Expedition Portal Article on the Quartermaster

[Miki]

<snip> first choice would be a "Taliban tank" aka HiLux. The version a friend of mine has, slightly lifted, Mud Terrains.. 2 winches plus foldable mounted crane at rear for field dressing and game recovery. heated dog compartment and a water tank for flushing / cleaning. hunting utility only.

pictures, I need pictures ...

 

[klarie]

pictures, I need pictures ...

If I get the chance next I will do - see this vehicle only sometimes when I need to see my gunsmith or go into simulation cinema / range.. but certainly not before mid August.

 

[255/85]

If there's any parity to the competing options here in the US it will simply come down to appearance - whether someone thinks the QM looks the part or not. I have lived in very rural areas and some of the biggest metros in the country. Somewhere north of 50% of pickup buyers here get what they think looks the most "baddass" and then glom onto whatever stat tops the competition to hang their hat on (as in "All Hat - No Herd"). Biggest payload, fastest O-60mph, highest max torque, biggest grill (no kidding on that one), whatever. Then they jack them to the sky, throw on 22" rims, and blazon something assinine across the taigate or rear window. I actually saw one the other day that said "Milf Hunter" in 12" letters.

If the QM is too expensive it will be a niche vehicle here just like the SW. Most 'Mericans won't be able to tell the difference from a Gladiator at more than twenty paces anyway - and you can fit 37s on those no hassle.

 

[Krabby]

. I actually saw one the other day that said "Milf Hunter" in 12" letters.

Hey man - I honked and waved but you didn't respond.

 

[James]

If there's any parity to the competing options here in the US it will simply come down to appearance - whether someone thinks the QM looks the part or not. I have lived in very rural areas and some of the biggest metros in the country. Somewhere north of 50% of pickup buyers here get what they think looks the most "baddass" and then glom onto whatever stat tops the competition to hang their hat on (as in "All Hat - No Herd"). Biggest payload, fastest O-60mph, highest max torque, biggest grill (no kidding on that one), whatever. Then they jack them to the sky, throw on 22" rims, and blazon something assinine across the taigate or rear window. I actually saw one the other day that said "Milf Hunter" in 12" letters.

If the QM is too expensive it will be a niche vehicle here just like the SW. Most 'Mericans won't be able to tell the difference from a Gladiator at more than twenty paces anyway - and you can fit 37s on those no hassle.

What you’re saying reads like it has the ‘ring of truth’. Here we have same tendencies, with different vehicles, but are getting your trucks more recently - I can’t believe anyone can love the grills, to me they are ugly to the point of comedy, but clearly others disagree. If we are saying the Ineos vehicles won’t appeal to most buyers you describe looking for badass, stat-king, and milf-hunting potential… I‘m kind of OK with that. In fact, its a positive advantage.

 

[255/85]

"These aren't the droids you're looking for..."

Unfortunately - and as many here have probably realized - the old 4X4 vehicles we've owned for decades now attract a lot of attention. We chose Sterling Silver on our pre-order in hopes of avoiding some of that.

 

[stickshifter]

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.

Just wanted to add 2-cents on campers for mid-size trucks. Like you said: slide-in campers really don't work in this segment in North America. If someone wants a mid-size truck and a camper on the back, they should be looking at light-weight wedge campers like Go Fast, or Super Pacific. These campers are under 400 pounds for a mid-size truck. You gotta decide on your priority: Want a bigger slide-in? Get a bigger truck. Want a mid-size truck? Get a light-weight wedge camper.

Both Go Fast (Montana) and Super Pacific (Oregon) are made in the U.S. - these are high quality products and the companies provide excellent customer service. Wedge campers are really well-suited to American mid-size trucks (though they make them for full-size and heavy duty trucks as well). Different countries with different terrain, climates, and vehicles will require different solutions. Sometimes it makes sense to buy products designed for the market in which you live.

A Super Pacific wedge camper on a Tacoma:

Go Fast on a Gladiator:

 

[anand]

Just wanted to add 2-cents on campers for mid-size trucks. Like you said: slide-in campers really don't work in this segment in North America. If someone wants a mid-size truck and a camper on the back, they should be looking at light-weight wedge campers like Go Fast, or Super Pacific. These are both under 400 pounds for a mid-size truck. You gotta decide on your priority: Want a bigger slide-in? Get a bigger truck. Want a mid-size truck? Get a light-weight wedge camper.

Say. It. Louder. For. The. People. In. The. Back.

Having had a lightweight camper (AT Overland Atlas) on a full size truck (Tundra), I can definitely say that as much as the theory excites me, with the bit of an interior build that we had, I definitely would never want to do that set up on a mid-size truck. The Tundra was no slouch, and we were no where near going over GVWR, but maintaining 85MPH to keep up with traffic on the highways out West with a good headwind was less than ideal. Midsize trucks absolutely have their purpose (we have one), but carrying a camper is definitely not one of them.

 

[Mountain4x4]

In the US we only have the Gladiator for a mid size truck with a solid front axle. And, like all Jeep products is very brittle. No as hellish as the Bronco for comparison, but significant issues. If the Quartermaster delivers something more durable, that will be the main benefit.