Tom sheppard test drives the worker and....

...see his thoughts on an email to me.

They do have a 461 Professional RHD demo vehicle (in effect the Australian military 461 painted white) on loan from Stuttgart and no clear indication of how long they'll keep it. I was able to drive it around their off-road course a little. Inevitably, it performed as you'd expect (463 driveline and electric diff-lock selection) but to be honest the cheap crudeness of the interior and exterior omissions (allied to that bizarre electrical system and eye-watering price) left me distinctly underwhelmed. I can't imagine who they think will buy one in that form. Sad. I just hope they've something a bit more sensible up their sleeve.

(A point you might be able to comment on. The 461 had two huge electric fans tucked in behind the grille and after around half an hour on the course they were roaring after we stopped - cutting in and out and then roaring some more. Ambient was around 24°C. I'm puzzled why they are needed when my 461 - with the 5 cyl OM602 - copes perfectly well in the Sahara. It does occur to me, I was told my engine has a small electric coolant pump that will keep the coolant circulating for a while after a hot stop. I wondered if the 300Cdi V6 perhaps doesn't have that and maybe they are sledge-hammering the problem with the two giant fans? Or is it because it has a/c? Does this ring any bells?)

Attached some snaps taken for some people in the US which sum up what I saw (3pp pdf 1.5Mb)