Renault Kangoo vs Foton Tunland

What's the difference?

The latest petrol-powered Kangoo has the pricing, practicality and performance to win friends in Australia’s small commercial van class. If you can afford an option pack or two, like those fitted to our test vehicle, it's even better.

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.

Our test vehicle is less than 4.5 metres long (4488mm) and well under 2.0 metres in width (1859mm) and height (1830mm), making it ideal for those with either limited parking space and/or needing to access space-restricted areas in their working roles.

Its compact 2716 wheelbase results in an 11.3-metre turning circle. This is larger than you might expect, given it’s no tighter than Toyota’s shortest HiAce mid-sized van.

However, it’s also line-ball with its small van rivals, which highlights the restrictions in steering lock shared by front-wheel drive vehicles compared to rear-wheel drivers like the HiAce.

The Kangoo features MacPherson strut front suspension and its rear suspension uses torsion bar primary springing supplemented by a pair of secondary coil springs for carrying heavy loads. There’s also rack and pinion steering and a quartet of disc brakes.

Bodywork and wheels confirm its no-frills work focus, with unpainted dark grey plastic prominent on the hubcaps, front/rear bumpers and along the sides where bumps and scrapes usually occur.

It has tidy styling for a commercial van, including the sharp cabin design that combines a tasteful blend of grey and satin chrome hard surfaces with the practicality of wipe-clean fabric upholstery and vinyl floors.

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’s 1447kg kerb weight and 2010kg GVM results in a useful 563kg payload rating.

It’s also rated to tow up to 1500kg of braked trailer and with its 3510kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it can carry its maximum payload while towing its maximum trailer weight for optimum versatility.

Cargo bay access is through asymmetric rear barn-doors which can be opened to 180 degrees for forklift and loading dock access, or sliding doors on each side with (according to our tape measure) 625mm openings. The walls and doors are lined to mid-height and there’s internal lighting.

The cargo bay’s load volume is a competitive 3.3 cubic metres and with more than 1.8 metres in length, almost 1.6 metres in width and more than 1.2 metres between the rear-wheel housings, it can easily swallow one standard Aussie pallet or two Euro pallets.

The load floor, which does not include a protective liner as standard equipment, offers a choice of six load-anchorage points.

The solid bulkhead doubles as a sturdy cargo barrier and insulates the cabin from cargo bay noise, most of which comes from the tyres emanating through the rear-wheel housings.

Given its compact dimensions, the cabin is surprisingly spacious and accommodating even for someone my height (186cm), thanks to front doors that open to a full 90 degrees, generous leg and elbow room plus a high roof relative to the seating position that adds to the airy feel.

Storage includes a large-bottle holder and bin in the base of each door, single glove box, full-width overhead shelf, large open tray in the centre of the dash-pad and (in standard form at least) a centre console with two cupholders and trays for small items.

However, given our test vehicle is equipped with the optional Business Pack, the standard console is replaced with a more elaborate version, which in addition to a pair of cupholders has a wireless phone-charging dock up front and a box with hinged lid at the back.

There’s also a sizeable clamshell-lid compartment set into the dash-pad ahead of the driver, which includes a smartphone holder on a stalk that can be easily moved to either side of the compartment depending on driver preference.

Our only criticism is the lid on the optional console box. Although it’s been thoughtfully angled downwards at the front to provide the driver with comfortable elbow support, there’s no mechanism on the hinge to hold it in the open position.

This makes it awkward to access the box, as the angled lid naturally wants to keep closing on your hand, so a detent in the hinge would be useful.

And, in a similar context, we’d also like to see hinge detents (or struts) to firmly hold the rear barn-doors open in their 180-degree positions, given their propensity to slam shut if hit by wind gusts during loading/unloading.

This can potentially injure the operator, so these devices should be standard issue, not only for Kangoos but all barn-door vans.

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.

So, how cheap is the box-fresh and (very) mild-hybrid Tunland range, then? Spanning a $10,000 range and sharing the same 2.0-litre diesel powertrain, the action kicks off from $39,990 (all prices are before on-road costs) for the V7-C 4x2.

Now, the C in V7-C stands for Core, but it’s hardly been stripped-down to one.

Available in 4x2 or 4x4 guise from $42,990 before ORC, the V7-C includes a 14.6-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay, a 360-degree camera with transparent-road-down-below views, a dash cam, front/rear parking sensors and a decent stack of advanced driver-assist systems – which will be covered in more detail in the safety section.

Four-wheel drive adds a rear differential lock, 2H/4Auto/4H/4L high-and-low ratio gearing, various off-road driving modes and all-terrain tyres.

Plus, as with all Tunlands, braked towing capacity is 3.5 tonnes, but as the workhorse choice aimed mostly at fleet buyers, only the V7-C’s payload tops one tonne (at up to 1115kg compared to the V9’s 995kg), due to its heavy-duty leaf-spring rear suspension.

Do note, though, that there’s no lockable tailgate for now, or digital radio.

Stepping up to the V9-L (for Luxury) 4x4 from $45,990 switches from a Ford F150-style face to a Ram 1500-esque one, and also gains wheel-arch cladding, side steps, a sports bar, vehicle-to-load power socket, heated and powered front seats, dual-zone climate control, heated/folding mirrors, extra USB ports, extra speakers, a wireless charger and coil-sprung rear suspension instead of the V7-C’s leaf-spring set-up.

Lastly, the flagship V9-S (for Supreme) 4x4 from $49,990 scores a front diff lock, roof rails, panoramic sunroof, vented front seats, heated outboard rear seats, rear privacy glass and more.

The Foton’s value seems rock-solid, with ultra-sharp pricing for a bottom-end ute. Especially for its circa-30 per-cent up-size compared to what is palpably smaller competition.

Bargain-hunting size queens, your ride is ready.

Renault claims average combined consumption of 6.4L/100km and the dash display was showing 7.8 when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 254km test, of which about one third of that distance was hauling more than half a tonne of payload. We also had the annoying engine auto stop/start function switched off for the duration.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was higher again at 8.6 which was still within the usual 2.0-3.0L/100km discrepancy between official and ‘real world’ figures.

So, based on our consumption number, you could expect a ‘real world’ driving range of around 630km from its 54-litre tank which should only be filled with premium petrol (min 95 RON).

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.

Apart from the huge and unavoidable solid-walled blind-spot over the driver’s left shoulder, the Kangoo feels more like a nippy small car than a commercial van.

The driver’s seat has no adjustments for lumbar support or base-cushion rake and the backrest angle is restricted by the bulkhead close behind it, but there’s still enough room even for tall people to find a comfortable driving position.

Its leather-rimmed wheel feels nice in your hands and the unladen ride quality is excellent, with nicely weighted and responsive steering feel, reassuringly strong braking and suspension settings that combine good handling response with supple bump absorption.

The turbocharged 1.3-litre four is a refined and willing performer, albeit with softer response below its peak torque band which is tapped at 1600rpm.

From there it happily spins its way to maximum power at 5000rpm, with the dual-clutch auto getting the best out of this engine in all drive modes, when either unladen or hauling a heavy load.

Its diminutive size and agility are well suited to zipping through heavy city traffic, squeezing into tight loading zones or negotiating narrow and crowded city lanes for delivery work.

Manual sequential-shifting allows more direct control if preferred when hauling heavy loads, or for those simply wanting a more engaging drive experience (particularly in Performance mode).

It's impressively quiet up to 80km/h in city and suburban use, but at highway speeds tyre noise becomes more intrusive (particularly on coarse bitumen surfaces) and some wind noise is evident.

The engine requires only 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h cruising speeds and the (optional) adaptive cruise control is resolute in maintaining its speed settings, even on long and steep descents.

To test its GVM rating, we forklifted 415kg into the cargo bay which with driver equalled a payload of just over half a tonne, or about 50kg under its legal limit.

The rear suspension compressed 55mm, which engaged the long cone-shaped jounce rubbers positioned inside the rear coil springs to provide a second stage of load support.

The Kangoo coped commendably with this payload, floating smoothly over bumps and with minimal effect on handling, braking and engine performance.

It also made light work of our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, quickly self-shifting down to fourth gear to easily reach the summit.

Engine-braking on the way down was not as robust, as you’d expect from such a small engine with more than half a tonne on its back, but still within expectations for small vans.

Our only gripes are the absence of a full-width driver’s left footrest and that the thick panel separating the bulkhead windows almost completely blocks the central mirror’s view through the LHS barn-door. You can option a smart digital mirror with rear-facing camera to resolve this issue, but that’s another $800.

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 Kangoo petrol is backed by a five year/200,000km warranty, whichever occurs first. There's also complimentary roadside assist for up to four years/120,000km, with annual renewals available after that.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/30,000km with capped-pricing for the first five scheduled services totalling $2385, or an average of $477 per year.

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.