As James May’s recent Top Gear piece on the British war effort’s and its means of moving around revealed, they have a wide assortment of new, modern vehicles, each specifically designed to do a particular task very well. In the case of the new Foxhound, its task was simple: replace the ageing Snatch Land Rovers that had been in service for decades and provide safety and modernity.
Also known as the Ocelot, the vehicle was designed and built in the UK by Ricardo plc and Force Protection Europe. This vehicle is the only one the second company ever made, before it was bought out in 2011, having previously won the British Ministry of Defence contract for €220- or $298-million, in 2010.
The resulting vehicle looks to be very capable, as per James’ presentation, and not only that but it kind-of has a Range Rover Evoque crossed with a Nissan Juke with a front fascia to support its modern character. Power comes from a 3.2-liter Steyr M16-Monoblock Diesel that pumps out 215 hp and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm), driving all four wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox; that’s not much when you consider it weighs 7.5 tons.
It reaches 50 mph or 80 km/h in 20 seconds, and if you push it hard can top 132 km/h or 82 mph.
Inside, it comes with accommodations for up to six people, who will be required to operate some of the systems on-board the vehicle that include advanced comms and night-vision.
Construction is modular and individual parts can be replaced with relative ease, according to the official information. They even say its engine can be swapped out in as little as 30 minutes.
The Foxhound/Ocelot is not along in being a new kind of military transport, and the Australians have the Bushmaster and Hawkei, while the US has the Oshkosh M-ATV among others.
The cost for one of these is an estimated $1.5- or €1.1-million.
By Andrei Nedelea
Story References: Top Gear
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