USA Grenadier Experience (Texas Houston) 21-23 Feb

Jones said:

Booked for the Thursday the 23rd, 3-4pm CST! Will be traveling over from Louisiana.

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RaceTex said:

Booked for tomorrow, 2/21. Yee haw.

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grenadierguy said:

What time? I'm there at 8:30, kinda hoping they have food. Probably wont have the pub open at that time! Lol.

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BD1 said:

How was it? Impressions?

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Norb-TX said:

Heads up, don't bring your Ferrari as the parking lot is not paved.

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grenadierguy said:

It was a great day! i spent about half a day just hanging out and talking to all the people passing through. They had the post sales director there for America who had only been with Ineos 6 months. The enthusiasm for us was fantastic. My favorite thing I found out yesterday was where the gas cap goes while you fill up. Lol
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RaceTex said:

Very cool event. Loved the African safari tent setup.

My biggest takeaway - driving was effortless. I never once lost traction, fishtailed, slipped, etc. My confidence in the vehicle's abilities skyrocketed. This is a true off-road purebred. The track itself was shorter than expected, but it had all sorts of challenging terrain to run through. Unfortunately, there were no long steep grades to test out the hill decent control or approach angles. We put it into off-road and wading mode only. It was still a prototype, albeit a more refined prototype than the one I saw at the reveal event, but there were random electronic sounds, ungrained trim pieces, misaligned doors - small items that will be fixed before production/delivery.

As usual, the Ineos staff was supremely accommodating and informative. The head of global product was there from UK, along with the head of aftersales. Both top notch - the entire team has such passion for the company and car.

I'm also glad to know that there are off-road courses like this a short drive from Houston.

@BD1 - fear not, deliveries will happen before end of year .

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BD1 said:

Thanks for sharing!

Was there an opportunity to drive on road?

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RaceTex said:

Some of the feedback from another reservationist at the event involved the price point vs other vehicles, especially if majority of driving is on road. They absolutely loved the test drive, but when you start approaching and/or passing that $80k+ price point, you have to consider other luxury vehicles and the interior comforts they offer. The Lexus GX and LX were mentioned. The IG's looks and abilities still tip them towards a purchase decision, but it's not as easy of a decision as it seemed to be for them pre-test drive. And maybe this vehicle is not a good fit for them and they were never IG's intended target consumer. Nevertheless, it's a valid consideration that I am sure other potential urban customers may struggle with.

Personally, I see tons of value in all the tier 1 components, engineering, and deliberate minimalism (no power seats, no auto windows, etc). And of course, I would make use of its capabilities. It should have less repairs on average and easily last 30+ years - that is the cost/yr math that helps me rationalize it. As others have said elsewhere, I hope IG keeps their niche design focus and resists the temptation to compromise in order to appeal to a broader audience.

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RaceTex said:

Some of the feedback from another reservationist at the event involved the price point vs other vehicles, especially if majority of driving is on road. They absolutely loved the test drive, but when you start approaching and/or passing that $80k+ price point, you have to consider other luxury vehicles and the interior comforts they offer. The Lexus GX and LX were mentioned. The IG's looks and abilities still tip them towards a purchase decision, but it's not as easy of a decision as it seemed to be for them pre-test drive. And maybe this vehicle is not a good fit for them and they were never IG's intended target consumer. Nevertheless, it's a valid consideration that I am sure other potential urban customers may struggle with.

Personally, I see tons of value in all the tier 1 components, engineering, and deliberate minimalism (no power seats, no auto windows, etc). And of course, I would make use of its capabilities. It should have less repairs on average and easily last 30+ years - that is the cost/yr math that helps me rationalize it. As others have said elsewhere, I hope IG keeps their niche design focus and resists the temptation to compromise in order to appeal to a broader audience.

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ADVAW8S said:

Did the IG staff give any indication of pricing? It is going to be a delicate balance for IG and the public plus dealers.

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