Foton Thunder

Overview

Foton Thunder is one of the biggest names when it comes to commercial pickup vans and manages to keep the name with its stylishness. The latest variant to join the line-up is the Thunder 4x2 automatic that was launched back in 2018. The combined performance of all the Foton models in terms of sales has continued to grow despite facing difficulties.

The Foton Thunder takes care of the small commercial assignments and personal freight purposes with the utmost ease. It is available in both 4x2 as well as 4x4 drivetrain options. Thunder is available in four variants (all diesel) and the prices start from PHP 840,000 and extend up to PHP 1,248,000 for the 4x4 trim.

Interior & Features

According to Foton itself, the Thunder is made to conquer all types of terrain and the same can be proven by the addition of an AWD terrain. This segment extends to the interior layout as well and makes things very comfortable for the occupants so that bad roads do not spoil the fun. The cabin is well insulated for noise reductions. The seats get fabric upholstery as standard but the higher trim gets leather covers to add a premium touch.

The AC is manual, though it is powerful to its core. Other features inside the cabin are four speakers for the audio system, AM/FM player, CD player, and AUX connectivity. The higher model gets Bluetooth handsfree connectivity too. The rear row has an under seat storage space.

Exterior

The Foton Thunder looks exactly like what a pickup truck should be. The front profile is very bulky and muscular and has a tinge of butchness about itself. However, the headlamps look too simple and do not inspire amazing aesthetics up front, though the illumination is pretty healthy. The fog lamps placed lower down are housed among a rugged bumper section.

The truck rides on 16-inch alloy wheels as standard and the wheel arches are very prominent. The tyres are of thick profile and inspire the driver to take on bad roads too. Double cab with four doors and seating for five is a standard across the entire range.

Ride & Handling

The Foton Thunder does have a very responsive engine (the higher tuning of course). The grunt of the engine is so high that it could pull high weight at ease, thanks to the high amount of torque. The ride quality is on the linear side and the power is distributed equally along the entire rev range, especially for the automatic trim. The truck can accelerate to 100 kmph from a standstill in just 13.5 seconds.

The pickup truck has a ground clearance of 230 mm, which is good to be taken on off roads too, something that most modern day cars lack. Power steering is standard fitment, and so is the steering mounted control buttons.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

The Foton Thunder just has one engine option provided for all the variants. The 2.8-litre diesel engine (2,800cc) has four-cylinders and a turbocharger. However, there are two states of tuning for the same engine.

The base model makes 113 PS of power at 3,600 rpm and a peak torque of 365 Nm. The power is transmitted to the wheels via a 5-speed manual. The higher state of tuning is present in the bigger trims where the total power output remains at a humongous 161 PS at 3,600 rpm and a peak torque of 360 Nm at 1,800 rpm. For the transmission, there is an optional 5-speed automatic or 5-speed manual.

Braking & Safety

The Foton Thunder has dual front airbags given as standard, even for the base variant. ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution improve the quality of braking by a huge margin. The pickup truck gets stability control to keep the vehicle in control even on high speeds. Keyless entry is another important feature to like about in the mini pickup truck.

Verdict

The Foton Thunder does turn out to be a great option in the pickup van segment for a handful of reasons. Firstly, the presence of 4x4 drivetrain makes it a hardcore offroader. The automatic transmission gearbox makes for effortless driving even at high speeds.

The double cab variant is a standard fitment so that the users need not pay extra to get it. However, considering the power of the higher engine tune, bigger set of alloy wheels would have improved the stability by a huge margin.