Totally fair - I'm talking about in Canada though, but I'd not be surprised if folks didn't read through the 70+ pages of the "NA Pricing thread" where we learned the Gren in Canada is a lot of loonies relative to it's cost in freedom dollars
Here's my napkin math I had in mind when I made those comments: A Fieldmaster Grenadier in Canada starts at about $110k Canadian. Gladiators start at $61,215k here in Canada. It's not quite double the price but it's not far off. The Chevy Colorado starts at $34k CDN. So, ballpark 3x the price.
To be totally fair to the QM, those are base package Gladiators and Colorados -- they aren't the twin-locked premium versions of either vehicle in the way the Fieldmaster is. But, both platforms have been around for ~5-ish years, meaning the aftermarket is booming and the money left on the table in terms of price can make both these "base" versions real weapons that would go toe-to-toe offroad with what the QM appears capable of. The older age of the platform also means that gently used, both the Gladiator and the Colorados already off-road ready can be had for fairly cheaply.
Your math in the US market shows how much closer together the Gren and the QM is priced to the rest of market compared to Canada, where the rest of market appears to be "cheap" compared to how much people pay for cars around the world. Still, even a $20k-$25k premium is a big bite for what, functionally, doesn't really do anything that differently from what we've already got on the market. I'm not convinced it will be better driving or quieter, but it might be -- like you said though, the real question will be: What does the QM offer that is different than the rest of the market and is that worth $20-$25k (or more potentially in Canada) than the competition - no doubt they will sell out their quota though.
If they could have launched this with a true 1-ton payload, I think it would be an entirely different story. Despite what Scott says in the article, using any type of slide in camper in a vehicle like this with only 1600 lbs payload immediately turns them into a 1-person touring machine. With the current fleet of Mid-Sized trucks, including the QM, you can either bring a camper, or your family - but not both! Most campers for this form factor come in at over a thousand pounds on their own when loaded, which doesn't leave a lot of room for people especially if there's a bull bar and winch involved. Even putting a cap on these rigs will reduce your "useful" payload to be closer to par with the already water- and dust- proof mid-sized wagons (4-runner, JLU). Having a "true ton" payload though would make this far less of a tight game.
