I'm +6 hours from the dealer… and I think how you handle the known idiosyncrasies, and then how the dealer responds may make or break your experience in my opinion. Search the forum. Get to know the issues. That’s how I made my decision, and I considered both the new Land Cruiser and the new Tacoma… and then took a +$20K-$30K additional gamble and bought the Ineos. But the iForce Max engine is also relatively new, so, maybe the unknowns apply to Toyota as well?
Are you ok with an oil pan that likely needs a skid plate from day one because it’s plastic? (If you’re 4-wheeling into anything that could injure it) (there’s at least two cases here in the forum of that failure)
Are you ok with a windshield that attracts bugs and rock chips?
Do you want to buy a license plate light defuser or put tint over the plate lights to make the backup camera clearer?
Do you want to zip-tie the cables above the rear drive shaft or purchase a mod that keeps them from popping out and rubbing against the shaft?
Etc.
There are other quirks — only you know where your “this is not acceptable” line is… it has the turning radius of an aircraft carrier, and was not made to easily navigate a Trader Joe’s parking lot. Some people enjoy quirks, some don’t. I kinda do…
I think “eyes wide open” purchasing is the only way to do this vehicle. Wishful and magical thinking that your truck will be trouble free upon delivery will bring disappointment when the door seals fail after 2 weeks, like mine did. You see, I specifically asked that they be checked and fixed if necessary, just to get that solved before I got the truck! … the Boot Wash feature on 3 out of 4 doors wasn’t on my list of things to experience. (search boot wash or door seals on the forum)
Having said that, the dealer ordered new seals for me and offered to come get the truck and bring it back. Which is pretty much more than you could ever expect from a dealer 20 minutes away, much less 6 hours. I feel fortunate that they offered, but I’ll likely be in their area on business later this summer and I see no sense in punishing some tech with 12 hours of driving when it may be unnecessary. It’ll get resolved. Not tomorrow, but, it’ll get resolved.
I drove a late 80’s Toyota XtraCab 4x4 pickup with the 22R-E until 2016, finally selling it at +200K miles for just as much as I bought it for, and kicking myself ever since… I loved that little truck. I replaced it with a Subaru with the Boxer engine because I needed 4 doors. I love those two little engines because they work. They always work. The B58 and is an unfamiliar engine to me, but, from what I’ve read they have a 9 or so year established history of being reliable, and it sounds like you’re already familiar!
For me, the Grenadier is a bit of gambling. I can’t really afford to lose the whole bet, but, life is short and I wanted what this truck has. In my opinion, (and there are plenty of people smarter and with more experience than I here) it’s either going to fail horribly because Ineos can’t get good people in the right places to support the product properly, or, it’s going to establish itself for the long haul and get through the growing pains. Will I own a piece of history in 10 years and drive it into retirement in 20? Will I own a rare Grenadier, the folly of a billionaire , a truck that has increased in value due to scarcity? Or will I own a boat anchor in 5. Nobody can tell.
The new “American Prado” Land Cruiser has the same iForce Max engine as the new Tacoma as will the 2025 4Runner. I personally think that’s a smart move for Toyota. I think the pricing is absurd for a plastic pickup and that’s what pushed me into the Grenadier. Why spend $50-$60K on a truck that I’d then want to put $20 into to get it where I want it to be? And the Tacoma? You can’t see over the hood. You’re about sitting even with it, and every 4x4 I’ve loved I’ve been able to see over the hood.
Toyota MPG is suggested at 22-25MPG, the Grenadier plugs along at 15 or 16, 17MPG sometimes. I’ve eeeked 18 out of it (math, not onboard computer), but 16MPG seems realistic. I’ve got a trailer, but I haven’t towed anything yet… but put 5,000 lbs behind anything, much less the rolling brick this truck is and MPG is not going to be great…
Toyota has dealers and service centers everywhere. Everywhere. Ineos has 20 in the US? My impression is BMW dealerships are more urban-esque, though you’ll likely be able to find a good german auto import shop or 4x4 shop anywhere. If they ever make the manual available for the quirky electric stuff that’ll help, but I don’t think servicing the engine / transmission would be an issue. But I’m a novice with a BMW driveline and not the one to ask.
I’ve never had to service the Subaru Boxer engine. I put a timing chain and new metal guides (vs. stock plastic) in the 22R-E at 120K just because. But really, the only thing I’ve ever done to a car engine in the last 25 years is change the oil every 5k-6k miles and replace the air filters.
This post is long and a bit boring not very new at all — but it does combine some of the helpful threads I’ve read here, and it is a look into this particular mans process of decision making and limited experience as an owner — which may or may not be helpful. But I wrote it to be helpful.
I love the look of the truck, I love the feel of it, I enjoy how it drives, and the memories it produces of a youth long gone when I was in a place more like yours with lots of dirt roads and open spaces, where it would have spent more time off tarmac, assuredly getting me from here to there.
The other day I was putting fuel in the tank and someone asked me “What is that?”, and I said “A mid life crisis”. …
~AB
