2024 Foton Thunder Sports 4x2 8AT

Rough and Rugged

In the Philippine market, Foton is perhaps one of the most established brands that came from the PRC, especially when you take a look at its place in the commercial vehicle segment.

Much like other Chinese manufacturers, they have initially tried their hand at offering passenger vehicles. In the past, they had the Toplander SUV, as well as the minivan called the MPX. However, those attempts have found limited success, and never truly let Foton hit the ground running.

The same cannot be said though about their pickup trucks. Sure, they had a rocky start with the Blizzard, but the introduction of the Thunder back in 2012 has put Foton in a much better position. It finally had a powerful turbodiesel engine, along with features that make up modern workhorses nowadays.

That brings us to the latest iteration of the Thunder. While it still has the same platform from 12 years ago, Foton has given its pickup offering an extensive update, and a new Sports 4X2 variant.

From the outside, the latest refresh has done the job of hiding the Thunder’s age. However, Foton still needs some work in the styling department. To be perfectly honest, the pickup looks good, but it still has those design references from Japanese pickup trucks like the Hilux Conquest, the older Hilux Vigo, and the Navara written all over it.

The bed of the pickup truck is almost a perfect square, as it has a length of 61”, and maximum width of 62”. The bed height is around 17” which is a little shallow if you’ll be putting in bigger items. We also measured the loading height of the bed, and it was around 34 inches tall – not a problem for a guy of my height (5’9”), but can be a bit tall for those shorter than me.

But I have to give Foton props for giving this truck a little more extra in terms of exterior equipment. It has a sprayed-on bedliner for heavy-duty use, tie-down hooks on the bed, a functional sports bar, front and rear cameras with parking sensors at the back, as well as disc brakes on all four corners.

While the pickup truck has the tough guy look on the outside, it’s a different story once you get inside. It’s actually a nice place to be in, especially when you see those quilted patterns on the seats and the sidings. It gives that SUV-ish vibe – a far cry from the utilitarian cabins of pickups in the past. The combination of black and silver accents is a plus in terms of styling, but I’m not quite sure about the carbon fiber pattern on the dashboard.

The instrument cluster’s graphics are also a nice touch. It still has analog gauges and a multi-information display in the middle, which reminds me of what Audi instrument clusters used to look like before they went full digital.

In the middle, there’s a 10.25-inch touchscreen that has a “floating” design. While I find the smartphone connectivity function lacking with the absence of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, I like the fact that Foton chose functionality over form. There are still physical switches and buttons for both the A/C and audio system, unlike other Chinese manufacturers that have them buried in the screen’s submenus.

When it comes to the engine, the Foton Thunder Sports has the Aucan turbodiesel unit that was part of the major update back in 2022. It produces 161 PS at 4000 rpm, and 380 Nm of torque at 1,800 rpm. We never got to see it up close when it was launched in MIAS, but now we’ve come to know it actually has an air-to-water intercooler once we removed the engine cover. This can keep the air that’s going to the engine at a more consistent temperature, and thus deliver more consistent power.

That particular characteristic of the engine was felt when I got behind the wheel of the Thunder Sports. Even though it's a 2.0-liter unit, it has plenty of pull down low. In fact, it feels like it has a bit more power than what the spec sheet suggests. Also, the ZF 8-speed automatic performed great in both city and highway duties. It was nice and responsive whenever I needed it to downshift for overtaking, and it kept the revs down for highway cruising.

Fuel efficiency is also one of the strongest suits of the Thunder Sports. During our time with the pickup which involved plenty of motoring events in the metro, we only consumed a quarter of the tank in one week. I was able to do around 10 km/l in the city at a 17 km/h average speed, while I got up to 14 km/l on highway speeds at an average of 82 km/h thanks to the 8-speed auto. Paired with a 76-liter fuel tank, it gives you excellent range that’s perfect for long drives.

The build quality is also worth noting, as the 7,000-km old truck still feels solid and is free from interior rattles and suspension squeaks while we were driving it.

However, as good as the engine may be along with its mechanical refinement, the Foton Thunder Sports shows its age in terms of ride quality.  There’s no other way to put it – the Thunder’s combination of a soft front and a stiff rear won’t give a comfortable ride, whether the bed is loaded or unloaded.

It won’t be as pleasant as you’d experience in the likes of the Ranger, or Navara. In fact, I’d even put it out there that the Hilux returns a better ride than the Thunder, so that’s perhaps the thing that Foton really needs to work on, especially since comfort is a major requirement for a lifestyle truck that’s daily driven. If I’ll ever own one, a suspension package from an aftermarket 4x4 specialist would be my first mod or upgrade for the Thunder Sports.

But for PHP 1.13 million, the Foton Thunder Sports can give you a major win in terms of value for money. Foton is also giving a 5-year, 150,000 km warranty for the truck for your peace of mind. And don’t forget, the Thunder Sports is being made in Clark, Pampanga, so parts availability may not be an issue in the long run.

With a few more improvements in terms of the ride, and smartphone connectivity, I believe the Foton Thunder Sports has the potential to pull it off and compete with the established contenders in the pickup truck segment.