[Twinn]

Speaking of the ultimate offroader - Check out this Marauder.

Courtersy Top Gear

THE MARAUDER Top Gear - Africa - YouTube

Dailymotion - TOP GEAR MARAUDER 17 SEASON - une vidéo Funny

Top Gear is back on TV and kickstarted the series with a number of high energy features, Richard Hammond introduced the “world’s most unstoppable and indestructible vehicle,” which is priced at £300,000. Top Gear introduced the South African-made Paramount Marauder, and tried to blow it up but failed.


In the episode, Richard Hammond test drives the vehicle, putting it through a series of stunts to test the vehicle’s durability. The vehicle has been smashed through walls, attacked by lions in a South African jungle, but still came out visually untouched.





Ivan Ichikowitz, the executive chairman of the South Africa-based Paramount Group, said: “The Marauder is one of the toughest vehicles in the world. We challenged Richard Hammond to throw anything he wanted at it and Marauder withstood it all.” “Despite the fun working with Top Gear, it is important to remember soldier protection is a very serious issue for armies worldwide. We are talking about saving lives. With this type of technology available and the ever present threat of IED’s there really is no excuse for governments not to provide the best protected vehicles for their defence forces,” he added.





The final challenge was placing the Marauder next to a Hummer and using explosives to blow it up, simulating roadside bombs similar to conflict zones. The Hummer got destroyed easily while the Marauder had barely a scratch.
According to the Paramount Group, the Marauder can withstand IEDs, mines and ballistic attacks, and can survive explosions from 7 kgs of TNT under its hull and 14 kgs under its wheels. The tires can even roll 50 kms after being shot by 12.7 mm bullet rounds.

Should vehicle makers continue to make tough vehicles like the Marauder?

Top Gear's Richard Hammond: This is a good town car! - YouTube

[julupani]

These vehicles are way more pure military than the original Hummer, which was way more military spec than the Willys Jeep.

Vehicles like the Marauder are not really meant for use by the common man. Why would anyone want a mine-protected vehicle for private use???

By the way, Top Gear didnt really compare it with a Hummer. The vehicle in the video was an H3, which is just an excuse to use the Hummer brand. The real Hummer, though not likely to survive a blast like that unscathed, is designed to protect its occupants from death in case of it hitting, most IEDs and anti-personnel mines.

Overall, the Marauder is just like any other superb military vehicles which are designed to work in conditions like those. It has not really broken any technological ground or have any revolutionary design. The Humvee on the other hand was a revolutionary piece of engineering, which still hasnt been bested a quarter of a century after it was introduced.

[adidac369]

One can also add a few 007 like gadgets on Komatsu America Corp's 930 E and make tall claims. Dont get me wrong I have read about the Marauder before and i think it is a wild beast but where does it end?

I would appreciate technology that benefits the masses.. like the Nano.

Now if it can only benifit the "Masses" - 3260 in July is bad!

[Twinn]

Originally Posted by julupani

These vehicles are way more pure military than the original Hummer, which was way more military spec than the Willys Jeep.

Yep its a military vehicle, also available for the Civilians!!! BTW I agree with you on the comparision, also a fact I just got to know after watching the video - HUMVEE production is STOPPED

Originally Posted by adidac369

I would appreciate technology that benefits the masses.. like the Nano. Now if it can only benifit the "Masses" - 3260 in July is bad!

It does benefit the MASSES, but in SA . BTW does NANO really affect?? Just a Question!!

[julupani]

Originally Posted by Twinn

Yep its a military vehicle, also available for the Civilians!!! BTW I agree with you on the comparision, also a fact I just got to know after watching the video - HUMVEE production is STOPPED

Humvees have stopped production for quite some time new. No new Humvees have been built even for the American Armed forces for quite some time now. They were so well built and withstood years of wear an tear so well, that the military just returned the Humvees for refurbrishment. So everything, including the chassis was refurbrished, with few parts being replaced and they re-entered into full military service all over again. A very very small percentage of the total Humvees built have actually been scrapped.

[Zed]

A similar offering is the LMV from Iveco. As Far as I know civilian versions were limited to Auto shows.

[adidac369]

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[GTO]

Baah, hardly the ultimate offroader. It's too heavy and has a torque / weight ratio of a little over 100 NM / Ton. I'm sure it serves the intended purpose very well, but to call it the ultimate offroader is...well, incorrect.

My all-time favourites (ultimate if you may) are the Bowlers & Wranglers.

[Ricky_63]

LOL now that is a WAR MACHINE - not an SUV !! I thought the Hummer itself was L A R G E !! Now if the Hummer is large, what would this be ?

Sure can do the Leh Ladhakh road easily - though !! LOL

Strictly for the use of Armed Forces, it would be silly to even think of selling it to civilians, just IMHO



Cheers

[n.devdath]

I might sound different here, but this vehicle looks like a Jeep made out of a truck. It is only big in size and hence is able to run over smaller vehicles, plough through walls and the like not to mention the usual compliment of extra thick plates and armor.

A local Stallion, if made into a Jeep would pretty much achieve the same.

Not really groundbreaking technology or advancement IMO.

[SCORPION]

Its purpose is to protect the people using it and on that count, I think it does its job very well. The Indian army should get some too. It apparently weighs close to 18 tons.
The greens slowly killed the Humvee, and I don't think a civilian Marauder will see the light of day.
By the way the AL Stallion too does look quite intimidating in its all wheel drive military green. Looks like it could maul you. Just love that vehicle.

[julupani]

Vehicles like these are made by Indian manufacturers too. Tata, Leyland and Mahindra all provide heavy duty 4x4 Mine Protected vehicles.

Check out Tata's MPV here.

[Twinn]

Originally Posted by GTO

My all-time favourites (ultimate if you may) are the Bowlers & Wranglers.

GTO - Its got more than 100 NM, BTW isnt HUMVEE your kind of a OFFROADER?? I was looking at bowlers, they are the considered as the best of the lot so far

Originally Posted by Zed

civilian versions were limited to Auto shows.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

it would be silly to even think of selling it to civilians, just IMHO

Red / Ricky - Not unless you are very poor diamond merchant civillian of south africa

Originally Posted by julupani

Check out Tata's MPV here.

Even mahindra and force motors also have armored vehicles, but arn't for the civilians.
If I remember , when launched the HUMVEE's were also not up for the civilians, later on they introduced them. But with military specs with some comfort factor, is it true??

[Zed]

Co incidentally there was a story today (was it MSN ??) on M&Ms Mine sweep vehicle (from their defense vehicle group) being delivered to security forces in the North East.

[neel385]

The Marauder will probably fall into the APC category of vehicles and not really be counted as a SUV. It is definitely a special purpose vehicle made mainly for the armed forces, though the paramilitary forces today would do well to employ them in CI ops. As an APC, it would be required to move into and across a variety of terrains and situations and so a certain amount of off road drivability is a must, but that really does not make a vehicle a SUV does it?