Mud-club
Chat & Social => The Bar - General Chat => Topic started by: sogster on January 23, 2005, 11:10:03
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I saw one of these the other day driving along the M25 (Clockwise) near Reigate. Just a landy in disguise to me!!
http://www.brucehopkins.co.uk/santana_4x4.htm
What do you guys think?
Sogster.
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A mate and I were driving along when I lived in Swansea. We'd just been to the tip, and passed a place that sold Santanas, stopped the car and had a conversation that ran along the lines of "That's not a 110".
Basically, they seem well built (from what we could tell, anyway), rather spartan inside, leaf sprung, and with a stonking engine (Iveco 2.8 diesel).
I'd quite like a play, to be honest!
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we have them in at work all the time, they are much like a series 3 109 in alot of respects but very 110 ish if you know what i mean. good engines though.
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I have seen one being used by United Utilities, weather they are just evaluating one for as they still seem to run quite a few Defenders
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The Santana factory has bee producing under licence for many years, as they also have the Suzuki Samurai
Santana (http://www.santana4x4.com/home.php)
Even the Police are evaluating one 999 (http://www.ukemergency6.f9.co.uk/police28.htm)
Scroll down & you'll find 'AO52 UWX' and also a very nice Pinzgauer 6x6
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Saw an advert for then recently, 'do you need to tow 3.5 tonnes' etc. etc. then buy on of these, well I don't need a Spanish import to do that!
Santana have often introduced improvements well before Solihull, take for example the rear door/spare wheel arrangement, but the current model is not really my taste, it looks too plasticy.
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Yebbut, maybe you don't *need* a Spanish import, but if you can save a wodge of cash and get a vehicle that's pretty similar to a 110 but with what some view as a better engine, then it can't be too bad.
I think the big difference is going to be the leaf springs. The rest seems to be largely cosmetic, which comes down to personal preference. But the Yanks run plenty of big 4x4s on leafs - I think the Chevy Tahoe still runs on leafs.
Everybody keeps moaning about how Land Rover are moving towards ever more complicated vehicles which go wrong all the time and can't be bodged around by the enthusiast. Er, isn't there some sort of link here?
David
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I suppose it's a matter or preference, you do get a lot of new car for your money and that engine has a good reputation, so if it's a workhorse you're after who cares what it looks like, but for a family car (bear in mind we own a Rangie) and for off-roading I'd rather be in a coiler, I don't think ther;es much to choose reliability wise between leaves and coils but coils just do the job better.