Foton Tunland vs GWM Cannon

What's the difference?

Okay, we admit our expectations weren't high.

But in some ways, the 2026 Foton Tunland is so much more than we could have hoped for, with great looks, big space, a well-presented cabin, tight steering and subdued engine noise. In fact, it even shows the established players a thing or two about equipment levels and value for money.

But the ride is too firm, the diesel powertrain needs more muscle and the rattly interior in the V7-C are all areas requiring attention.

Still, this is not a bad effort, and a name change from Tunland to Mars might have better reflected the sheer progress that Foton has made.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

It combines big payload and towing capabilities with a standard tray and luxury appointments not usually offered as standard equipment in a single cab-chassis 4x2. And all at a price that matches more basic alternatives from the major players. So, for tradies, farmers or fleets wanting more bang-for-buck style than the usual entry-level workhorse, this could be just what they're looking for.

There are two ways of dealing with the elephant in the room here.

Buyers can ignore the problematic ethics of what looks like copying and taking the subsequent controversial front-end styling on face value.

Doing so reveals that the Ford F-150-esque V7 and Ram-like V9 do truly stand out. Beyond just the front-end, both are handsome and well-proportioned. Some may even prefer the Tunland to the originals. There is barely a jarring line to be found.

Good design sells and all this gives the Foton a real leg-up in the market. Plus, with one bold stroke of a pencil, any perceived visual associations with F-150 and Ram is shorthand that the Tunland is much larger than rival mid-sized utes.

This is all strategically brilliant, but is it fair? You decide.

The Foton’s extra size is no illusion. The V7 is 5617mm long (L), 2000mm wide (W), 1910mm high (H) and sits on a 3355mm wheelbase (WB). The V9’s wheel-arch cladding adds 90mm to its girth while the Supreme’s roof rails up height by 45mm.

In comparison, the Ford Ranger XLT’s corresponding L/W/H/WB dimensions are 5370mm/1918mm/1886mm/3270mm, while the regular F-150’s L/W/H/WB are 5884mm/2030mm/1995mm/3694mm respectively.

Crunching these numbers, the Tunland sits nearly midway between Ranger and F-150 in most major dimensions except wheelbase, where it’s about a quarter of the way longer.

This is a similar size strategy employed by the recently released LDV Terron 9 and MG U9 Chinese ute twins.

The extra interior space that endows, along with the clean, uncluttered and largely-intuitive dashboard layout that Foton has created, can only be good news for ute buyers seeking big on a budget. Especially as there’s not much that’s bargain-basement inside the cabin.

Our test vehicle rides on a unique 3470mm wheelbase, which is 240mm longer than the 3230mm dimension shared by other Cannon utes.

This is designed to improve load distribution and therefore vehicle dynamics, given the 4x2’s sizeable payload is also unmatched by its siblings (see Practicality). The longer wheelbase results in a 13.9-metre turning circle, which is the largest of the Cannon fleet.

It features double-wishbone/coil-spring front suspension, a leaf-spring live rear axle, four-wheel disc brakes, electric power-assisted steering and under-carriage armour.

The cab’s exterior has an upmarket appearance that’s unusual in this space, matched by an interior which looks more like those found in SUVs and higher-grade dual cabs with faux-leather upholstery, soft-touch surfaces, exposed stitching, contrasting textures and satin chrome highlights throughout.

There’s even a neat line drawing on the passenger-side dash depicting the silhouette of a ute, which highlights its attention to detail.

Large and spacious, one of the other most impressive things about Foton’s new ute is how mature and sophisticated the interior’s very car-like design and layout are.

Yes, it looks like every other Chinese cabin that has come out recently – there is nothing unique to be found here – but it largely works really well. High points include quite accommodating front seats, an excellent driving position, heaps of storage, ample ventilation and, thankfully, physical buttons to access most of the main functions, including basic climate control, multimedia and vehicle settings.

Negative points include the need to prod the screen to get some of those features to actually operate, including the driving modes, and that led to distracted situations. Not good.

And the Mercedes instrumentation design is an outrageous rip-off. We’re talking near-facsimile here.

Plus, every V7-C we drove suffered from persistent squeaks from the door trim and/or rubbers, leading us to conclude that it has to do with this grade’s leaf spring suspension, as opposed to the quieter V9’s coil suspension. And as there was also some shaking of the passenger seat when empty, we suspect there is too much body flexing occurring here. Clearly more work needs to be carried out, especially as Foton says it's already done thousands of kilometres of Australian road tuning over the past year.

Moving to the roomy back seat, the backrest seems to be at an adequate angle, the cushion feels sufficiently padded, and most of the main amenities are present – cupholders, a centre armrest and air vent access.

There's a little bit of storage underneath the back seat, but there's nothing behind the folding backrest other than access to a jack, which is a little bit of a shame given the size of the cabin.

Still, frustrating touchscreen and wobbly noises apart, all in all, it's is a very well made, nicely presented and fairly high-quality effort from the Tunland.

Further back, we’ve crunched even more numbers.

The V7’s tub is 1577mm long, 1650mm wide and 530mm high, with 1240mm between the wheel arches, compared to the Ranger XLT’s 1464mm, 1520mm, 525mm and 1217mm – as well as the F-150’s 2005mm/1656mm/543mm/1285mm – respectively.

While the Tunland subsequently sits nearly midway between medium and full-sized utes generally, its tub’s dimensions are closer to the former. Still, the Foton is still usefully larger for bigger loads, and is also strong for payload (995kg to 1115kg) and GVM (3305kg to 3335kg) ratings, as well as off-road clearances.

Accessories specialists Ironman will supply items like canopies, towbars and bullbar options.

However, do note that the (assisted) tailgate in the V7-C is not lockable at this stage. A fix is coming soon, apparently.

Lastly, only the dual-cab body is likely for the foreseeable future, though other styles including cab-chassis are offered elsewhere.

Our test vehicle’s relatively light 1900kg kerb weight includes the standard tray. So, its 3050kg GVM results in a substantial 1150kg payload rating that's in addition to the tray, rather than the tray's weight being part of the payload which is usually the case with cab-chassis models.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3200kg of braked trailer, which is 300kg less than the class-benchmark 3500kg its Ranger and D-Max 4x2 rivals can tow, but still ample for most trailering requirements in real-world use.

However, with its 5590kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time), towing its maximum trailer weight would require a substantial 660kg reduction in payload (from 1150kg to 490kg) to avoid exceeding the GCM limit.

The tray appears to have sturdy construction, complete with a tube-frame front bulkhead that includes a full-width welded mesh insert to protect the rear window from load damage.

According to our tape measure, the tray is internally 1845mm wide and 2580mm long, with hinged and removable drop-sides that stand 260mm tall and feature neat flush-fitting lock mechanisms.

However, there are no internal anchorage points, so all loads must be secured externally using the rope-rails positioned along each side beneath the tray.

Cabin storage includes a large bottle-holder and bin in each door and the driver gets two small nooks on the right side of the dash. There’s also a long and narrow bin provided in the upper left side of the dash, above a usefully sized glovebox.

The centre console has a pad that’s ideal for storing a phone, plus two USB-A ports and a 12v socket. There’s also buttons for controlling other 12v accessories, along with two cupholders and a lidded box at the rear that's usefully deep with an internal vent to control temps for drinks and food. The box lid is also nicely padded to serve as a driver’s elbow rest.

Our Pearl White test vehicle comes standard with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel and eight-speed automatic drivetrain carried over from the previous model, for a list price of $34,490.

That compares favourably with single cab-chassis diesel 4x2 rivals like the manual-only Toyota HiLux Workmate Hi-Rider 2.4L ($32,970), Isuzu D-Max SX High Ride 2.2L auto ($36,200) and Ford Ranger XL Hi-Rider 2.0L auto ($37,130), given the Cannon comes standard with an aluminium tray which rival buyers must pay extra for. Our example is also fitted with GWM’s genuine accessory towbar which adds $1449 to this price.

The tray is one of many items on the Premium’s generous standard equipment list that also includes 18-inch two-tone alloy wheels with 265/60R18 tyres and a full-size steel spare, ‘Machine Grey’ grille with body-coloured front bumper/wheel-arch trims/mirror caps/doorhandles, auto LED headlights with DRLs/sequential indicators/follow-me-home lighting, front fog lights, LED tail-lights, side-steps, reversing camera, rear parking sensors and more.

Smart keyless entry provides access to a well-appointed cabin with carpet, synthetic leather bucket seats, single-zone climate control, electronic parking brake, push-button start, height/reach adjustable steering wheel with paddle-shifters and three comfort modes, adaptive cruise control, 7.0-inch driver’s instrument cluster, four-speaker audio system with a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen and more.

The Tunland’s official combined fuel-consumption average is 8.0 litres per 100km, for a carbon-dioxide emissions rating of 211 grams per kilometre.

Lending a hand here is auto start/stop and battery regenerative energy recovery tech.

So much for the theory. The expected best-selling V7-C 4x4 we drove averaged 10.3L/100km during our drive day. And that's not bad, considering that it had four people and plenty of luggage on board for part of its journey.

GWM claims official combined average consumption of 7.6L/100km but the dash display was showing 9.5 when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 290km test, which included the usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third was hauling its maximum payload.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was almost identical at 9.7L/100km. That was within the usual 2-3L/100km discrepancy between official claims and real-world consumption and thrifty sub-10L/100km economy for a light commercial in daily urban use.

So, based on our test figure, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 770km from its 78-litre tank.

Besides the divisive styling, the main difference between the V7 and the V9 is the suspension, and this informs the driving experience somewhat, as both share the same powertrain.

Now, the 2.0-litre four-pot turbo-diesel is exceptionally smooth and well- insulated from inside, while the eight-speed ZF transmission is really slick and responsive.

But this is not a particularly powerful unit. There’s adequate performance, as it does pick up speed fairly quickly, and it does maintain sufficient acceleration for overtaking as long as the stretch of road is long enough, but joining fast traffic or going up hills can be a struggle if you’re in a rush. It's not the worst in class, but not best in class by a long shot.

Probably the biggest surprise, though, is the Tunland’s steering, as it's really well-weighted and progressive, allowing the keen driver to really take advantage of the well-sorted chassis tune’s handling and grip.

Yet the steering is light enough around town, aided by a light driving mode, for easy parking.

The flip side, though, is that the ride can be choppy.

The V7 is the worse of the two, because its leaf sprung rear suspension set-up makes it feel a little bit too firm and bouncy over certain roads, while the V9’s coil-sprung alternative does a noticeably better job of it.

That said, the Tunland is still better than some Chinese utes. But for ride comfort and refinement, the class leaders like Ranger can rest easy.

Finally, the ADAS safety tech has been worked over for Australia, and it's nowhere near as intrusive as it is in a lot of other vehicles. So that's another plus point for the Foton.

That's the on-road driving impressions.

Unsurprisingly, the V7’s ride comfort deteriorated even more off the beaten track, with a jittery patter and some minor body flex causing the door rubbers to squeak. That wasn’t detected in the V9, which clearly handled the rough stuff better.

Overall, though, the Tunland did a good job over a not-too-demanding 4x4 course, aided by decent clearances and the lockable rear (plus V9’s front) differentials, as well as the settled and measured steering.

The GWM Cannon has generous external dimensions which translate to a spacious and airy cabin. In this case, the usually restrictive single cab can easily accommodate taller drivers, given I’m 186cm and found a comfortable driving position.

The door mirrors provide good rearward vision along both sides, but there's no blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert. Even so, when carrying a load that blocks the central mirror, the rear camera and parking sensors assist when reversing.

Given our test vehicle’s kerb weight is less than two tonnes, the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is a better fit in terms of power-to-weight ratio, as it can feel underdone in heavier Cannon ute variants.

As a result, it has livelier response, particularly when operating in its peak torque band between 1500-2500rpm which it does most of the time. We trialled the different drive modes but found the ‘Normal’ default setting an ideal compromise between ‘Sport’ and ‘Eco’ modes.

It has very firm rear suspension, as you’d expect given its big payload rating. This results in a harsh ride over bumps when unladen, as the relatively light weight of the aluminium tray can’t match a heavier steel tray or custom work body in providing the sprung weight needed for a smoother ride. So, ideally it should be carrying a decent load most (if not all) of the time for optimum comfort.

On the highway it only requires about 1800rpm to maintain 110km/h, which is bang in the middle of its peak torque band. At those speeds there is noticeable rear tyre noise along with wind-buffeting from the tray’s bulkhead, but they’re not intrusive enough to require raised voices.

To test its payload rating we forklifted 975kg into the tray, which combined with the weight of the towbar and driver equalled a total payload within 50kg of its 1150kg limit.

The rear leaf-springs compressed 60mm under this weight, which still left about 40mm of static bump-stop clearance that ensured no bottoming-out on our test route.

As expected, the ride quality greatly improved with such a big increase in sprung weight, which is what it’s primarily designed for. And thanks to the extended wheelbase, most of the tray’s load was positioned ahead of the rear axle, which provided ideal weight distribution and good handling stability.

The 2.0-litre drivetrain also performed well on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, easily hauling this load to the summit without downshifting lower than fourth gear.

In a manually selected second gear, it also displayed strong retardation when testing engine-braking on the way down, easily staying beneath the posted 60km/h limit until the engine reached 4400rpm on overrun (no redline is displayed) and automatically shifted up a gear.

These engine-protecting calibrations are becoming common in utes and vans, so keeping the revs below that threshold with regular applications of the brake pedal is the best way to share engine and wheel-braking on steep descents with heavy loads.

Our only gripes are, firstly, the intrusive engine clatter between 1000-2000rpm which detracts from its otherwise good performance.

And secondly the emergency lane-keeping assist, with its weird fluctuations in steering weight and aggressive tugs at the wheel when making corrections which are often not justified. Fortunately, this annoying function can be switched off. Unfortunately, you must do it before every drive, which requires accessing the touchscreen each time.

The GWM Cannon has a five-star ANCAP rating (awarded 2021) which includes seven airbags and a suite of active safety features including auto emergency braking (AEB) with junction assist, front collision warning, trailer sway mitigation, tyre pressure monitoring, traffic sign recognition, reversing camera, rear parking sensors and more. However, we wish it also shared the ‘rear cross-traffic alert with brake’ function that’s standard on the higher Lux-grade dual-cab-chassis 4x4 variant.

Though not quite the 10 years offered by Mitsubishi, Nissan and MG, Foton is swinging big with a seven-year unlimited-kilometre warranty including with roadside assistance and seven years of capped-priced servicing.

Intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, while you can expect to pay around $650 annually (averaged out over seven years) or nearly $4500 over that period of time.

There are currently 22 dealers around Australia, although that will grow over the next couple of months with independent and broader dealer coverage from the Inchcape group that imports Foton vehicles.

Vehicles are serviced in-house at these dealerships.

It comes with a seven years/unlimited km warranty, plus five years of roadside assistance. Scheduled servicing starts at six months/5000km whichever occurs first, then every 12 months/10,000km. Capped pricing applies to the first five scheduled services up to 54 months/45,000km, which totals $2065 or an average of $413 per service.

GWM currently has a network of 121 dealerships throughout Australia, with expectations of 135 by 2026. They are located in metropolitan and regional areas in every state and territory. And every dealership provides accredited vehicle servicing.