Just got back from 1st "hands on" drive of the Trial Master.
With regard to the vehicle, first impression was almost immediate upon opening the doors. "Fit" and was very precise. Doors opened and closed easily, not needing "too much" (subjective) force to open/close. The driving position was very close to optimal, where I could see both front corners and rear via mirrors with little to no 'neck cranking'. I'm a "shorty" so after a quick adjustment of the seat and being acquainted with the BMW Zed F transmission we were ready to go.
Right off the bat, I noticed the steering was smmmmmoooottthhhhhhhh. All this fussing about how awkward/confounding/<insert adjective> the Grenadier's recirculating ball (vs rack and pinion) is. I found the hydraulic assist to be fine. Sure, the turns were not as tight as many/most passenger cars nor could you simply go hands off (not SHOULD one imho), however I had no issue with a series of hard left/right turns as we left the dealership. By the way, the staff at the Knuaz Ineos (Billy and Julie) were very nice and accommodating given the "show room" was still waiting for the furniture to show up.!
Upon getting up to traffic speed (approx 55-60mph), my next big "impression" I am left with is how quiet the Grenadier was. I could easily hear Julie as she explained the Auto/Stop On/Off, the Cruise Control and pointed out to the wife that there were NO mirrors on the visors. This was surprising to me(no, not the lack of mirrors!), in part due to the KO2s on the Trial Master. I would understand that the Field Master and it's 18" Allows with All Terrains would be "quiet" in comparison, however I was truly blown away how comfy and quiet the cabin felt. Sure the "lack" of storage or cubbies may annoy some, I personally liked not having pockets for all kinds of #$% to get stuffed in at some point later.
All in, was close to probably an hour (50ish min) with the folks @ Knauz. Eagerly anticipating a (hopefully) Joyful (and early) Christmas.
Now just got to find a very large Red Bow for The Day!!
With regard to the vehicle, first impression was almost immediate upon opening the doors. "Fit" and was very precise. Doors opened and closed easily, not needing "too much" (subjective) force to open/close. The driving position was very close to optimal, where I could see both front corners and rear via mirrors with little to no 'neck cranking'. I'm a "shorty" so after a quick adjustment of the seat and being acquainted with the BMW Zed F transmission we were ready to go.
Right off the bat, I noticed the steering was smmmmmoooottthhhhhhhh. All this fussing about how awkward/confounding/<insert adjective> the Grenadier's recirculating ball (vs rack and pinion) is. I found the hydraulic assist to be fine. Sure, the turns were not as tight as many/most passenger cars nor could you simply go hands off (not SHOULD one imho), however I had no issue with a series of hard left/right turns as we left the dealership. By the way, the staff at the Knuaz Ineos (Billy and Julie) were very nice and accommodating given the "show room" was still waiting for the furniture to show up.!
Upon getting up to traffic speed (approx 55-60mph), my next big "impression" I am left with is how quiet the Grenadier was. I could easily hear Julie as she explained the Auto/Stop On/Off, the Cruise Control and pointed out to the wife that there were NO mirrors on the visors. This was surprising to me(no, not the lack of mirrors!), in part due to the KO2s on the Trial Master. I would understand that the Field Master and it's 18" Allows with All Terrains would be "quiet" in comparison, however I was truly blown away how comfy and quiet the cabin felt. Sure the "lack" of storage or cubbies may annoy some, I personally liked not having pockets for all kinds of #$% to get stuffed in at some point later.
All in, was close to probably an hour (50ish min) with the folks @ Knauz. Eagerly anticipating a (hopefully) Joyful (and early) Christmas.
Now just got to find a very large Red Bow for The Day!!
