After several long years following the Grenadier project (I think it was 2018 when I first heard about this and registered my interest), I picked up my vehicle on Wednesday, December 20th - and it truly felt like it marked the end of one journey and the beginning of a new one. As I arrived at the dealer (RDS, in Devon, PA), I was greeted by what looked like 30-40 grenadiers, and was instantly impressed by the presence and character of the vehicle - this was my first time seeing one in the flesh. It felt much larger (taller) and even better looking than in pictures/videos. Also, the colors (especially the Scottish white) looked much better in person than what I’ve seen in pictures or videos. That being said, I was overwhelmed with the experience of seeing my first grenadier, let alone making the first new (sizable) vehicle purchase in my life (I was never before in a position financially to afford something like this, until this point in my life).
@Michael Juliana at RDS greeted me and the process for completing the sale was quick and efficient (thank you!) - something that was much appreciated after pounding pavement for 4.5hrs from West Virginia, while also recovering from a recent bout of daycare crud (snotty with a bad cough, presumably just another bug passed along to me from our 8 month old - truly the gift that keeps giving).
Getting in the vehicle, I immediately felt the comfort of the seats, but more than the seats, I thought the seating position was incredible. It was commanding (felt like I could see over the bonnet/hood and to the front corners perfectly well), the tilting and telescoping steering wheel could be placed in the perfect position, and the window sill is probably the best thing about this vehicle (so far). I realize that probably sounds stupid to be excited about the window sill, but dang it’s the perfect flat and wide spot, and at exactly the right height for my elbow and forearm to rest. As I rolled out of the parking lot on my way home (now with a massive smile upon my face), I immediately noticed the steering - it was something I expected, but I was surprised by how heavy it felt to turn the steering wheel (compared to the Jeep GC that I traded). Within a few miles of the dealership I had to make my first right hand turn onto a somewhat tight bridge with oncoming traffic, and had the “oh shit, oh f**k” moment when feeling like I was going to keep turning into the side of the bridge, and then over-correcting on bringing back to center (relax, that was the first and last time I felt like that!). Otherwise, I very quickly adapted to the feel of the steering and actually quite like it now - it almost seems to work best for me to use one-hand on the wheel when making turns (think palm on wheel turning vs. the hand over hand method for turning).
As others have stated about the ADAS - it is pretty horrendous, but I’m thankful for the findings and research of
@Offroad and that RDS programmed the FAV button for me to quickly disengage this alert. Coming from a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 5.7liter V8 hemi - the grenadier feels sluggish and not nearly as smooth on the throttle - but, then again it’s a totally different vehicle and purpose, not meant to be compared to the Jeep GC. Aside from the ADAS (which definitely isn't an issue for me since the FAV button work-around), there are three things that bother me:
- The rear view camera - is way too small and not nearly as high-definition as my 2014 Jeep GC. I have already purchased and will be installing a Wolfbox G900 to help solve for this. Likely will place the rear camera at the same spot @Cheshire cat or @Voader - Oudersopzwier placed theirs (centered on the bit of roof finishing trim above the rear doors).
- Google Maps navigation froze and the audio dropped on 2 calls that I received during my 4.5hr drive home from the dealer. Not sure if this was user error on my part, or if the system is buggy - but nonetheless, it was fairly annoying to happen. I'll continue to read-up on this system and monitor to see if I have any issues during future drives.
- The front prox/collision sensors seem to pick-up the Factor 55 flat-link that I placed onto the winch line. This hasn't been too bad, but occasionally as I'm driving I get a somewhat loud "bong" alert and for a split second, it looks like a front left sensor lights up red on the center console screen - although, it happens so quick that I'm unable to actually see what it is showing. This is something I'll continue to monitor and happy to ditch the flat-link, if need be.
While all three of these issues are super minor in my mind - I'm totally stoked with the vehicle! I'm now just waiting for all of my accessories to arrive (full rhino rack, rubber mats, recovery kit, rear tailgate table, loadspace partition net + the tow package fix), and then I'll be making the trek back to RDS for the install.
Note: Along with the Factor 55 flat-link, I've installed a boot liner + pad (for our 2 yellow labs) from Titan Covers in the UK, posted originally by
@ECrider - thank you!, the sand colored seat covers from Melvill and Moon (notice - I received 3 of the small headrest covers for the rear seat row, but the vehicle has 2 large headrests and 1 small headrest in the middle - I have yet to remedy this with M&M), and placed a 2.5lbs fire extinguisher under the front passenger seat (tried installing the bracketeer, but could not seem to get it to work as well as I would have liked). Lastly, I've proudly placed a Global Grenadiers sticker and the awesome medallion on my Grenadier - awesome stuff
@Stu_Barnes - thank you!
Looking forward to seeing/meeting fellow Grenadier owners out on the trail!
View attachment 7837579View attachment 7837580View attachment 7837581View attachment 7837582
