Hi
I’ve just clocked up 3000km, with trips up the Queensland coast including sand driving and off road adventures. I have a Trialmaster with dual batteries and winch.
Here is the report….
I’m very happy with the purchase. The performance along the highway is fine and it happily cruises along. I’ve had the cruise control cut out when it drops down gears accelerating uphill a couple of times though I’m not sure why. Overtaking is fine though it seems happiest sitting between 100-110km/h.
Off road the performance has been great. I wished for a bit more ground clearance going up a steep sand dune track (called ‘Big Sandy’ on the Five Rocks Track in the Byfield National Park for the Australian contingent) when I was getting bogged and seeing imprints of the undercarriage in the sand. The sand was like talcum powder and heavily rutted out. I almost gave up but putting in the lockers and a bit more right foot got me up. I found the ZF gearbox would up shift a bit when left in auto and I would lose power. Next time I’ll flick it to manual. That said the torque was more than enough.
The transfer case and engagement and disengagement of the lockers seems to get easier the more one does it.
The issues have been minor so far.
The side indicator thing with Australian rules are a bit annoying. I’ll be happier when the proper indicators get installed. That said, the temporary ones the dealer 3D printed have enabled me to get the car earlier.
I’ve noticed the reverse LEDs don’t all light up as a circle like the others. This is a minor fix which I’ll take up with the dealer.
I’ve had issues with connection of lights to the trailer when towing, I suspect this will be a minor fix. The indicator seemed to work randomly. I found it interesting though that the Grenadier detects that one has a trailer connected. Maybe that is normal for modern trucks these days.
There have been a few warning messages on the infotainment system which I’ve tended to ignore as they go away. Hopefully that improves with the software update.
I like all of the off-road information in the infotainment system though the loading is a bit slow. The main issue is that one loses the map when the off-road data is up. I’ve also found the maps through Apple car play tend to freeze (Google maps much more so than Apple Maps) which is a bit annoying when going on adventures when one is relying on the map to work out where to go. I’ve just bought a cheap mini Android tablet to run my maps on and have used a Quadlock windscreen mount to hold it there. Hopefully that works.
All in all these are minor issues. I’ve been very happy with the truck so far and have no buyer’s remorse. It’s too late now anyway as I’ve already bashed the back bash plate on rocks and have some side ‘speed stripes’ now on the side, from taking it through a tight bush track last week (it would be worse if I didn’t get it ceramic coated).
I enjoy having strangers come up to me and ask about the car. It gives one a sense of pride noticing all of the nods of appreciation and random ‘thumbs up’ one gets when cruising along the beach.
Things that I would change…
I suspect that I will end upgrading to larger tyres eventually, but hold off any lift kits.
I bought mine with the rock sliders. It is a bit of a climb to get in. I’m wondering if I can get a metal fabricator to make a small step off the slider to make entry a bit easier. I like the sliders with their height but they are no use to use as a step to get in.
The lack of power sockets at the front is limited, I’m trying to work out a descrete location for a usb power source to run things on the dash like a dash cam and extra gps/tablet.
To those second guessing the purchase, while still stuck on the wait list, I appreciate your pain. Stick it out, it will be worth it.
Now I better get around and hose out the interior….
