They are cousins to the Canadian HLVW, although quite Americanized.
When we got the HLVW, the difference between it and the M-series was immediately apparent. In their day, the HLVW was very well regarded, although they are past their prime now.
IIRC, initially, when Canada wanted to replace the MLVW fleet, the specifications were written towards the US FMTV. Other companies complained, and as well the US advised that they were starting to remove that inventory of truck, so the long saga of the MLVW replacement program began.
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It is well known, certainly within the industry, that in 2004 DND made an attempt to replace the MLVW via the FMS (Foreign Military Sale) government-to-government purchase route, and with the FMTV (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles) from then-manufacturer Stewart & Stevenson. The project failed as disgruntled potential MLVW replacement contenders objected to a sole-source procurement and Industry Canada officials protested that the deal would not offer enough industrial benefits for domestic firms. Other prominent criticisms included the misleading claim that an FMTV purchase would be akin to a further MLVW purchase, in that the FMTV (which entered production in 1991) would be outdated technology when procured.
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