Long distance higher speed driving

[Catpaw4x4]

@TD5-90 thanks for the feedback. I had a follow-on question or maybe clarification.
You mention in the last sentence :

However, the high-speed behaviour of the Def is "breathtaking" compared to the Gren, 120+ needs the middle lane of a 3-lane motorway with no one around you..

Was that to say the Gren is ok at 120 but any faster and it wanders?

I took TD5-90 to say the Defender at high speeds will "take your breath away" - best be focused on driving and nothing else! Needs all the room you can get on a highway and no one near you for fear of sideswiping them.
Please correct me TD5-90 if I am in error.
Cheers!

 

[TD5-90]

I took TD5-90 to say the Defender at high speeds will "take your breath away" - best be focused on driving and nothing else! Needs all the room you can get on a highway and no one near you for fear of sideswiping them.
Please correct me TD5-90 if I am in error.
Cheers!

Spot-on @Catpaw4x4 , that's what I wanted to express!

 

[AnD3rew]

I have done several thousand highway kilometres now. I find it to be an exceptionally comfortable highway cruiser. As @James says, if you grip the steering wheel in a death grip you will find yourself making a lot of corrections, the secret is a light touch and it really doesn’t require a lot of input. There is no doubt it does feel different from modern independently suspended rack and pinion vehicles but you adapt extremely quickly, or I did anyway.

 

[Jeremy996]

I have done a few hundred miles on French Autoroute at 81mph/130kph and a few thousand miles on UK Motorway at 70mph or whatever the speed restricition for road works was that day. The Grenadier has proved to be a reliable workmate, steady even when the weather is rough and the roads soaking. I have done over 13,200 miles now so the novelty has worn off a little; now it is a bit more like respect.

 

[FlyingTexan]

I have done a few hundred miles on French Autoroute at 81mph/130kph and a few thousand miles on UK Motorway at 70mph or whatever the speed restricition for road works was that day. The Grenadier has proved to be a reliable workmate, steady even when the weather is rough and the roads soaking. I have done over 13,200 miles now so the novelty has worn off a little; now it is a bit more like respect.

What are they telling you there to do for oil changes? Are you taking it by the dealer or handling it yourself?

 

[Jeremy996]

What are they telling you there to do for oil changes? Are you taking it by the dealer or handling it yourself?

It had a first service around 8500 miles, as I knew I would be in France at the 12,000 mile point. The dealer did the work.

Until they release the technical manual, passing it to someone else or DIYing it is a bit problematic. Still, we should have wider release of the electronic manual Q1 2024, unless it has been delayed.

 

[Grapa]

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.

I did Miami - Jacksonville (5 pax, big yeti cooler and kids bikes )and it drives great. Even though it has the aerodynamics of a semi truck, it is very drivable and much better than a 2014 G wagen, no wobble or unsafe feel whatsoever.
with florida downpours of rain, I will say the wipers may need a faster speed since it is on the slower spectrum vs a land cruiser or lexus GX.

 

[flynnsk]

I have done several thousand highway kilometres now. I find it to be an exceptionally comfortable highway cruiser. As @James says, if you grip the steering wheel in a death grip you will find yourself making a lot of corrections, the secret is a light touch and it really doesn’t require a lot of input. There is no doubt it does feel different from modern independently suspended rack and pinion vehicles but you adapt extremely quickly, or I did anyway.

Please .. PLEASE for all that is Good, make this a "sticky" or better yet add as a mandatory 'Confirmation' when signing up ;p (I kid... mostly ).

The steering really does get better with a bit of time for both the vehicle and the driver. After about 500-750 miles, we could definitely feel a difference in steering/handling. In particular, the "return to center" while no Rack & Pinion, is much quicker/smoother than when we drove off the lot. Takes a bit of time, in our experience to get used to long sweeping corners.
This may be a bit stressful especially when sandwiched between multiple semis and the outer lane is doing +20MPH , when already at 75-80mph and posted is 65. Still not nearly as bad as a early 60s VW Microbus at just "highway" speeds (55-65), when your grip (9 and 3) is going swinging a good 2 hours ( ie, 1-5 and 7 - 11) just to keep it straight.

 

[DenisM]

It had a first service around 8500 miles, as I knew I would be in France at the 12,000 mile point. The dealer did the work.

Until they release the technical manual, passing it to someone else or DIYing it is a bit problematic. Still, we should have wider release of the electronic manual Q1 2024, unless it has been delayed.

Last week I was told Q3 2024.
There's a get together of 'owners' at a local dealership soon with the Australian head of Ineos. I was told the release of a tech manual is on his list of things to tell us about...

"...they also serve who simply sit and wait.." (apparently!)