Had my Grenadier shipped in from Chris at Red Noland in Colorado Springs who has been beyond excellent with communication and in getting these vehicles to us. Initial impression, I love it. It's quirky, it's got some "european" stuff to it that just adds to the character. I haven't come into this thinking or even close to wanting a comparable vehicle to the other painfully boring and soulless new SUV's or trucks on the market with all the failure prone gadgets and gismos that seem to be the defining factors of the other manufacturers. I love the fact that these Grenadiers are purposeful in their pursuit and that is going to come with some things that set them apart. It drives solid, sometimes feels heavy but it's always planted. It's got plenty of power but it's not comparable, except for the torque, to anything else out there on the new market. It's comfortable and many have complained about the sitting position by the B pillar but I really like it, a lot actually. The drivers cockpit and sitting position with the big console, the safari window above me and the overhead switch panel is actually my favorite part of this vehicle outside of the exterior aesthetic that puts a but fat smile on my face every time I see it. Visibility is amazing, seeing both corners of the hood, having NOTHING in your line of sight as you look out over the hood is fantastic. I have NO desire for a HUD or any gizmos directly in front of me, those making a fuss out of having to glance a little to the side to see your speed make no sense to me but those people must have very limited peripheral vision. The over speed warning needs to be able to be turned off permanently but it's not terrible, I just set the "favorites" to that screen and two buttons and I'm back to the flawless Apple Car Play. I don't like that the grille LED lights have limited function and I will figure out how to switch them on and off at my leisure without having to be in a mode or use the high beams. The LED headlights are average at best, the low beam needs to be brighter. The cup holders are very european and laughably small.....that needs to be remedied and it's a little bizarre there are zero cup holders for the back seat. That needs to be remedied by Ineos and hopefully by the aftermarket. The seat heaters are night and day better than any other manufacturers seat heaters. I initially thought many of the "off road" screens would be hokey but they are actually rich with very good information. I wish they'd have installed the rear fog lamps like I assume they do across the pond, had a jaguar with those and I really liked it. The seats are fantastic with just enough support but not like the overdone bolsters of some of the vehicles on the market and I put an old sheepskin seat cover saved from one of my dads porsches......I love that sheepskin. Storage is great in the back but I need to figure out a rubberized pad to keep things from sliding about. No complaints from anyone who's ridden in the back seat.
We got about 8-10" of snow/ice last night so I took the opportunity to see how good this thing is in the ice and slop. The AWD system in this vehicle is next level, I never slipped a tire.....not once. I know the AWD systems in modern vehicles are getting pretty phenomenal and very confidence inspiring but the system in the Grenadier in conjunction with the heavy or planted feel that it provides makes it even better. Found myself one hand on the wheel in deep snow for kansas with an ice base going dry pavement speed limit many times and the braking was so good it surprised me.
I'm a fan, I'm a big fan. I'm really impressed because of how good it is but also because it ISN'T comparable to anything else out there mechanically, technologically and definitely not aesthetically....at least in the modern herd of disposable tech driven plastic SUV's on the market. A lot of people aren't going to like it for that reason and I like that.
We got about 8-10" of snow/ice last night so I took the opportunity to see how good this thing is in the ice and slop. The AWD system in this vehicle is next level, I never slipped a tire.....not once. I know the AWD systems in modern vehicles are getting pretty phenomenal and very confidence inspiring but the system in the Grenadier in conjunction with the heavy or planted feel that it provides makes it even better. Found myself one hand on the wheel in deep snow for kansas with an ice base going dry pavement speed limit many times and the braking was so good it surprised me.
I'm a fan, I'm a big fan. I'm really impressed because of how good it is but also because it ISN'T comparable to anything else out there mechanically, technologically and definitely not aesthetically....at least in the modern herd of disposable tech driven plastic SUV's on the market. A lot of people aren't going to like it for that reason and I like that.
