Hello from Colorado! Considering a Grenadier!

[Aniemyer]

Thanks Angstorms! Durango area used to be a stomping ground for me for wheeling ('93 Jeep YJ) and doing a TON of fishing!

I am looking forward to the wrenching aspect of the Grenadier! As I said earlier we are looking at all the different vehicles in the price range. The vehicles we are considering are the 2024 LR Defender 110, Lexus GX550 Overtrail, and the Toyota Land Cruiser (we have written this off for a few reasons).

I have only heard great things about Red Noland for the Ineos Dealership. So far, they have been absolutely oustanding and I do feel fortunate that they are literally a 30 min drive to them....that is HUGE for us!

Mike,
I’m about (finally) test drive a Land Cruiser. What put you off the LC?

Best Regards,
Andy

 

[ColoradoMike]

Mike,
I’m about (finally) test drive a Land Cruiser. What put you off the LC?

Best Regards,
Andy

Hi Andy!

Really great question! It comes down to personal preference I suppose. I have owned a couple Toyota vehicles over the years...1989 Supra Turbo, drove a Camry on and off for a year or so (solid sedan!), and a 2019 Toyota Tacoma OR that had a ton of mods that I did myself.

I love Toyota vehicles! I have been a fan for a long time. The build quality and reliability have been absolutely incredible over the years and having lived/deployed all over the globe to some really "not fun" places....I see Toyotas EVERYWHERE! And you know what? I could probably take some desert sand and dump it into the oil and it would probably still run solid! (Sarcasm but true to a point....the Toyota brand in my experience driving all across the globe for one thing or another they just simply run!). Here are my reasons for NOT going with the LC but I do believe it is an awesome vehicle but......

These are my own observations and MY opinions only so take them with a grain of salt and make your own choice:

1. Having owned/driven Toyota vehicles over the years I felt it was time for a change.
2. I was looking primarily for an off road vehicle that would be capable of the rock crawling/off roading I enjoy doing. The LC COULD fit that bill but see point 1.
3. We felt the looks of the LC were too similar to other vehicles on the market now within the price range we were looking at. YUP call my wife and I nuts but we loved the aesthetics of the Grenadier.
4. Both my wife and I were NOT sold on the Hybrid and the 4Cyl turbo. Probably all in our heads but if for some reason the battery crapped out I feel our towing abilities would be sorely limited (not sure if that is an issue at all but we were not willing to go that route).

That is about it to be fair. The LC just did not appeal to us. Nor did the Lexus GX550 simply for the aesthetics. I am POSITIVE they are both SOLID vehicles with a sound company standing behind them both but just not for us.

One contender was the LR Defender 110. Now that vehicle is REALLY REALLY nice! We test drove a couple of them and VERY PLUSH! However, I could not see myself wrenching on it much. I have never owned any JLR vehicles but although the LC is nice it simply did not fit what I wanted.

The Grenadier fits just about every box for our family. I also broke MY cardinal rule of purchasing a "first year" model and for that fact a "first year" USA introduction. You know what....rules were made to be broken.....LOL!

Time will tell if we made the right decision for us.

In the next week or so I will put up a post on our Grenadier thoughts and our purchase experience.

I do not think you can go wrong with many of the choices out there. The LC seems, from all the reviews out there, to be a solid vehicle and I would love to hear your thoughts when you test drive it. Also if you have tested or will test a Grenadier what your opinions between the two are.

Good luck in your search!

Mike

 

[ForceV4]

Hi Andy!

Really great question! It comes down to personal preference I suppose. I have owned a couple Toyota vehicles over the years...1989 Supra Turbo, drove a Camry on and off for a year or so (solid sedan!), and a 2019 Toyota Tacoma OR that had a ton of mods that I did myself.

I love Toyota vehicles! I have been a fan for a long time. The build quality and reliability have been absolutely incredible over the years and having lived/deployed all over the globe to some really "not fun" places....I see Toyotas EVERYWHERE! And you know what? I could probably take some desert sand and dump it into the oil and it would probably still run solid! (Sarcasm but true to a point....the Toyota brand in my experience driving all across the globe for one thing or another they just simply run!). Here are my reasons for NOT going with the LC but I do believe it is an awesome vehicle but......

These are my own observations and MY opinions only so take them with a grain of salt and make your own choice:

1. Having owned/driven Toyota vehicles over the years I felt it was time for a change.
2. I was looking primarily for an off road vehicle that would be capable of the rock crawling/off roading I enjoy doing. The LC COULD fit that bill but see point 1.
3. We felt the looks of the LC were too similar to other vehicles on the market now within the price range we were looking at. YUP call my wife and I nuts but we loved the aesthetics of the Grenadier.
4. Both my wife and I were NOT sold on the Hybrid and the 4Cyl turbo. Probably all in our heads but if for some reason the battery crapped out I feel our towing abilities would be sorely limited (not sure if that is an issue at all but we were not willing to go that route).

That is about it to be fair. The LC just did not appeal to us. Nor did the Lexus GX550 simply for the aesthetics. I am POSITIVE they are both SOLID vehicles with a sound company standing behind them both but just not for us.

One contender was the LR Defender 110. Now that vehicle is REALLY REALLY nice! We test drove a couple of them and VERY PLUSH! However, I could not see myself wrenching on it much. I have never owned any JLR vehicles but although the LC is nice it simply did not fit what I wanted.

The Grenadier fits just about every box for our family. I also broke MY cardinal rule of purchasing a "first year" model and for that fact a "first year" USA introduction. You know what....rules were made to be broken.....LOL!

Time will tell if we made the right decision for us.

In the next week or so I will put up a post on our Grenadier thoughts and our purchase experience.

I do not think you can go wrong with many of the choices out there. The LC seems, from all the reviews out there, to be a solid vehicle and I would love to hear your thoughts when you test drive it. Also if you have tested or will test a Grenadier what your opinions between the two are.

Good luck in your search!

Mike

Mike, if it’s any consolation (and if you picked up a 2024 model) the “first year” cars for the US were actually 2023’s. That blue tester car at Red Noland is a 2023 featuring a lot of the bugs that the 2024’s apparently (?) do t have. -Mark

 

[ColoradoMike]

Thanks Mark! What did you get color/specs on yours?

 

[ForceV4]

Thanks Mark! What did you get color/specs on yours?

I started with a base model Station Wagon and added:

Sela Green
White top
Red Ladder Frame
Black leather seats
Saddle leather wheel
Rough Kit (lockers)
Rubber Mats / No carpet
KO2s / Alloy Wheels
Safari Glass
Rear Ladder
Compass/Altimeter

Also take a look at @coeuroasiantrucks on Instagram. They have a local Southwest Colorado Springs meet up second Saturday of each month, year-round. Great group. Grenadiers are welcome! I went this morning and it was a good time.
- Mark (@just_get_to_lemans)

 

[Aniemyer]

Thanks Mark! What did you get color/specs on yours?

Mike,
Thanks for the candid discussion; transparency means a lot. One of the great things right now is that we do have some really great choices out there. Glad you're loving the rock-and-rut opportunities out there in Colorado. Out here on the High Plains, not so much, but I’ve hunted deer across some challenging terrain in SW ND, in and around the Dakota Badlands. Places where I was glad I was in my Wrangler Unlimiteds. (A ‘13 lifted Rubi, and later a JLU Safari) Naturally, the Grenadier appeals to me.

I drove a stock, base LC today in the Twin Cities. Freeway, highway, city streets, both smooth and seriously not-so-smooth. Yes, they're a refined ride, but still firm enough to feel the lumps and bumps, but not jarringly so. The shorter length and turn radius made my simulated “Costco parking lot test” go well. As a former pickup owner, I just figure I’d park a Grenadier further out and get the exercise! The reduced vision at the hood corners are annoying, with the raised sculpting, and knowing the lower corner cladding is sticking out there, somewhere! Like the Grenadier, you ride “high”, something I really endorse, and loved about my lifted JKU.

I'm like you, never buy Year One of anything, and since I won’t be making a buy decision until 4th Quarter anyways, it’ll be a ‘25. I will note that I liked the folks at Knauz Grenadier in Illinois. They were willing to let me crawl all over their stock, measuring this and that, and even let me squirm underneath with my “aircraft inspection” flashlight. And they are happy to continue to build a relationship over time.

The Toyota dealership I was in today seemed packed with people, and the sales folks seemed very rushed. The person I had been dealing with didn't even come to greet me; I got handed off to another sales guy, who, as soon as I told him I wasn't planning on buying this instant, seemed to me to be very happy to see me gone. Not my style, and not something I appreciated.

So, right now, I need to list Pros and Cons of both the LC & the Grenadier. My daughter-in-law’s dad just bought a Defender, and I want to talk to him about that. Of course, LR is about a 3.5 hour drive from me, and that's a PITA. OTOH, right now, Knauz is 9.5-hours away, so annual service is a three-day road trip! Toyota service is 20-minutes from my house.

Sorry for the long response, but it’s a discussion worth having!

Warm regards,
Andy

 

[Aniemyer]

I started with a base model Station Wagon and added:

Sela Green
White top
Red Ladder Frame
Black leather seats
Saddle leather wheel
Rough Kit (lockers)
Rubber Mats / No carpet
KO2s / Alloy Wheels
Safari Glass
Rear Ladder
Compass/Altimeter

Also take a look at @coeuroasiantrucks on Instagram. They have a local Southwest Colorado Springs meet up second Saturday of each month, year-round. Great group. Grenadiers are welcome! I went this morning and it was a good time.
- Mark (@just_get_to_lemans)

Mark,
Love the photo. If MB still made the old “NATO-Standard” military G-Wagons I fell in love with back in the early 90’s, and not the “Kardashian-Mobile” they do now, I’d be talking to them, too.

 

[ForceV4]

Mark,
Love the photo. If MB still made the old “NATO-Standard” military G-Wagons I fell in love with back in the early 90’s, and not the “Kardashian-Mobile” they do now, I’d be talking to them, too.

You’re not kidding. The one in the picture was actually an Iranian Army MB that never got delivered. Diesel, RHD, 5 speed manual…. Nice!

 

[wolftimj]

Turning radius…. do your own research but you can easily turn down the stops to allow the wheels to turn further as I did, or remove the stops altogether to get an even tighter turn. Turning them down made enough of an improvement for me to not risk the latter.

You can find a YouTube with 4 Grens in Colorado, one guy actually did it in the field. No issues for me after a couple months post mod. Again, do your own research.