Melbourne Drive Day

DaveB said:

I am highly adaptable

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I recently cracked a magnum of 1996 Koonungha Shiraz Cab at a dinner with a few mates at the local Viet. Pretty good for a real cheapy, no 389 but it still had a little bit of life

Justin Hocevar said in one of the Perth videos that they are talking and supplying dimensions to aftermarket guys...I spoke more than a year ago to TJM here in Australia who are now franchised retail aftermarket 4WD suppliers...I spoke to the head office and was told that they would be working towards supplying accessories...at one stage many moons ago they were shipping to Toyota Bullbars that were going on to the Landcruiser before they were delivered...TJM franchise owners and managers today are not part of the head office...I designed one of their first logos that incorporated their surname's initial letters Taylor, Jones and Mollenhauer...TJM has been helping adventures into the unknown since 1973. Started by three mates who took the initiative and built the gear they needed to explore off-road...In 1981 they built all of my gear for my trip around, through and in Australia...Same as ARB they build tuff stuff...happy motoring

bigleonski said:

No but with a single drawer and no built in fridge slide I’ll be running with another option.

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I'm hopeful that the modular nature of the Gearmate products, and the extensive range they show on their website, means the single drawer we have seen is just an example of what will be offered and not just the only option.

DCPU said:

I'm hopeful that the modular nature of the Gearmate products, and the extensive range they show on their website, means the single drawer we have seen is just an example of what will be offered and not just the only option.
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I especially like that large slide out tray. As we travel with everything in stackable plastic storage cases.

I went on the drive day in early December and echo many of the comments expressed before. I have a 2-seater Trialmaster on order with winch, roof rack and a few other bits and pieces optioned.

Centre Console: someone mentioned it being being too small - compared to my JGC (which has a CD player in the centre console) the IG bin is cavernous so for me this is not a negative. The glovebox is extremely small but I think I can live with that.

Sound System: the IG representative chose to demonstrate the sound system - let's just say I'm going to miss the Alpine 10 speaker sound system in my JGC!

Turning Circle: is WIDE and I'm going to have to relearn driving a live axle vehicle. I had to make a 90 degree left turn into a gate and let's just say the gatepost would have been toast if I had kept going. I'll be practicing in my D2 for a while and will have to reconsider many of the U turns that I currently undertake in my JGC.

Turbo Lag: at one point in the drive the IG representative suggested that I "hoof it" and I was rather disappointed when I was not shoved back into the seat by a burst of raw power from the otherwise very impressive, inline 6 cylinder engine. It felt pretty much like my single turbo JGC V6 which was a revelation after driving a 2.5 litre Disco for many years. The turbo lag was noticeable and also confirmed by a friend who came along and also had the opportunity to take the IG for a spin.

Footrest: The footrest was apparently designed by an ergonomic engineer! I'm willing to bet that he/she has never spent 8 hours behind the wheel of an IG. I'll wait until I have spent that amount of time behind the wheel of mine and see if it needs to be changed. I know that it is fixable without having to cut out any sheet metal.

Side Step: I'm not sold on the side steps as they stick out too far for my liking. I don't really need rock sliders and they are not really a good side step. I'll probably make my own similar to those I have on my D2 or have some custom fabricated.

Roo Bar: no antennae mounts so I'll wait to see what the aftermarket has to offer.

I have specified the winch even though the rope is not long enough but I'll deal with that once I have the vehicle in my hoy little hands.

There are many things that I will miss on my JGC but if the IG proves to be robust and reliable then I'll be a happy camper who can live without a lot of the niceties. The IG does however have all the non- negotiable "must haves" in a vehicle and I can't find any deal breakers.

Made in China!!!! Might have to cancel my rock slider order.

Zacman110 said:

Made in China!!!! Might have to cancel my rock slider order.

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Yeah bit dodge. I’m sure it’s quality tested etc but…

Zacman110 said:

Made in China!!!! Might have to cancel my rock slider order.

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Where was your telly made?

Znarfgh said:

Sound System: the IG representative chose to demonstrate the sound system - let's just say I'm going to miss the Alpine 10 speaker sound system in my JGC!
Roo Bar: no antennae mounts so I'll wait to see what the aftermarket has to offer.

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Yeah I like my music to be clear and wonderful so I’ll be upgrading early.

Bullbar antenna mount. I like the bar integrated into the steel bumper, so it’s pretty easy to mount the uhf antenna with one of these. This one hasn’t moved a millimeter in 10 years.

Tazzieman said:

Where was your telly made?

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China! But only because you can’t get an Australian made TV. But if I need to spend $1710 I know which economy I’d rather support…. I hope manufacturers such as legendex get on board quickly with the Grenadier.

Zacman110 said:

China! But only because you can’t get an Australian made TV. But if I need to spend $1710 I know which economy I’d rather support…. I hope manufacturers such as legendex get on board quickly with the Grenadier.

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They probably buy the steel made in China from Australian ore via an ore then steel train/ship running on coal

Tazzieman said:

They probably buy the steel made in China from Australian ore via an ore then steel train/ship running on coal

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Probably! But at least some of it is done here.

Interesting article suggesting there's a quiet but concerted effort to move away from China

Zacman110 said:

Probably! But at least some of it is done here.

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Ask a few of the Australian bar manufacturers where they get their steel/aluminium from.

Krabby said:

I think a more robust, B pillar handle (not unlike the front seat passenger one) would be better.

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Do you think it would be possible to get ahold of the passenger A pillar grab handle and install on the same side, but from a vehicle of opposite drive. IE, could one take the passenger side A grab handle from a RHD and install it on the driver side of a LHD? Not sure if that makes sense, but both are the left side interior A pillar.

Krabby said:

Do you think it would be possible to get ahold of the passenger A pillar grab handle and install on the same side, but from a vehicle of opposite drive. IE, could one take the passenger side A grab handle from a RHD and install it on the driver side of a LHD? Not sure if that makes sense, but both are the left side interior A pillar.

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I like that thought a lot.

Off.Grid said:

I like that thought a lot.

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And the mounting holes should already be there under the A-pillar trim...

Guess who just drove what?

Bushguide said:

Guess who just drove what?

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Excellent! What did you reckon?

Can we have a report please...and that hat bash does look familiar...happy motoring