Move to Defender?

[alex3dworld]

life is only one brother. go for it.
i feel the same, i drive 2 hours a day my grenadier and seats are not a charm. i knew they were going to be uncomfortable since i owned many recaro seats before. driving Mitsubishi evolution and Subaru STI's i exactly knew how sport oriented are them. i'm not a young kid no more and feel the lack of comfort of the seats for long trips. i believe right now your back is more important than having a car able to crawl a vertical wall. get the best for your health. nobody is going to give you a medal for keep the uncomfortable seat.

 

[Patriot]

Being either lucky or insane enough to currently own both a modern Defender 110 and a Grenadier I can honestly say I like them both for what they are. I can’t fault the Defender in any meaningful way as it’s a very capable vehicle both on and off-road. Likewise for the Grenadier, even though it’s brand new vehicle to the market and has a few interesting quirks I really can’t fault it either.

Both will out perform my off-roading abilities and will more than likely keep me from stranding myself. I thought I’d gravitate more toward one or the other but I have not found that to be the case. Others have criticized the new Defender for being much more of a “soft-roader” compared to the original and fair point. However, it’s still a remarkable vehicle off-road even though it is relying on technology to accomplish most of that.

For all the Grenadiers back-to-basics robustness, it’s a bit more awkward on the road but doesn’t fail at any mission I give it whether it’s a trip into town or roughing it up a local mountain trail it just doesn’t complain at all. Can I offer any helpful insights into which one is truly better? No, of course not, as everyone’s use cases and justifications for owning either are specific to them. I will say, I enjoy the character and personality of both vehicles equally and find each perform what they said they would do on the wrapper.

It was not my the intention to own both at the same time it just sort of worked out that way. Compared to what other vehicle options exist out there in this market segment nothing else really appealed to me besides these vehicles. So for the time being I’ll enjoy both until one either breaks my heart or steals my wallet (I guess they’ve both done that already) so fingers crossed.

What a unique and amazing perspective you have, owning both. A little bit about my recent car purchases. In August 2020, I bought a Tasman Blue 110 HSE with Khaki Windsor leather interior. It had the old school contrasting white roof. I really liked it and had it for over a year. Then when the Bronco came out, I parted with my Defender for almost what I paid for it more than a year and 16k miles earlier.

I’ve had my 2DR Bronco Wildtrak since February 2022 and really like it. But the Grenadier in Fieldmaster trim appeals to me as well, for probably the same reason the Defender and many Land Rovers before that appeal to me, and also for why I was drawn to the Bronco.

If I get the Grenadier or the Defender, it would be my rugged outdoors vehicle, to take to work on bad weather days, or to take the dog out, go to the beach, or for long road trips or highway blasts. (The X5 is great at that but my wife usually drives that.) I live 250 miles from the nearest INEOS or Land Rover dealer. What I’m looking for (and probably already have to some degree with my Bronco) is something:

- Masculine;
- Cool looking;
- Versatile;
- As reliable as possible.

What would you recommend?

 

[C-Mack]

What a unique and amazing perspective you have, owning both. A little bit about my recent car purchases. In August 2020, I bought a Tasman Blue 110 HSE with Khaki Windsor leather interior. It had the old school contrasting white roof. I really liked it and had it for over a year. Then when the Bronco came out, I parted with my Defender for almost what I paid for it more than a year and 16k miles earlier.

I’ve had my 2DR Bronco Wildtrak since February 2022 and really like it. But the Grenadier in Fieldmaster trim appeals to me as well, for probably the same reason the Defender and many Land Rovers before that appeal to me, and also for why I was drawn to the Bronco.

If I get the Grenadier or the Defender, it would be my rugged outdoors vehicle, to take to work on bad weather days, or to take the dog out, go to the beach, or for long road trips or highway blasts. (The X5 is great at that but my wife usually drives that.) I live 250 miles from the nearest INEOS or Land Rover dealer. What I’m looking for (and probably already have to some degree with my Bronco) is something:

- Masculine;
- Cool looking;
- Versatile;
- As reliable as possible.

What would you recommend?

Always buy the vehicles you enjoy and don’t take guff from anyone about it would be my advice. Gotta make hay while the sun shines as it’s not difficult to see a future in which we are all mandated to drive the equivalent of rolling appliances lacking the personality and versatility of the Grenadier, Defender and other vehicles like them.

Sure the Grenadier is edgy and it’s a bit of a gamble to buy into such a new vehicle and company but there is something just so compelling about it compared to all the other brands it seemed worthwhile to try. Time will tell if that was a mistake but enjoyment in life can be fleeting so why live with regrets?

 

[landmannnn]

What a unique and amazing perspective you have, owning both. A little bit about my recent car purchases. In August 2020, I bought a Tasman Blue 110 HSE with Khaki Windsor leather interior. It had the old school contrasting white roof. I really liked it and had it for over a year. Then when the Bronco came out, I parted with my Defender for almost what I paid for it more than a year and 16k miles earlier.

I’ve had my 2DR Bronco Wildtrak since February 2022 and really like it. But the Grenadier in Fieldmaster trim appeals to me as well, for probably the same reason the Defender and many Land Rovers before that appeal to me, and also for why I was drawn to the Bronco.

If I get the Grenadier or the Defender, it would be my rugged outdoors vehicle, to take to work on bad weather days, or to take the dog out, go to the beach, or for long road trips or highway blasts. (The X5 is great at that but my wife usually drives that.) I live 250 miles from the nearest INEOS or Land Rover dealer. What I’m looking for (and probably already have to some degree with my Bronco) is something:

- Masculine;
- Cool looking;
- Versatile;
- As reliable as possible.

What would you recommend?

- Masculine; - So not the plastic Defender
- Cool looking; Bronco or Grenadier, not Defender
- Versatile; The phrase "Jack of all trades, master of none" springs to mind. Probably a pickup for the ultimate versatilty
- As reliable as possible. Buy a Toyota.

Not sure I helped.

 

[Zimm]

wild track is nice. I took one for a test ride. unfortunately payload and the fit and finish carry over from the base units costing 60%, even though admittedly its a ridiculousness capable rig out of the box in 2door. it lost out for the fit and finish, payload, drivers seat cant be all the way back when the rear seats are folded, and it doesn't have the flat fenders. I figure maybe I'll get one used a few years from now and beat the crap out of it.

 

[vtgrenadier]

Here in the States, we have something called "Turo." It's a rental car company where owners rent out their own vehicles... is there anything similar in the UK? If so, once you settle on one or two options, perhaps you can rent examples for a weekend to be sure you're not going to run into a similar problem.

 

[MurphyMurph]

Always buy the vehicles you enjoy and don’t take guff from anyone about it would be my advice. Gotta make hay while the sun shines as it’s not difficult to see a future in which we are all mandated to drive the equivalent of rolling appliances lacking the personality and versatility of the Grenadier, Defender and other vehicles like them.

Sure the Grenadier is edgy and it’s a bit of a gamble to buy into such a new vehicle and company but there is something just so compelling about it compared to all the other brands it seemed worthwhile to try. Time will tell if that was a mistake but enjoyment in life can be fleeting so why live with regrets?

https://www.unfinishedman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/no-ragrets-tattoo-scaled.jpg

 

[ecohen2]

The only thing I wish the Grenadier seats had was an easy way to mark a particular position. Otherwise for someone who is 5'5" they are super comfortable even on 8 hour road trips....

 

[Patriot]

Updating my post #42 above … after thinking about it some more, I’ve decided against buying a Defender again. Been there done that. So, I will either stay put with my Bronco or trade it on a Grenadier. We’ll see.

 

[Commodore]

Updating my post #42 above … after thinking about it some more, I’ve decided against buying a Defender again. Been there done that. So, I will either stay put with my Bronco or trade it on a Grenadier. We’ll see.

I replaced my 2 door Bronco Sasquatch with my Grenadier and couldn’t be happier. The Grenadier is better at everything.

 

[trobex]

I raised the comfort issue back when I did several PT03 test drives - sadly Ineos did nothing about the engineers negative feedback that was provided from PT01 through PT03, during the 18000000000 miles travelled. I can understand the OPs issues as I have the same. I no longer drive it daily and instead have the vehicle over to my wife as the family commuter. I still drive it on a weekend or if we go on a trip but it isn't just the lumbar support that is the problem - the entire RHD ergomonics are out of kilt. Offset pedals, big footrest, tilt and reach is lacking both angle and depth given how much the seat can level and stretch etc.

Just hear them out as the concerns of discomfort are very real.

I hope the OP finds what they are looking for as good vehicle comfort is mandatory for good health residual if you drive a lot.

 

[landmannnn]

I raised the comfort issue back when I did several PT03 test drives - sadly Ineos did nothing about the engineers negative feedback that was provided from PT01 through PT03, during the 18000000000 miles travelled. I can understand the OPs issues as I have the same. I no longer drive it daily and instead have the vehicle over to my wife as the family commuter. I still drive it on a weekend or if we go on a trip but it isn't just the lumbar support that is the problem - the entire RHD ergomonics are out of kilt. Offset pedals, big footrest, tilt and reach is lacking both angle and depth given how much the seat can level and stretch etc.

Just hear them out as the concerns of discomfort are very real.

I hope the OP finds what they are looking for as good vehicle comfort is mandatory for good health residual if you drive a lot.

The RHD ergonomics are absolutely fine for me.