Anyone else considering returning their Ineos Grenadier?

[DaBull]

Had mine too long to return but, sad to say, I'm ready to part with it now. I always knew that the acid test would not be its off-road prowess but its on-road manners and a longish motorway drive this weekend confirmed that it's just not in the same league as the new Defender in that respect. Maybe if I'd had problems with the Defender, as some say they have, I would think differently but that car has driven like a dream so far. The interior, storage spaces, details such as seats folding flat and the gizmos (such as overtaking alert) that are simply not wanted by many Grenadier owners, I welcome. That's not to say I didn't buy in to the utilitarian principles of the Grenadier. But the Gren software is not great, too many oddball warning signals (transmission error was one that flashed up yesterday), and the radio has me flummoxed, plus an unpleasant whine at motorway speeds. Stuff like the smooth load-bay surface can be fixed with a rubber mat but the steering play - yes I can handle that, but why should I? It has a fantastic presence when you stand back and look at it and those coils look as if they could take a battering. But it's bigger than I need. Perfection, for me was the Limited edition 4-litre Grand Cherokee that I ran for years in the 1990s which had masses of grunt but ran so well on the tarmac too. If I was doing some serious over-landing in Oz or Africa I'd probably be hiring a Land Cruiser as I have in the past. I have to conclude that the Grenadier is an image machine that I'm sure will live up to its promise in time but I'm thinking now that Clarkson's conclusion was right - the car could have done with a bit more time on the drawing board.

Hi Earthwatcher, I can understand where you are coming from. I currently own a 2020 New Defender First Edition with the P400 Petrol engine. I must say I love it 110%.
It is a close to a perfect and flawless vehicle that I have ever owned. The on road performance from 0-60 in 5.8 seconds is amazing and how smooth it drives too. I have had it off road also, and it is extremely capable. I have pre-ordered a Trial Master with most of the boxes checked and know that I will be comparing both vehicles side by side, which may be unfair. Both have their place and customers and both are already iconic vehicles. I question myself if I will have the same response you did. Hoping not, however am prepared that if I do, that I will simply go back to a New Defender. DaBull

 

[AnD3rew]

Had mine too long to return but, sad to say, I'm ready to part with it now. I always knew that the acid test would not be its off-road prowess but its on-road manners and a longish motorway drive this weekend confirmed that it's just not in the same league as the new Defender in that respect.

With respect, anyone who thought a solid axle coil sprung ladder chassis 4wd would be in the same on road league as a much lighter monocoque, independently suspended air sprung SUV+ has rocks in their head. To be able to do that is just physics defying. You don’t buy a Grenadier expecting it to handle the same on road as a New Defender, it was never going to. Everyone with any nous who has driven one onroad has been impressed that it does as well as it does.

 

[255/85]

Had mine too long to return but, sad to say, I'm ready to part with it now. I always knew that the acid test would not be its off-road prowess but its on-road manners and a longish motorway drive this weekend confirmed that it's just not in the same league as the new Defender in that respect. Maybe if I'd had problems with the Defender, as some say they have, I would think differently but that car has driven like a dream so far. The interior, storage spaces, details such as seats folding flat and the gizmos (such as overtaking alert) that are simply not wanted by many Grenadier owners, I welcome. That's not to say I didn't buy in to the utilitarian principles of the Grenadier. But the Gren software is not great, too many oddball warning signals (transmission error was one that flashed up yesterday), and the radio has me flummoxed, plus an unpleasant whine at motorway speeds. Stuff like the smooth load-bay surface can be fixed with a rubber mat but the steering play - yes I can handle that, but why should I? It has a fantastic presence when you stand back and look at it and those coils look as if they could take a battering. But it's bigger than I need. Perfection, for me was the Limited edition 4-litre Grand Cherokee that I ran for years in the 1990s which had masses of grunt but ran so well on the tarmac too. If I was doing some serious over-landing in Oz or Africa I'd probably be hiring a Land Cruiser as I have in the past. I have to conclude that the Grenadier is an image machine that I'm sure will live up to its promise in time but I'm thinking now that Clarkson's conclusion was right - the car could have done with a bit more time on the drawing board.

Your conclusion is an unsubstantiated opinion. Stick wth the ND. You'll be happier. The Grenadier was never for you. No shame in that.

 

[lightning]

We've also got the new Suzuki Jimny.

On the reviews for this vehicle, some complain about the "whine" at motorway speeds and it being a bit bouncy on rough roads.

The Jimny is an awesome little 4x4. But it has live axles just like the Grenadier (and the old Defender)

Of course you'll hear a bit of a whine at highway speeds, the gearbox and transfer box are right under the floor between the front seats.

And it's not going to handle like a car. However it's amazing off road and fully acceptable on road.

l don't think it's available in the USA though, not sure why.

 

[MrMike]

We've also got the new Suzuki Jimny.

On the reviews for this vehicle, some complain about the "whine" at motorway speeds and it being a bit bouncy on rough roads.

The Jimny is an awesome little 4x4. But it has live axles just like the Grenadier (and the old Defender)

Of course you'll hear a bit of a whine at highway speeds, the gearbox and transfer box are right under the floor between the front seats.

And it's not going to handle like a car. However it's amazing off road and fully acceptable on road.

l don't think it's available in the USA though, not sure why.



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I know someone doing the Canning Stock Route, the whole 1800klms in a Jimney that would test anyone ( ) carrying 80lt of fuel on the roof to boot!! They possibly aren't road legal in the US due to crash regulations, similar to the Defender (old one) ?

 

[lightning]

The new (2018 onwards) Jimny should be okay, it's a world apart from the old model.

The old model was like a small version of the old Defender
The new one is more like a small version of the new Defender. And it was a bargain at under £20,000 (around $26,000)
There were no options, everything was included
Media screen with nav, Climate, alloys, LED headlights(better than the ones on my new Defender) Apple Carplay, HDC, traction control, heated seats...it's all there.

It's just a bit small. lf it was 25% larger it would be a possible Grenadier competitor for overlanding at 1/4 the price.

Sadly a 5-door never appeared and it really needs a turbo on the little 1.5 litre petrol engine.

lt's okay, but is hard work towing anything more than a small box trailer.

Suzuki discontinued it in the U.K. because they couldn't produce a hybrid version and all their vehicles are now hybrid.
There's a more basic 2-seat "Commercial" version still available but it's just too small to be a competitor to the Grenadier or new Defender.

 

[Jeremy996]

I had a long, hard look at the new Jimny as it is well priced and considered "cute" by my other half. But in the UK, supply was always limited, (around 4 vehicles per dealer), and Suzuki was suffering from the European Fleet Average CO2 requirements that were generating fines for them. They stopped selling the 4 seat version and re-entered the market with the 2 seat commercial, (which relied on the same loopholes as Grenadier uses).

At 6', I could not adjust the Jimny seat enough to be comfortable; the commercial has a bulkhead that prevents the seat going back as far. If you have shorter legs than I have, the Jimny would make a great local hack, but motorways are not its forte.

 

[Shopkeep]

I had a long, hard look at the new Jimny as it is well priced and considered "cute" by my other half. But in the UK, supply was always limited, (around 4 vehicles per dealer), and Suzuki was suffering from the European Fleet Average CO2 requirements that were generating fines for them. They stopped selling the 4 seat version and re-entered the market with the 2 seat commercial, (which relied on the same loopholes as Grenadier uses).

At 6', I could not adjust the Jimny seat enough to be comfortable; the commercial has a bulkhead that prevents the seat going back as far. If you have shorter legs than I have, the Jimny would make a great local hack, but motorways are not its forte.

I got sick of waiting for my Grenadier and bought a manual Jimny a few months ago. It’s tiny, noisy and gutless but heaps of fun and makes me smile ear to ear every time I drive it.

 

[lightning]

I am not seeing noisy on our Jimny, but l've read that elsewhere
Sure, at 80mph it's not relaxed but at 65mph it's not really any different than our VW Polo was.
l wouldn't say gutless either, but if you're used to a turbo diesel it will feel pretty flat.
It's a 16v engine so you need to use the RPM.

 

[bigleonski]

I am not seeing noisy on our Jimny, but l've read that elsewhere
Sure, at 80mph it's not relaxed but at 65mph it's not really any different than our VW Polo was.
l wouldn't say gutless either, but if you're used to a turbo diesel it will feel pretty flat.
It's a 16v engine so you need to use the RPM.

You guys must get a very different vehicle to we in Australia.

75kw/130nm 1.5L and for around $33-35k.
Might be fun, but I've thought they were very overpriced for what they are.

 

[AnD3rew]

You guys must get a very different vehicle to we in Australia.

75kw/130nm 1.5L and for around $33-35k.
Might be fun, but I've thought they were very overpriced for what they are.

My wife desperately wants one, but yes I agree they are expensive, but then go and look at the secondhand sales, 25 year old Suzuki sierras with 200k+ kms on the clock are still selling for $15k or more.

 

[James]

Dealers in australia were asking above full price last time I checked, and pretending that it wasnt them raising the price.
however, the car is excellent for what it is.
i had an old one, with various bits swapped, lj80 I think, awesome off road. There’s been a fairly slow evolution from suzuki ever since, I dont see a sudden change at 2018, although there was a big redesign, its all the same type of architecture and tech.
THERE IS A 5 DOOR coming to australia, built in India. Its been in their market for a while.

nice to point out the ‘compromises’ you accept with a jimny - noise, harshness, steering, seating comfort, suspension, directional stability at speed (such a short wheelbase, how dangerous) but absolutely unbeatable at certain types of off road. In other words, just like a grenadier, in a league of its own, for a specific set of purposes.

 

[MTNDOG]

We've also got the new Suzuki Jimny.

On the reviews for this vehicle, some complain about the "whine" at motorway speeds and it being a bit bouncy on rough roads.

The Jimny is an awesome little 4x4. But it has live axles just like the Grenadier (and the old Defender)

Of course you'll hear a bit of a whine at highway speeds, the gearbox and transfer box are right under the floor between the front seats.

And it's not going to handle like a car. However it's amazing off road and fully acceptable on road.

l don't think it's available in the USA though, not sure why.



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Not available in the US, very unfortunate. I would have bought a Jimny in a heartbeat and I think they would sell as fast as they could get them off the boat. Oh well, what do I know.

 

[MrMike]

You guys must get a very different vehicle to we in Australia.

75kw/130nm 1.5L and for around $33-35k.
Might be fun, but I've thought they were very overpriced for what they are.

Not available in the US, very unfortunate. I would have bought a Jimny in a heartbeat and I think they would sell as fast as they could get them off the boat. Oh well, what do I know.

I think it has something to do with crash testing and it's failure to meet US standards

 

[Shopkeep]

Dealers in australia were asking above full price last time I checked, and pretending that it wasnt them raising the price.
however, the car is excellent for what it is.
i had an old one, with various bits swapped, lj80 I think, awesome off road. There’s been a fairly slow evolution from suzuki ever since, I dont see a sudden change at 2018, although there was a big redesign, its all the same type of architecture and tech.
THERE IS A 5 DOOR coming to australia, built in India. Its been in their market for a while.

nice to point out the ‘compromises’ you accept with a jimny - noice, harshness, steering, seating comfort, suspension, directional stability at speed (such a short wheelbase, how dangerous) but absolutely unbeatable at certain types of off road. In other words, just like a grenadier, in a league of its own, for a specific set of purposes.

The five door uses the same engine, you can really feel it work hard when you have four in the three door so the heavier five door will be working up a sweat fully loaded on the freeway.

The dealers are asking full price and then some for new available stock, and the second hand market is crazy. I was very lucky to find a very clean second hand one privately from an enthusiast owner with a good range of accessories fitted, plus he did not have pie in the sky price ambitions.

 

[DaveB]

The five door uses the same engine, you can really feel it work hard when you have four in the three door so the heavier five door will be working up a sweat fully loaded on the freeway.

The dealers are asking full price and then some for new available stock, and the second hand market is crazy. I was very lucky to find a very clean second hand one privately from an enthusiast owner with a good range of accessories fitted, plus he did not have pie in the sky price ambitions.

Also the 3 door is made in Japan and the 5 door is made by a different company in India.
It is a JV with Suzuki I think.

 

[lightning]

nice to point out the ‘compromises’ you accept with a jimny - noise, harshness, steering, seating comfort, suspension, directional stability at speed (such a short wheelbase, how dangerous) but absolutely unbeatable at certain types of off road. In other words, just like a grenadier, in a league of its own, for a specific set of purposes.

We must have a good one. Unless you're talking about the pre-2018 version

Noise? No more than any small car unless you drive it flat out.
Harshness? Sorry l don't see that at all on ours.
Steering, nothing wrong with it. Seems to self centre okay, and quite positive, certainly for a 4x4
Seating comfort, absolutely fine, been on a 250 mile drive and no issues
Suspension, well it depends, it's very good on poor road surface and fine on tarmac. lt's actually a perfect vehicle for urban driving

Directional stability well l guess its
not a track day vehicle, it's a SWB live axle 4x4 after all, l've only had an issue twice in 14,000 miles and on both instances the stability control brought it back into line.

 

[lightning]

l think that the Grenadier is in a completely different league to a Suzuki Jimny. Although being a live axle vehicle you will obviously get some compromises.

But for me
That's what makes the Grenadier a refreshing change from the regular SUV's clogging the roads.

That, and the fact it's been designed to last more than a decade.

 

[grenadierboy]

We've also got the new Suzuki Jimny.

On the reviews for this vehicle, some complain about the "whine" at motorway speeds and it being a bit bouncy on rough roads.

The Jimny is an awesome little 4x4. But it has live axles just like the Grenadier (and the old Defender)

Of course you'll hear a bit of a whine at highway speeds, the gearbox and transfer box are right under the floor between the front seats.

And it's not going to handle like a car. However it's amazing off road and fully acceptable on road.

l don't think it's available in the USA though, not sure why.



View attachment 7820493

The Jimny looks almost as big as your ND in the photo - it can't be can it?

Anyway - the 300mm longer 4 door version of Mr. Jimny is coming soon

 

[bigleonski]

l think that the Grenadier is in a completely different league to a Suzuki Jimny.

at more than 4 times the drive away price (new pricing) I would bloody hope it is.