Foton Tornado M5.2C

Even the entire interior cabin of the Foton Tornado M5.2C has been shared with the smaller Foton Tornado M4.2C. This actually isn’t too a bad thing, considering the fact that this cabin is one of the most modern and feature-rich places to be in when all small and medium-duty commercial trucks are taken into consideration.

The overall layout of the cabin feels very car-like, thanks to premium elements like a multi-functional steering wheel and a touchscreen infotainment system placed in the center. The driver’s cockpit of the Foton Tornado M5.2C feels plush with the presence of a multi-functional steering wheel and simply laid out instrument console with chrome surrounded dials in it.

The center console impresses with its wide layout, with a touchscreen infotainment system and a covered small storage space placed side by side to each other and controls for manual AC below them. The vertically laid AC vents on either side of the center console add a premium touch to the cabin with the silver surrounds around them. 

As expected, the Foton Tornado M5.2C shares its entire visual appeal over the smaller Tornado M4.2C. This frankly is a given thing, considering the fact that the Foton Tornado M5.2C is nothing but a long-wheelbase version of the latter model, aiding in better load carrying capacity. However, one needs a keener eye to point out the differences between the Foton Tornado M5.2C and the smaller M4.2C.

Sharing its entire design with the Foton Tornado M4.2C without any single change, the Foton Tornado M5.2C comes with bold looking front profile, comprising a large windshield in its upper half and a bold looking grille in the lower half. Talking about the upper half first, the windshield gets rounded edges as well as rubber molding around it.

The front grille of the Foton Tornado M5.2C makes it look quite huge for its size when viewed head-on. There are three big and wide horizontal trapezoidal slats placed one over the other, and this grille extends all the way down the lower edge of the front profile. The lower edges of the grille have large trapezoidal headlamps fixed adjacent to them. There are small squared fog lamps placed on the corners of the slim front bumper, which gets triangular air inserts towards the center.

This is where the real differences between the Foton Tornado M5.2C and the rest of the lineup of Tornado light-duty trucks begin. With a total length of 17 ft, the Foton Tornado M5.2C is the longest truck in the Tornado lineup. And this better length over the smaller Foton Tornado M4.2C gives it a better load-carrying capacity of 5,200 kgs.

Even the powertrain of the Foton Tornado M5.2C is the same 3,800cc Cummins ISF 2.8 four-cylinder, water-cooled, turbo intercooler diesel engine which powers the smaller Foton Tornado M4.2C. This engine, which is paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox, pumps out 156 PS of maximum power and 500 Nm of peak torque, making it the most powerful engine of its class. 

The Foton Tornado M5.2C is armed with a host of safety features, such as reverse parking sensors, a reverse camera, and a full air brake system with ABS and EBD.

The major highlights of the Foton Tornado M5.2C have to be its modern and feature-rich cabin, powerful engine, and load-carrying capacity, each of which makes it a best-in-class appeal. However, additional visual changes over the smaller Foton Tornado M4.2C would have been more appreciable.