Trucks are really only built to do three things – to haul a lot of stuff, in a reliable fashion, whilst not costing its operator too much money. Everything else is secondary. Though Forland appears to have taken strides in changing that impression.

Typically, refinement and ruggedness are often sat at two ends of the spectrum. Lorries are often loud, uncomfortable and have really poor rides, a result of its leaf spring suspension. These are traits its users put up with, as they have no other choice but to rely on such a machine for its utility.

But as the industry switches to electric power, manufacturers like Forland are showing its customers that trucks need not be unrefined. They can be smooth and silent, but without any major compromise.

That last point is crucial, because unlike a lot of Chinese electric trucks available for sale today, the Forland ET5 could quite possibly be the most efficient of the bunch.

Understanding the ET5

There’s really not much we can say about the way it looks. It is stereotypically a truck, with a tilt cab and a flatbed mounted on the back. Without the need to cool a noisy diesel motor, it doesn’t have large grille openings in front, meaning it has a relatively smooth and streamlined appearance.

No fancy LEDs or laser lights here – the ET5 is blessed with good old fashioned halogen headlights. Perhaps not the best in terms of overall luminosity, but there’s little to critique on the running cost aspect. Forland must have known that, as they have also fitted it with LED DRLs and a pair of fog lights.

The most impressive thing about its exterior is not its trim levels or its styling. It is in its overall build quality. The paint is evenly applied and surprisingly glossy, and every external panel has also been fitted properly, with solid overall panel gaps and fitment.

Granted, these are obviously nice-to-haves and not strictly essentials at first glance, but a well-made vehicle tends to be more durable, which inspires buyer confidence. If you look at it through that lens, this first impression really helps, especially as a new entrant to the Singapore market fighting against juggernauts like SRM.

Comfortable Utility

On the inside, the Forland ET5, like all of its competitors, come strictly with the bare essentials only. Though it is the bare essentials done very well. The overall build quality theme continues on the inside.

You wouldn’t find soft touch materials anywhere in the cabin, though you really wouldn’t want to in a work vehicle. The plastics used on the dashboard feel very sturdy, and again the panel fitment is absolutely on point.

It comes with a pair of rather basic looking seats, but they have been built in a way that offers you excellent back support, meaning comfort on those long days behind the wheel. And rather surprisingly, the NVH levels are perfectly acceptable too, with the truck blocking all but the loudest of outside noises.

But it is not all good news in this department. The door cards do feel a little flimsy when compared against the rest of the cockpit. And whilst it appears that there’s a space for a standard double-DIN head unit, it comes fitted with a generic touchscreen system without Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

Civilised Momentum

The Forland ET5 truly impresses when you hit the open road. Like most trucks it has leaf spring on its rear axle (necessary for the loads it needs to haul), but Independent MacPherson suspension up front.

This means you get far better ride, and less “hopping” typical of most tilt-cab pick-up trucks. It also impresses on the turning radius front – at just 5.3 metres, the ET5 is incredibly easy to place and manoeuvre.

Power comes from a 101 bhp electric motor that drives the rear wheels. This 220 Nm unit draws its current from a 53.58 kWH CATL battery, which is also liquid cooled to ensure overall reliability. Forland claims it’d do 350 kilometres on a single charge, and we did pretty much just that.

Or if you prefer to gauge your EVs with efficiency figures instead – in our hands, the ET5 did 6.2km/kWh, 0.2km/kWh more than its homologated figure. This makes it one of the longest-range electric G-plate trucks on sale today, a feat it achieved really rather effortlessly.

Efficiency Meets Everyday Utility

The Forland ET5 represents the next logical step for the humble work truck. At its core, it still delivers on the fundamentals — it is unashamedly utilitarian, dependable, and inexpensive to run. For operators, those traits remain the most important.

What sets it apart, however, is how much more civilised the experience feels. The quiet electric drivetrain, composed ride and surprisingly solid build quality make long days behind the wheel far less taxing than what drivers of traditional trucks might be used to.

It may not boast the highest payload in its class, but it counters that with one key advantage — range. In fact, the ET5 offers the best driving range among its competitors, making it an especially compelling option for operators prioritising efficiency and daily usability.

This is not the first time Forland has been mentioned on our site. They were one of the exhibitors at this years’ Singapore Motorshow!