT50.
The Tunland 2,8, the SangYon Actyon Sports 2.0 TD and Land Rover Defender 130 TD Crew Cab ties
at third with 360 Nm.
In fourth place, SA’s best-selling bakkie, the Hilux, makes
343 Nm.
VW’s frugal Amarok 2,0 biTDi rounds off the top five at 340
Nm.
Where can I service it?
To date, a dealer
network is the one weakness in Foton’s foray into SA’s competitive bakkie
market.
There are currently 35
dealers listed on their website — almost half of them in Gauteng. Five KZN
dealers are in Durban, Gateway, Pinetown, Newcastle and Uvongo.
What
payload does it carry?
The Tunland’s
ladder-frame chassis rides on 16-inch Savero radial tyres that enable a payload
of 965 kg on the 4x4, which pulls a 2,5-ton braked trailer. The big load bin
measures 1,52 metres long, 1,58 metres wide and is 44 cm deep. Rubber lining is
standard.
Is it
comfortable?
The
roomy cab competes easily with any of the other top double cabs in terms of leg
and head room.
The
plastic cladding and wood panelling look neat and — more important for a bakkie
— clean easily.
The
ride is pliant rather than juddery, thanks to an independent double wishbone
upfront. The rear has standard leaf springs.
Honestly
now, no niggles?
Hayden Keating |
The
emissions warning light came on intermittently, which Hayden Keating — KZN’s
youngest certified expert on modern, high-pressure diesel systems — said likely
indicates an over-sensitive air sensor controlling the exhaust gas regulator
valve. The clip in the rear ashtray came lose and the radio only has an
auxiliary cable, not a USB port.
And what
if it breaks?
The Tunland comes with a
three-year, 100 000 km warranty, but with a Cummins engine and Bosch parts,
chances of breaking are slim.
What do
the experts say?
Deon Jacobs, Land Rover
specialist at Offroad Fanatics, said: “This bakkie will put Foton on the map.”
Shabir Razak, diesel service adviser, said: “You know, I am half
sold just by the Cummins badge. You don’t get comebacks with Cummins.”
Gary Peacock of Idada Motors Repairs took one look at the engine
and said: “Now that is what I call a proper intercooler.”
As The Witness reported at the launch of the 4x4
Tunland Comfort, the Tunland has the looks, the price, and most of the goods to
impress any bakkie-buyer in SA.
At R250 000, the 4x2 Tunland may not set any new benchmarks, as did
the Ranger or Amarok, but it does have all the basics and over delivers when it
comes the power.
Thanks to putonthearmousoflight for reblogging this verbatim. It is the modern form of flattery.
Thanks to putonthearmousoflight for reblogging this verbatim. It is the modern form of flattery.