2025 Foton Tunland V7: Not Just For The Big Boys, Girls Wanna Have Fun, Too!

Why is it that when we get to borrow large media test units, such as full-size luxury cars, SUVs or pickup trucks with large engines, it’s my husband Lester who gets to drive them? Is it because of that sexist pun “Big Toys for the Big Boys”? I understand that he’s the Editor-in-Chief of this website, licensed mechanical engineer, amateur racer, car enthusiast and lifelong gearhead, but must I be relegated to the passenger seat or, in some occasions, consigned to drive smaller “more feminine” vehicles just because I’m a female?

Fortunately for me, Levy Santos, the General Manager of Foton Motor Philippines (FMPI), does not subscribe to such a feministic approach when it comes to their line of tough pickup trucks and SUVs. So, while Lester was busy test driving and reviewing another pickup truck, I pulled the wool over his eyes (heh-heh-heh) and booked myself a weeklong test drive of the 2025 Foton Tunland V7. And even though Lester accepted delivery of the Tunland when it arrived at our place, I quickly snatched the keys, err.. key fob away from him. Taking a cue from Cindy Lauper, this girl just wanna have fun!

Purple People Eater

To those who don’t know me well enough, I’m not a newbie when it comes to driving large vehicles, as long as they have an automatic transmission. I drive our 2002 Chevy Tahoe to haul stuff when I organize events or garage sales. I drove Lester’s 1971 Chevy Camaro and 1983 Mercedes-Benz 500SE before these collectible cars (that’s what Lester say they are) were sent away for restoration. I’m still waiting for Lester to finish working on my 1995 Jaguar XJ6 (hurry up, honey). So, driving this long, wide and tall pickup truck (you can check the dimensions below) is a piece of cake for me.

My daughter Vette is a big fan of the color purple (the hue, not the movie) and we both love the shiny metallic dark purple color of our Tunland V7 test drive unit (although, it says “violet” on its registration papers). Because of the dark purple, err… violet finish, black wheels, black bumpers and dark tinted glass, most people expect a tough-looking guy to come out of the driver’s seat. It brings me an immense amount of pleasure to surprise people when they see little ol’ me driving this tough-looking truck. And because of its unique color, size and resemblance to a popular full-size American pickup truck, casual onlookers think that I own it and that I had it custom-painted to my liking. (I just wish…)

I’ve Got The Power

For a short while, I proudly drove around thinking that this Tunland V7 had a large, gas-guzzling V8 under the hood. After all, a lot of power will be needed to move a truck as large and as heavy as this, especially one that’s capable of hauling a heavy payload (875 kilos, that’s a lot, right?) or towing heavy loads (3,500 kilos, enough to pull a trailer so I can take Lester’s other project cars and sell them, heh-heh-heh). But my dear hubby shattered my illusion and explained that it just has a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbodiesel hybrid engine, which makes a lot of torque (450 Newton-meters between 1,500 and 2,600 rpm, he says, whatever that means), that fooled me to think it had a big motor. In my defense, I never look under the hood anyway. I just drive.

And as I drove the Tunland V7, I felt that the automatic transmission shifted smoothly without any perceivable gear change. (Lester says it’s an 8-speed but then again, how will I know?) On the yacht-inspired center console near the shifter, there are two round knobs: One knob allows me to choose between 2-wheel drive (2H) and 4-wheel drive (4H or 4L) or just let the Tunland V7 do it for me (AUTO). The other knob helps me go through ruts, sand, wet slippery surfaces, mud, or seriously rugged off-road terrain. I think this feature will be useful when I help organize another overlanding event or when I finally get to convince Lester to go camping off-the-grid. (He’s afraid that I’ll leave him behind like a lost puppy, heh-heh-heh.)

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Even though it is larger than most diesel pickup trucks that I’ve driven, the Tunland V7 doesn’t feel big. It actually feels as agile and as maneuverable as any midsize pickup or SUV. Lester might disagree with me but I find it easier to drive than our 2002 Tahoe, which now feels somewhat cumbersome compared to this 2025 Foton. (What a difference 23 years makes!) Perhaps, it’s the comfy driving position where I feel that everything is within my reach (the brochure says it’s the “Intelligent Cockpit Design”) or perhaps it’s the multifunction steering wheel (although I was not able to use the paddle shifter behind it). Or maybe its opulent leather interior just feels so luxurious that I feel quite spoiled while driving around in it.

There are times when the Engine Idle Start/Stop function suddenly kicks in when I’m stepping on the brakes while crawling thru traffic and I get caught by surprise because the steering wheel suddenly gets heavy. (Thankfully, it has a defeat switch!) While I know it automatically turns the engine off during idle at stoplights to save fuel, I turn it off when I drive in heavy traffic just because I don’t like surprises, especially while driving a shiny low-mileage good-looking pickup truck. Even though Lester thinks that I’m driving this diesel hybrid too slow, I proudly pointed out that I was able to charge the hybrid battery up to 75%! (Try to beat that, mister! Hah!)

Impressed with Safety and Technology

Like any driving mom, I just want to listen to my favorite music while driving, so my audiophile son Chevy played with the Tunland V7’s infotainment system with 14.8-inch touchscreen and adjusted the sound just right. My technophile son likewise pointed out all that aside from Apple Carplay, USB and tuner functions, the infotainment system is programmed with Carbit link wireless mobile phone interconnection, Bluetooth audio streaming, and several electronic vehicle controls. (I believed him because he knows more of this techno stuff than I do. I just drive.)

Meanwhile, my Road-Safety-guru-of-a-husband pointed out the Tunland V7’s active and passive safety systems, albeit in abbreviated form, like ESP, ABS, EBD, VDC, TCS, HBA, HHC, HDC, HBB, BLF, & TPMS, which just sounded like he was trying to impress me. So, I told him: AA NN2IM WED25+ (Alright already! No need to impress me. We’ve been wed to each other for more than 25 years!) However, for the benefit of our dear readers, I asked Lester to list these abbreviations after the Specifications below and what they really stand for. (But seriously, the Tunland V7 does have an impressive list of safety and driving aids.)

More than impressed, I found these electronic driving aids very helpful in keeping me, my passengers, and whatever we haul in the bed, safe on today’s roads, which seems to have drivers with hot tempers and lacking road courtesy, especially when they perceive you as a weak female driver. I find it reassuring that the mere size and stature of this full-size Foton pickup truck is enough to earn me some respect on the road. (Yo! Truckin’ Mad Mommy blasting thru! Git outta my way!) If only we have space in our garage, I’ll gladly pay P1,888,000 to call this dark violet 2025 Foton Tunland V7 my own. (And at the same time, get matching, violet, purple and mauve outfits to wear when driving it…) I’m sorry to shatter your masculine dreams, guys, but it’s time for this girl to have fun!

SPECIFICATIONS

Vehicle Type: Front engine, 4WD, 4-door double-cab full-size pickup truck

Price: P1,888,000

Engine: Aucan 2.0L inline 4 Turbo Diesel Hybrid

Displacement: 1968cc

Maximum power: 161 hp @ 3600 rpm

Maximum torque: 450 Nm @ 1500-2600 rpm

Transmissions: 8-speed automatic

Fuel tank capacity: 76 liters

Wheelbase: 3355 mm

Length: 5617 mm

Width: 2090 mm

Height: 1910 mm

Cargo box dimensions: 1577 mm x 1650 mm x 530 mm

Cargo floor height: 890 mm

Payload: 875 kg

Towing capacity: 3500 kg

Minimum ground clearance: 250 mm

Maximum wading depth: 700 mm

Approach / Departure angle: 28° and 23°

Gross vehicle weight: 3055 kg

Front suspension: Independent, double wishbone with coil springs

Rear suspension: Rigid axle with leaf springs

Front brakes: Ventilated discs, ABS + EBD

Rear brakes: Ventilated discs, ABS + EBD

Steering system: Rack & pinion with hydraulic power assist

Wheels: 18-inch 12-spoke 6-lug black aluminum alloy

Tires: 265/70R18

Active & Passive Safety Systems:

ESP – Electronic Stability Program

ABS – Anti-lock Brake System

EBD – Electronic Brake Force Distribution

VDC – Vehicle Dynamics Control

TCS – Traction Control System

HBA – Hydraulic Brake Assist

HHC – Hill Start Hold Control

HDC – Hill Descent Control

HBB – Hydraulic Brake Boost

BLF – Brake Lamp Flasher

TPMS – Tire Pressure Monitoring System