You are responsible for your own safety. From Gauteng it’s a drive of about 1 450km to get to the pass, so we stayed over at the Protea Hotel Oasis in Upington on the first night.
Phew! Dirk van Heerden Foton Tunland 4x4 lux [email protected] 2015/09/09, 03:10 PM #2. The Road to Hell was a demon of a road, but it was at least paved with good intentions. From the town of Springbok, head north on the N7 main road towards the Vioolsdrift border post (Namibia). One 4×4 club claimed that they struggled for two days to get up, while one guy states that he completed the entire journey in a 4×2 Isuzu KB. It is known as the ‘Road to Hell’ and there are various images of a large rock with those words written on it, denoting the start of the pass. Look at it this way. This bullbar available colourcoded. Protea Hotel Oasis, Upington Hannes Grobler played the Stig for our shootout. Mike has been a motoring journalist for almost 20 years. The tester that put the Tunland through its paces commented that although diff-lock (which is not fitted) would not have been required under the circumstances, the bakkie could benefit from a trifle more torque at low revs and that a shorter rear overhang would have been more ideal.
Meanwhile, 4-wheel-drive enthusiasts will appreciate the convenience of being able to shift from 2H to 4H on the fly at the push of a button. The plan was simple. Central locking, adjustable, energy-absorbing steering, as well as ABS and EBD braking systems come standard. Going up it looked a lot worse than we remembered, and the fact that the sun was setting fast didn’t help. There’s some stiff competition in the diesel 4X4 double-cab arena. Push-button controls for the four-wheel drive system. Since we had very little idea what to expect, it made sense to take this Tunland.
Before joining Cars.co.za in 2016, Mike was the deputy editor of South Africa's oldest motoring magazine for 5 years and the editor of its website for 3 years. Apart from accumulating a wealth of experience in testing and reviewing vehicles in South Africa and abroad, Mike has distinguished himself as a columnist, copy editor, PR practitioner and a 3-time South African representative on the World Car of the Year jury panel. Road to hell – get a piece of the action With solidity from its ladder-frame construction, rigid chassis and reinforced steel body with superior balance and stability, the Foton Tunland embodies freedom and confidence in their most striking form. On that note, the CAR fuel index has the Steed with the best fuel consumption of the lot, an important consideration with fuel prices sitting so high.
This forced us to go as far left as possible, right onto the edge of the path. Sporting a suitable number of aesthetic exterior accoutrements, colloquially known as “bakkie bling”, is very important in the context of standing out in the vehicle parc of a congested urban sprawl. Power: 120kW @ 3 600r/min With so many double cab bakkies being launched recently, the Tunland shifted slightly off of most people’s radar.
Having said that, as well-priced as the Foton seems compared with mainstream rivals that are priced R50 000 to R60 000 above it (here are a handful of examples), the generously specified Tunland doesn't make a strong enough case against the Ranger 2.2 double cab 4x4 XL, which is only marginally more expensive, but offers a torquier (and ostensibly more frugal) motor, is distributed and serviced via a wider dealership network than the Foton has and, given the rampant popularity of Ford's bakkie, the Ranger is bound to retain its value better when the time comes to trade it in. As for fuel consumption, it’s good news. After 135km on the N7, turn right on a dirt road to Swartkop mine (S28.90410, E017.72625).
The rest of the pass is easy, really. By signing up for these "Trips", you agree to release “4wdtrip.com” and its "Organisers" from ANY responsibility, liability or claim in law or in equity. Foton Motor Australia Pty Ltd is the distributor for Foton Truck and Tunland vehicle products in Australia. The Tunland has a payload rating of 950 kg. Let’s get the Hell outta here
The ride was comfortable and Hannes Grobler (South African off-road rally champ) noted the vehicle had better suspension than the Foton and even beat off the Hilux in terms of a softer ride, which you’ll want if you have the family in the car.