Foton Tunland 2026 review: V9-S - off-road test

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

7 / 10

The Tunland V9-S (S for Supreme) is at the top of a four-variant line-up and has recommended pricing starting at $49,990, before on-road costs. The other variants are the V7-C 4x2, V7-C 4x4 and V9-L 4x4. (C - Commercial, L - Luxury.)

Standard features include a 14.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay plus wireless charging), six-speaker stereo, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, three-profile facial recognition, dual-zone climate control, six-way powered plus four-way lumbar adjustment heated and ventilated driver seat (with memory function), 18-inch alloy wheels and tailgate assist.

It's worth noting the test vehicle is fitted with a towbar kit (seven-pin, $1384.16 RRP fitted) and RedArc Tow Pro V3 Electric Brake Controller Kit ($871.33 RRP fitted).

Exterior paint choices include standard 'Flare White' (no cost) or you can choose from 'Titanium Grey', 'Phantom Black', 'Lightning Purple', 'Galaxy Silver', 'Fire Red', 'Diamond Blue' or 'Aurora Green', which is on our test vehicle. Each of those colours cost $690 MLP (Manufacturer’s List Price).

While the Tunland bests some of its rivals – such as the MG U9 – for price (the base spec is $52,990, the top grade is $60,990), it can’t match the value proposition of something like the LDV T60 (around $39,000 to $46,500, drive-away), no matter how stacked its features list is.

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Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

7 / 10

The Tunland is 5617mm long (with a 3355mm wheelbase), 2090mm wide and 1955mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2315kg.

It has a big bluff front end with chrome type front grille, chunky wheel arches, sports bar on the tub, pronounced rear and of course, its not-insubstantial all-around size. These factors give the Tunland presence on and off the road.

But that big front end is not as an in-your-face occasion as the MG U9’s is, not by a long shot.

The interior has everything you’d expect of a top-spec dual-cab interior – synthetic leather seat trim, soft-touch surfaces but also an abundance of durable plastic. And there’s colour ambient lighting front and rear.

Ultimately, the Tunland holds its own in design terms against rival such as the LDV T60 and MG U9.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside?

7 / 10

It’s the usual set-up for a ute cabin, which means a workable blend of comfort, ease-of-use, functionality and practicality.

The multimedia system is easy enough to use, but it’s not the most intuitive set-up around with cycling through menus and sub-menus required during operation. But the screen is big and colours are crisp and clearly visible.

There are four USB-A ports, a 220V/300W power socket, a x 12V/120W power outlet as well as two cupholders up front and two in the fold-down armrest in the back row.

The cabin is spacious with the Tunland's extra size used to better accommodate the driver and passengers rather than being used to expand the load space.

Speaking of load space...

In terms of packability for touring, the Tunland’s tub is 1577mm long (1240mm between the wheel arches), 1650mm wide and the load space itself is 530mm deep. Load height is 880mm.

The Tunland’s tub has four tie-down points, but they're positioned too high in the tub for my liking.

All in all, this ute is on a par with its rivals for practicality.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission?

6 / 10

The Tunland has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine – producing 120kW at 3600rpm and 450Nm at 1500-2400rpm – and that’s matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

It also has a 48V mild-hybrid system, which is similar to the HiLux’s set-up, cannot be charged manually and does not offer electric-only driving.

This ute also has drive modes – 'Eco', 'Standard', 'Sport', 'Sand' and 'Mud/Snow' – and part-time four-wheel drive.

The engine and auto transmission combination yields a sluggish driving experience on sealed surfaces, and it feels underpowered. The pairing works better in low-speed 4WDing more than anything else.

In terms of engine outputs, the Tunland (120kW/450Nm) lags behind rivals such as the MG U9 (160kW/520Nm) and even the LDV T60 (160kW/500Nm).

Driving – What's it like to drive?

7 / 10

The Foton Tunland is compliant and comfortable and in general terms, pretty agreeable on road. In fact, ride and handling are quite impressive on sealed surfaces. A large part of the credit for that should be attributed to, a) its size and b) this top-spec model's multi-link suspension. I consists of double wishbones up the front and multi-link at the rear with coil springs, whereas lower-spec Tunlands have leaf springs.

The engine, however, is a different story. “Wheezy, laggy, underpowered,” my notes read.

This ute is underdone in terms of power and torque and though the automatic transmission the engine is paired with is cluey, the combination doesn't have the oomph you'd like in a ute of this size.

The Tunland’s driver-assist tech on road is the wrong side of annoying. It’s either over the top in its preemptive reaction to whatever it thinks is going to happen, or too intrusive or abrasive in its effectiveness. The good news is you can switch that stuff off, but you do have to do that every time you start up.

Now to the off-road.

Crucially, the engine and auto combination works better at low speeds, especially in low-range 4WDing working in partnership with the off-road drive modes – Mud/Snow and Sand – the Tunland does reasonably well.

Low range gearing is good, off-road traction control is reasonably well calibrated, and again, as an overall package it performs satisfactorily. And if you get the urge, you can use diff locks front and rear.

It is, however, somewhat hamstrung by its size – its sheer physical dimensions – and feels low in terms of how much rolling ground clearance it offers, which is listed as listed 240mm but feels like less.

It also has big chunky side steps, so those may well become rock or tree stump magnets when you tackle more challenging technical 4WDing.

For the spec nerds among us, off-road-relevant figures include a 28-degree approach angle, a 26-degree departure angle and a 21-degree rampover angle. Not sure what I’m on about? Check out some of my previous yarns where I painstakingly explain it. By the way, wading depth is a listed 700mm but my tracks weren’t that wet.

Sounds like I’m kicking the Tunland while it’s down? Well, I’m not… much.

Overall, it does reasonably well for what it is. There’s enough power and torque to get you through moderate off-roading obstacles and challenges, but it's not going to win any awards for hardcore grunt.

But this ute – like many contemporary 4WD utes and wagons on the market now – is let down by its standard tyres (Giti 4x4 AT71, 265/70Rx18 116T). If you are planning to do anything more than light to moderate off-roading in this ute one of your first ports of call will be to replace the Tunland’s showroom rubber with a decent set of more aggressive all terrain tyres.

In terms of towing capacity, the Tunland is rated to tow a 750kg unbraked trailer and 3500kg braked.

Payload is 995kg with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 3310kg and Gross Combined Mass (GCM) of 6810kg.

For all-around drivability and pure off-road capability, the Tunland manages to hold its own against the likes of the MG U9 and LDV T60. That is to say, satisfactorily.

Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range?

7 / 10

Official fuel consumption is listed as 8.0L/100km on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle.

Fuel consumption on this test was 9.8L/100km, which is pretty good because I have done a lot of low-range 4WDing.

The Tunland has a 76-litre fuel tank so, going by that fuel figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 775km from a full tank. It also has a 12-litre AdBlue tank.

In fuel consumption terms, the Tunland holds its own against the MG U9 (up to 7.9L/100km official) and LDV T60 (up to 8.1L/100km official).

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

7 / 10

As of May 2026, the 2026 Tunland has not been rated by ANCAP.

As standard, it has eight airbags and a suite of driver-assist tech including auto emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

It also has two child seat anchor points and two ISOFIX anchor points.

In safety terms, the Tunland holds the likes of LDV T60 (unrated), but is eclipsed by the MG U9’s maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

6 / 10

The Tunland is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty and a seven-year roadside assistance plan.

The first service – at three months or 5000km – is free, but after that service intervals are scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km and end up totalling an estimated $4492.39 (over seven years). Those service costs are getting up there.

Foton Australia has about 30 dealerships across the country.

In terms of the warranty period, the Tunland bests the LDV T60 (seven-year/200,000km new vehicle warranty) and the MG U9’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre manufacturer warranty, but the is closer in terms of overall costs with the MG U9 costing $2395 in total for the first five years (up to 70,000km), and the LDV T60 costing between $300 to more than $750 each service.

Verdict