Navistar Defense at SOFEX 2012 Showcasing its International Saratoga for the first time.

The Saratoga light tactical vehicle has a high degree of commonality with fielded vehicles and incorporates Navistar’s automotive and manufacturing expertise. The company has also designed and tested its own proprietary geometry survivability solution for the vehicle. Considering material mix, vehicle structure and hull shape, the Saratoga offers a more survivable solution for the light tactical vehicle class while also meeting 76” transportability height.

The vehicle meets the most demanding performance needs and has undergone more than 25,000 miles of automotive testing. The Saratoga incorporates the MaxxForce® D6.0L V8 engine, automatic engaging limited slip differentials, Allison 2100 SP 6-SP Automatic Transmission and air independent suspension for added control.

Present at SOFEX, Pat MacArevey (Vice President, Government Business) told us the vehicle was designed to fill the gap between High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) and M-ATV currently in use in US Armed Forces.

He also informed us that the "International" version present at SOFEX was slightly larger than the version Navistar offered as part of the JLTV bid. Finally, he guesstimated the commonality of parts between the two models at around 80% and insisted on the fact that the International Saratoga was an affordable solution at $275,000 and that it is available now.

"When you have air, you are a hero" said Paul Klein (Business Development) while showing us one of the many smart features found in the Saratoga: An air hose hidden behind a hatch that will come in handy when the need to adjust tire air pressures arises (not only tires of the Saratoga, which can be equipped with a CTIS, but also those of other vehicles during a mission.)

Paul Klein who was in charge of the Saratoga test program told us he has driven the vehicle through sandy, snowy and muddy terrain. Overall, the test program was conducted for a full year over more than 25,000 miles of automotive testing.

Paul Klein also insisted on the dual fuel tanks (one at the front, one at the back) and the adjustable suspension system that makes the Saratoga a capable and modern multipurpose tactical vehicle.