| "What you see here is not a Land Rover, but as close to one as twins separated at birth, same basic DNA, different upbringing". Andrew Pearce, Farmers Weekly, First Drive article, July 2002. |
| Santana Motor SA has had a long association with Land Rover having built in the region of 300,000 'Series' vehicles from 1958 through to 1985. By the end of this period the vehicles being built were quite different from the parent company, and in 1990 all links with Land Rover ceased. Production continued of a range of Land Rover derived vehicles designated the Santana 2500 until the early nineties. In Spain, Santana Land Rovers of all ages are a common sight and have gained an almost legendry status. From 1985 to the present day, Santana has been building 4x4s for Suzuki, including the Samurai, Vitara and Jimny. |
| It is from this background of 45 years of experience in building 4x4 vehicles that Santana has come into the market with a new heavy duty 4x4 commercial vehicle. |
| Linares, the location of the Santana factory in southern Spain, was the home of Hannibal (Anibal in Spanish) famed for crossing the Alps with a troop of elephants. Hence in Spain, the vehicle is badged Anibal, while for the rest of the world it retains its development code number of PS10. |
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| Design philosophy |
Designed with military and industrial customers in mind, the PS10 is a true work horse. Simplicity and practicality are uppermost in the design. Heavy duty transmission and axles and a powerful 2.8 litre turbo diesel engine, combine with features such as the easy to clean interior, with rubber matting throughout, to make the PS10 an immensely practical all purpose vehicle. |
| PS10 assembly |
Santana has learnt and adopted much of the Japanese philosophy of car manufacture, and the production techniques used in building the PS10 are quite different from its forebears. The assembly process takes the complete body, mounted temporarily onto the chassis, through a 6 stage, total emersion rust prevention paint process, prior to the final body colour being sprayed onto the body and chip guard being applied to vulnerable areas of under body such as the wheel arches. This process ensures that paint is applied to all metal surfaces both on the inside and outside of the chassis, bulkhead, doors, etc. Once this process is complete, the body is removed in one, running along an overhead track while the chassis is built up with the engine, drive train, suspension and axles. The body is then re-fitted in one piece onto 14 rubber shock absorbing mounts. The final assembly starts with the fitment of the one piece insulated roof, and then interior trim, seating, and electrical systems and final quality control inspection. |
| At the controls |
Simple, easy to clean dash board, clear instrumentation, light pedal pressures, light responsive steering, larger one piece windscreen and improved ventilation system all combine to make the PS10 pleasant to drive over long distances. |
| Engine |
Powered by the Iveco Unijet 2.8 litre common rail intercooled turbo diesel engine, the PS10 has the power to give good on road performance and economy, and high torque at low revs for towing and off road control use. |
| Transmission |
The main gearbox is the renowned Santana LT85 5 speed gearbox, configured to give selection of 4x2 and 4x4 on the move in high ratio, coupled to a transfer box to give a further 5 speeds in low range for-wheel drive. |
| Suspension |
Santana pioneered the use of Parabolic leaf suspension, the simplicity and robustness of which gives good on road ride comfort, while exceptional axle articulation make the vehicle a true off road performer, able to match any similar 4x4 in the rough. |
| Interior |
The seat boxes of earlier models have gone, allowing the reclining front seats to be mounted inboard giving increased elbow room and more fore and aft movement for taller drivers. The rear seats too have been moved back with a consequent benefit to passenger comfort and space. |
| One piece resin roof |
The double skin, one piece insulated resin roof keeps cabin temperature cool in the midday sun, while preventing leaks and condensation in winter weather. The material has the added benefits of good sound deadening properties and is easy to clean and will withstand knocks and damage when loading and transporting awkward loads or tools and equipment, or the family's pet Labrador. |
| Load space |
An increase in the interior width of the cargo area and greater accessibility from the wider rear door make the new PS10 a more practical and capacious. |
| Chassis mounting blocks |
The 14 rubber mounting blocks reduce noise transmitted into the cabin from the road wheels and transmission and take out shock loading from rough road surfaces. |
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