Now that we are at the pointy end of the development process and handover of vehicles to customers is imminent, I though it might be an idea to start a wholly positive thread for people to post only what they think is good and right about the Grenadier. This will also go some way to balancing the number of negative-ish threads that have been popping up around windscreen wipers, RHD footwell, number of screws in the dashboard, colour of the roof lining, lack of onboard beer dispenser etc etc. Bearing in mind that all these threads (this one included) are still only theoretical until real world experience takes over and we all actually know how good the vehicle is day to day. Until we are all crushed by harsh reality, this is a place for only butterflies and Unicorns.
I'll go first...
When I first saw the Grenadier I was immediately smitten. Being a previous Land Rover Defender owner, and current W463 G-Wagen owner, the Grenadier looked straight away like an answer to prayer. The new Defender was a complete letdown and it left the Toyota 70-series Landcruiser as the only financially sensible option for a body-on-frame 4x4 (let's all just agree a Jeep is never an option). The more I learnt about the development the more I liked. Magna Steyr's involvement in the design only further increased my excitement. Ineos were saying all the right things about form following function, fit-for-purpose, sensible design goals and so on.
Exterior:
Over the past two years, I have arrived at the opinion that the Grenadier's exterior proportions are damn near perfect. I can no longer look at an original Defender the same way as that familiar shape now looks awkward - too tall and skinny. And the G-Wagen now also appears somehow proportionally wrong beside the Gren. It's funny how prolonged exposure to the Grenadier design has not caused me to find anything wrong with it, but has actually made me find more things I like about it.
Interior:
My only concern when the Grenadier was first announced was that for all the great design philosophy and exterior good looks, the interior might be like a Soviet era mental hospital. However, when the first interior images were released I admit to letting out a girlish squeal of delight. There was a realistic level of comfort being offered with nice finishes, decent infotainment and COOL BUTTONS ON THE ROOF! Nothing overly flashy or too many electronic gizmos, just solid surfaces and buttons and a logical, simple 21st century digital dashboard. But everything still looks somehow premium. Nice.
Pricing:
After my hopes and dreams had been elevated to stratospheric levels by the design detail, I was brutally aware that this could all come crashing down when pricing was announced. It wasn't. When a thoroughly reasonable RRP was announced for what was essentially a G-Wagen lite, my overwhelming reaction was SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY! Subsequent cost comparisons with a similarly specced 70 series Landcruiser proved to me what good value the Grenadier was shaping up to be. And even if a 70 series might be bought for slightly less (and it can't), let's face it, the 70 series is a total dial-tone of a vehicle and now unobtainable, so a moot point. And to repeat my earlier assertion - a Jeep is never an option.
Test drive:
I've done two off-road test drives to date and I have to say, any of the things that I might have thought would suck just don't. The suspension is waaaay more compliant off road than I ever would have guessed. Seats are just plain perfect. Driving position and visibility is equally superb. Given my benchmarks were the old Defender and G-Wagen, visibility was a big potential deal breaker for me and the Grenadier just gives you such a great view out the front, there is hardly any need for fancy-pants trail cameras so many other 4x4s now have. Cabin sealing is spot on and consequently engine noise is virtually non-existent with all the windows up. And I'm sure I look far sexier in the Grenadier than humanly possible.
So that's my first pass at what makes the Grenadier just about goddamn perfect - at least in theory for the moment.
I'll go first...
When I first saw the Grenadier I was immediately smitten. Being a previous Land Rover Defender owner, and current W463 G-Wagen owner, the Grenadier looked straight away like an answer to prayer. The new Defender was a complete letdown and it left the Toyota 70-series Landcruiser as the only financially sensible option for a body-on-frame 4x4 (let's all just agree a Jeep is never an option). The more I learnt about the development the more I liked. Magna Steyr's involvement in the design only further increased my excitement. Ineos were saying all the right things about form following function, fit-for-purpose, sensible design goals and so on.
Exterior:
Over the past two years, I have arrived at the opinion that the Grenadier's exterior proportions are damn near perfect. I can no longer look at an original Defender the same way as that familiar shape now looks awkward - too tall and skinny. And the G-Wagen now also appears somehow proportionally wrong beside the Gren. It's funny how prolonged exposure to the Grenadier design has not caused me to find anything wrong with it, but has actually made me find more things I like about it.
Interior:
My only concern when the Grenadier was first announced was that for all the great design philosophy and exterior good looks, the interior might be like a Soviet era mental hospital. However, when the first interior images were released I admit to letting out a girlish squeal of delight. There was a realistic level of comfort being offered with nice finishes, decent infotainment and COOL BUTTONS ON THE ROOF! Nothing overly flashy or too many electronic gizmos, just solid surfaces and buttons and a logical, simple 21st century digital dashboard. But everything still looks somehow premium. Nice.
Pricing:
After my hopes and dreams had been elevated to stratospheric levels by the design detail, I was brutally aware that this could all come crashing down when pricing was announced. It wasn't. When a thoroughly reasonable RRP was announced for what was essentially a G-Wagen lite, my overwhelming reaction was SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY! Subsequent cost comparisons with a similarly specced 70 series Landcruiser proved to me what good value the Grenadier was shaping up to be. And even if a 70 series might be bought for slightly less (and it can't), let's face it, the 70 series is a total dial-tone of a vehicle and now unobtainable, so a moot point. And to repeat my earlier assertion - a Jeep is never an option.
Test drive:
I've done two off-road test drives to date and I have to say, any of the things that I might have thought would suck just don't. The suspension is waaaay more compliant off road than I ever would have guessed. Seats are just plain perfect. Driving position and visibility is equally superb. Given my benchmarks were the old Defender and G-Wagen, visibility was a big potential deal breaker for me and the Grenadier just gives you such a great view out the front, there is hardly any need for fancy-pants trail cameras so many other 4x4s now have. Cabin sealing is spot on and consequently engine noise is virtually non-existent with all the windows up. And I'm sure I look far sexier in the Grenadier than humanly possible.
So that's my first pass at what makes the Grenadier just about goddamn perfect - at least in theory for the moment.
Only 90 year olds then.
