I stumbled into a order-reject Scottish White Trialmaster with Safari Windows, Checker Plates and a Hitch, raised air intake delete. (it's now on a garage shelf...) And my observations from less than a week of ownership:
Steering is exactly what it should be for what it is, in my opinion. (Based on having driven trucks and jeeps most of my life.) I can't speak to anything else as I don't have enough miles in the seat to have any real opinion, except the Safari Windows are pretty dang cool. I'm 5 hours from a dealer, and I truly hope I don't have as much "fun" as some new owners are having... but I knew what I was getting into thanks to this forum. And... it's a cool truck. But I kept the Subaru...
What did you do with your grenadier today? The first thing we did was take it to the kids house...and the kids kids went bananas:
"Woah, a ladder! Can we climb it?" Of course! So, within 3 hours of delivery and less than 20 miles driven I had footprints on the roof, memories made of a child peering through the safari windows from above looking down at me, a paint chip from some sort of other fun I missed, and frankly couldn't be happier about it all. Because life is short ... and it's a cool truck.
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There are a lot of great vendors out there who make perfect products that fit exactly... but for $19 you can blackout the Safari Windows https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0956YJYSX/?tag=globalgrena0b-20 and still have gas money. It's not a perfect fit. But it works.
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Which brings me to this:
I want to thank the innovators, builders, thinkers, tinkerers, wrenchers, forum mods, and participating vendors here. 99.9% of these threads are enthusiastic, positive, and encouraging. Along with some legitimate concerns & frustrations that, as far as the internet goes... are pretty tame. Legitimate. Also well voiced. Is this rare among a group of people this large, this diverse, and this spread out over the world? Or is it that we don't get to experience enough of it to know it's more common than not? It might be odd to say, but this forum and the people here actually give me hope from an unexpected place. Hope from a truck? Apparently hope can come from a truck, and the people interested in it. I kinda wish you were all my neighbors… Even the feisty 0.1%. Especially the feisty 0.1%!
~audiobus
- can't see very well out the back, who cares, it's a cool truck.
- door pillar blind spot takes an extra look over the shoulder, who cares, it's a cool truck.
- seating position is a little high, can't see the stop lights if you're first in line... who cares, it's a cool truck.
- short people got no way to even try to climb in, who cares, it's a cool truck.
- bong bong bong speed alarm is a little annoying, who cares, it's a cool truck.
- MPG kinda sucks, and I *care... but it's a cool truck. (*apparently not enough to dissuade the purchase)
- steers like a truck, because it's a cool truck
- has the turning radius of an aircraft carrier, who cares it’s a cool truck
- way over priced for a truck, although about right for a luxury car...without much luxury. But it's cheap for an aircraft carrier, so, who cares it's a cool truck
- totally impractical for an urban environment, who cares it's a cool truck. (I have plans for the great outdoors...but in the meantime I'll navigate potholes)
- wife has a bit of a time getting in (short people got no reason), who cares, it's a cool truck.
- wife loves it, who cares, it's a cool truck.
Steering is exactly what it should be for what it is, in my opinion. (Based on having driven trucks and jeeps most of my life.) I can't speak to anything else as I don't have enough miles in the seat to have any real opinion, except the Safari Windows are pretty dang cool. I'm 5 hours from a dealer, and I truly hope I don't have as much "fun" as some new owners are having... but I knew what I was getting into thanks to this forum. And... it's a cool truck. But I kept the Subaru...
What did you do with your grenadier today? The first thing we did was take it to the kids house...and the kids kids went bananas:
"Woah, a ladder! Can we climb it?" Of course! So, within 3 hours of delivery and less than 20 miles driven I had footprints on the roof, memories made of a child peering through the safari windows from above looking down at me, a paint chip from some sort of other fun I missed, and frankly couldn't be happier about it all. Because life is short ... and it's a cool truck.
-------
There are a lot of great vendors out there who make perfect products that fit exactly... but for $19 you can blackout the Safari Windows https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0956YJYSX/?tag=globalgrena0b-20 and still have gas money. It's not a perfect fit. But it works.
----
Which brings me to this:
I want to thank the innovators, builders, thinkers, tinkerers, wrenchers, forum mods, and participating vendors here. 99.9% of these threads are enthusiastic, positive, and encouraging. Along with some legitimate concerns & frustrations that, as far as the internet goes... are pretty tame. Legitimate. Also well voiced. Is this rare among a group of people this large, this diverse, and this spread out over the world? Or is it that we don't get to experience enough of it to know it's more common than not? It might be odd to say, but this forum and the people here actually give me hope from an unexpected place. Hope from a truck? Apparently hope can come from a truck, and the people interested in it. I kinda wish you were all my neighbors… Even the feisty 0.1%. Especially the feisty 0.1%!
~audiobus