Long distance higher speed driving

[Roach]

Was talking with another pre-order person today and they mentioned that the 60 to 75mph on a freeway takes a bit more than other cars (for him it was Defender).

I’ve gone on a freeway test drive but I don’t recall if the car wanders requiring more attention to stay in lane. Would love to hear some feedback from those that have done a long haul at freeway speeds.

FYI, searched but didn’t find anything other than comments regarding “wobbling” (vs wandering.

 

[FieldMonster]

I did 200 miles over the past two days, mostly on motorways. It was very well behaved!

 

[Ever Pragmatic]

Was talking with another pre-order person today and they mentioned that the 60 to 75mph on a freeway takes a bit more than other cars (for him it was Defender).

I’ve gone on a freeway test drive but I don’t recall if the car wanders requiring more attention to stay in lane. Would love to hear some feedback from those that have done a long haul at freeway speeds.

FYI, searched but didn’t find anything other than comments regarding “wobbling” (vs wandering.

It’s a solid highway drive. If you’re getting a new one, you’ll be fine as i had an early model and you needed to be on top of the steering but it was all muscle memory after a few miles.

 

[Roach]

It’s a solid highway drive. If you’re getting a new one, you’ll be fine as i had an early model and you needed to be on top of the steering but it was all muscle memory after a few miles.

@Ever Pragmatic @FieldMonster
Thanks!

So there wasn’t a constant need to correct any drifting….you can set the wheel straight and she will track straight?

I’m familiar with the return to zero (due the RCB steering) and turning radius.

 

[stickshifter]

Was talking with another pre-order person today and they mentioned that the 60 to 75mph on a freeway takes a bit more than other cars (for him it was Defender).

I’ve gone on a freeway test drive but I don’t recall if the car wanders requiring more attention to stay in lane. Would love to hear some feedback from those that have done a long haul at freeway speeds.

FYI, searched but didn’t find anything other than comments regarding “wobbling” (vs wandering.

Most SUVs and other cars have independent front suspension (IFS) and rack-and-pinion steering. Both features are biased toward on-road performance. However, IFS does not allow for very good wheel articulation off-road, and is less durable if a vehicle is driven off-road a lot. Rack-and-pinion steering is very precise and allows for good handling when taking corners (on-road), but will translate bumps and rough conditions off-road through the steering wheel directly into the hands of the driver. This is very fatiguing and can even result in injury to a driver's hands.

The Grenadier has a solid front axle (SFA), and recirculating-ball steering. Both are biased toward off-road driving. The SFA provides for better wheel articulation, and - in general - is more durable than IFS. Recirculating-ball steering does not translate nearly as much feedback to the driver when off-road as does rack-and-pinion steering. The downside to the SFA and recirculating-ball steering is that it is not as precise on-road as IFS and rack-and-pinion steering.

The Grenadier is an off-road biased 4x4, and will never handle on-road as well as on-road biased SUVs like a Porsche Cayenne, a BMW X5, or a Range Rover. However, the Grenadier has excellent on-road handling for a vehicle with a SFA and recirculating-ball steering. Most people who have a lot of experience with vehicles of this design describe the Grenadier as maybe the best handling (on-road) of any SFA with recirculating-ball steering they have ever driven.

Ultimately, everyone has different preferences and tolerances. The best thing to do would be to take a Grenadier for a long on-road test drive. If you are accustomed to IFS and rack-and-pinion steering, the Grenadier will feel vague at first, and you will notice that you have to steer it our of corners - whereas in SUVs and cars the steering wheel wants to return to center on its own. Give it a little time, and you should be able to adapt, and after a bit, the steering will probably be something you do not notice at all. But the Grenadier will never drive like an SUV from Porsche, BMW, or Range Rover; it is designed to excel off-road, and no vehicle can do both at a high level.

 

[MossyIG]

Was talking with another pre-order person today and they mentioned that the 60 to 75mph on a freeway takes a bit more than other cars (for him it was Defender).

I’ve gone on a freeway test drive but I don’t recall if the car wanders requiring more attention to stay in lane. Would love to hear some feedback from those that have done a long haul at freeway speeds.

FYI, searched but didn’t find anything other than comments regarding “wobbling” (vs wandering.

I drove 5 1/2 - 6 hours from San Diego to Phoenix and back between the speeds of 70mph and 90mph (mostly around 90 shhhhh ). Very easy drive, no wobble, very little if any wander. I was very impressed. After the drive my hands weren't vibrating and I didn't feel any driving fatigue.

 

[Roach]

I drove from San Diego to Phoenix and back between the speeds of 70mph and 90mph (shhhhh ). Very easy drive, no wobble, very little if any wander. I was very impressed on how well it drove and accelerated.

@MossyIG
Thanks!

 

[Jeremy996]

I was in France the previous week and did a few hundred miles on the Autoroute at 81mph/130kph, (I don't break the speed limit in France, getting nicked is a bit of a downer, the on-the-spot fine is only down-payment, you can be fined more later). The Grenadier was fine; if anything it was all a little dull!
I think one or two motorists were a little surprised how spritely the Grenadier is off the line

 

[OGrid]

@Ever Pragmatic @FieldMonster
Thanks!

So there wasn’t a constant need to correct any drifting….you can set the wheel straight and she will track straight?

Yesterday I drove 900km (560 mi) in one session. My first long haul drive in the vehicle.

I found the steering vague and at times problematic when passing high speed trucks that were close (Australian lanes are not that wide). I wouldn’t term it drifting, as the vehicle doesn’t drift. If you release the steering wheel the vehicle tracks straight.

For me, it’s more the soft and constant vague over correcting of the steering that is required. Which leads to more over correcting.

Yes I get it’s an off road vehicle. I‘ve driven off road vehicles extensively that track straight and don’t required this level of attention. It did annoy me yesterday, but no way near as much as that RHD foot rest (but that‘s a different story).

 

[NoMoTaco]

I drove 5 1/2 - 6 hours from San Diego to Phoenix and back between the speeds of 70mph and 90mph (mostly around 90 shhhhh ). Very easy drive, no wobble, very little if any wander. I was very impressed. After the drive my hands weren't vibrating and I didn't feel any driving fatigue.

With or Without the ADAS?

 

[Roach]

Yesterday I drove 900km (560 mi) in one session. My first long haul drive in the vehicle.

I found the steering vague and at times problematic when passing high speed trucks that were close (Australian lanes are not that wide). I wouldn’t term it drifting, as the vehicle doesn’t drift. If you release the steering wheel the vehicle tracks straight.

For me, it’s more the soft and constant vague over correcting of the steering that is required. Which leads to more over correcting.

Yes I get it’s an off road vehicle. I‘ve driven off road vehicles extensively that track straight and don’t required this level of attention. It did annoy me yesterday, but no way near as much as that RHD foot rest (but that‘s a different story).

I think that is exactly what this gentleman was trying to tell me. Thanks!

 

[James]

@Ever Pragmatic @FieldMonster
Thanks!

So there wasn’t a constant need to correct any drifting….you can set the wheel straight and she will track straight?

I’m familiar with the return to zero (due the RCB steering) and turning radius.

Some people do seem to want to wiggle the steering wheel unnecessarily. If you do that, you can end up feeling like you are ’correcting’. But, in the politest way possible, it‘s poor understanding of the physics; the car, after 12,000km of experience is rock solid and requires little steering input on the freeway. It just feels as it feels, which as you say if you understand as distinct from rack and pinion/road car feel, makes perfect sense.

I have had older cars with ‘wandering’ steering, play, various other issues. This is none of those.
it is, of course, affected by wind, especially when passing trucks. Weight is a friend here, so its less noticeable than it would be in a van, but when combined with tall tyres, some people might attribute this behaviour to steering too.

 

[eddyoz]

Some people do seem to want to wiggle the steering wheel unnecessarily. If you do that, you can end up feeling like you are ’correcting’. But, in the politest way possible, it‘s poor understanding of the physics; the car, after 12,000km of experience is rock solid and requires little steering input on the freeway. It just feels as it feels, which as you say if you understand as distinct from rack and pinion/road car feel, makes perfect sense.

I have had older cars with ‘wandering’ steering, play, various other issues. This is none of those.
it is, of course, affected by wind, especially when passing trucks. Weight is a friend here, so its less noticeable than it would be in a van, but when combined with tall tyres, some people might attribute this behaviour to steering too.

I don't know about understanding the physics,but my Grenadier will have you over the centre line unless some steering input.When it goes in for a software up date next week they should also correct the steering wheel which is off centre by 10 degrees......hopefully some improvement.

 

[Solmanic]

I've found the vehicle does indeed track straight on the freeway however, the lightness when straight ahead does have me constantly "on the wheel" because it feels like it might wander - not that it actually does. This does get a bit tiresome over several hundred kilometres. On long slight curves however, the light feel does make it more difficult to stay in the centre of the lane and I often find myself creeping to one side when the road straightens out.

I discussed this with the dealer's mechanic last week and he mistakenly thought I was talking about the wheel not being straight and said some vehicles have definitely had to have their steering wheel angle corrected. But my wheel is 100% straight when dead ahead - just very light on feel.

By contrast, I jumped back in the G-Wagen which has an almost identical steering setup. It feels like the steering wheel is much more firmly centred on the highway.

 

[Jeffrey]

Was talking with another pre-order person today and they mentioned that the 60 to 75mph on a freeway takes a bit more than other cars (for him it was Defender).

I’ve gone on a freeway test drive but I don’t recall if the car wanders requiring more attention to stay in lane. Would love to hear some feedback from those that have done a long haul at freeway speeds.

FYI, searched but didn’t find anything other than comments regarding “wobbling” (vs wandering.

Why would you think it would?

 

[Jeffrey]

I've found the vehicle does indeed track straight on the freeway however, the lightness when straight ahead does have me constantly "on the wheel" because it feels like it might wander - not that it actually does. This does get a bit tiresome over several hundred kilometres. On long slight curves however, the light feel does make it more difficult to stay in the centre of the lane and I often find myself creeping to one side when the road straightens out.

I discussed this with the dealer's mechanic last week and he mistakenly thought I was talking about the wheel not being straight and said some vehicles have definitely had to have their steering wheel angle corrected. But my wheel is 100% straight when dead ahead - just very light on feel.

By contrast, I jumped back in the G-Wagen which has an almost identical steering setup. It feels like the steering wheel is much more firmly centred on the highway.

Like your mechanic, I don't know exactly what you're talking about. Light feel? What does that mean? What does something feel like when you think it is doing something but it really isn't? I'm not getting the purpose of this thread.

 

[anand]

I'm not getting the purpose of this thread.

Finding solutions to problems that don't exist...

 

[Roach]

@anand @Jeffrey if you haven’t had the car on a long haul then this isn’t a thread that would interest you. If you have, then I welcome your feedback.

 

[Solmanic]

Like your mechanic, I don't know exactly what you're talking about. Light feel? What does that mean? What does something feel like when you think it is doing something but it really isn't? I'm not getting the purpose of this thread.

I'm not really expecting you to understand until you've driven it for a few hours on the freeway. Besides, the mechanic did understand, it's just that he'd previously had owners with steering wheels off-centre and he initially thought that's what I was talking about.

And let's be clear - this is not really a "problem", just an idiosyncrasy, but it's definitely not made up just for forum column inches.

 

[Tonyh]

There seem to be a lot of negatives against this car, many are small issues that have been blown out of all proportion IMO.
We have had GWagons, 2010 and 2021 models - the 2010 had recirculating ball steering and handled exactly like the Grenadier.
Point I am trying to make is that these had a massive following, few complained about the steering and when you stuck a supercharger or later turbo, nobody seemed to complain despite them being a definite handful on the road.
The biggest disadvantage of the Grenadier I find is its poor turning circle but even then it’s something that you take into consideration and easy to overcome - just don’t take it where you need to be able to manoeuvre in tight spaces, small car parks for example.
Motorway driving is fine despite a few corrections when pressing on. Its the exact opposite of one of my EV cars where the slightest movement of the wheel has an immediate impact on the steering which I think is more of a safety issue.
If I thought it was an issue it would be gone, fact it is still on the drive is testimony to the fact its acceptable.