Texan at London Grenadier Showroom

[4x4Brick #1561]

I was in London for business and had a morning to kill so I took a (long) Uber ride out to the Chiswick West London Grenadier dealer. What a blast! Was able to get a ride along (US drivers license holders can't drive). Sat in the rear seats and it was very comfortable and quiet even with the 18" aggressive tires. Field Master with leather seats. Pretty punchy on the take off. Felt and looked solid. My first time seeing a Grenadier in person - impressive. Apparently the diamond plate hood standing option is not available in the UK (danger to hit pedestrians). Got some images under the hood, the tow hitch, locking spare tire box and how the snorkel doesn't hit the paint. Tiny little dealership with very limited parking. The salesperson who was driving did an incredible back up parking job in a spot I didn't think possible, Very impressive and the backup camera helped. Glad I went BUT the visit certainly didn't help my patience. Now I REALLY am ready for the US release. Also took an pic of the colors on metal samples. Hard to see differences in the dark showroom. Actually easier to see in picture.

 

[rovie]

I was in London for business and had a morning to kill so I took a (long) Uber ride out to the Chiswick West London Grenadier dealer. What a blast! Was able to get a ride along (US drivers license holders can't drive). Sat in the rear seats and it was very comfortable and quiet even with the 18" aggressive tires. Field Master with leather seats. Pretty punchy on the take off. Felt and looked solid. My first time seeing a Grenadier in person - impressive. Apparently the diamond plate hood standing option is not available in the UK (danger to hit pedestrians). Got some images under the hood, the tow hitch, locking spare tire box and how the snorkel doesn't hit the paint. Tiny little dealership with very limited parking. The salesperson who was driving did an incredible back up parking job in a spot I didn't think possible, Very impressive and the backup camera helped. Glad I went BUT the visit certainly didn't help my patience. Now I REALLY am ready for the US release. Also took an pic of the colors on metal samples. Hard to see differences in the dark showroom. Actually easier to see in picture.

@4x4Brick I'm glad you can take good impressions home with you.

 

[Norb-TX]

Nice write up. Are you a reservation holder, or are you waiting for the Houston dealership to open?

 

[4x4Brick #1561]

Nice write up. Are you a reservation holder, or are you waiting for the Houston dealership to open?

Reservation holder AND waiting for the dealership to open. You?

 

[TX13VACA]

I was in London for business and had a morning to kill so I took a (long) Uber ride out to the Chiswick West London Grenadier dealer. What a blast! Was able to get a ride along (US drivers license holders can't drive). Sat in the rear seats and it was very comfortable and quiet even with the 18" aggressive tires. Field Master with leather seats. Pretty punchy on the take off. Felt and looked solid. My first time seeing a Grenadier in person - impressive. Apparently the diamond plate hood standing option is not available in the UK (danger to hit pedestrians). Got some images under the hood, the tow hitch, locking spare tire box and how the snorkel doesn't hit the paint. Tiny little dealership with very limited parking. The salesperson who was driving did an incredible back up parking job in a spot I didn't think possible, Very impressive and the backup camera helped. Glad I went BUT the visit certainly didn't help my patience. Now I REALLY am ready for the US release. Also took an pic of the colors on metal samples. Hard to see differences in the dark showroom. Actually easier to see in picture.

4x4Brick, thanks for the up close pics. Still not sure how that London trip just “happen” to line up for you to have free time to take a test drive in a vehicle we all have been waiting for year to get our hands on. .. but if the JOB covered the cost then I tip my hat to you sir!! Well done indeed.

 

[Norb-TX]

Reservation holder AND waiting for the dealership to open. You?

Same.

 

[4x4Brick #1561]

Same.

By any chance are you a archi alum from UH from back in late 80s/ 90s?

 

[Ichabod]

LOL I'm here in London too and am planning on doing the same thing at the same dealership. Glad to hear it was worth it! A ride on the street would be cool, I drove it offroad at one of the events but thats not the same obviously, LOL re: not letting US drivers drive it, I don't htink I want to in London either. We had a rental car from Milton Keynes to the Cotswolds, a manual at that. "Wrong" side of the road, "wrong" side of the car, "wrong" hand for gear changes, narrow roads, and rain. We did fine but I was ready for a pint once we got to Broadway, lol!

 

[DaveB]

LOL I'm here in London too and am planning on doing the same thing at the same dealership. Glad to hear it was worth it! A ride on the street would be cool, I drove it offroad at one of the events but thats not the same obviously, LOL re: not letting US drivers drive it, I don't htink I want to in London either. We had a rental car from Milton Keynes to the Cotswolds, a manual at that. "Wrong" side of the road, "wrong" side of the car, "wrong" hand for gear changes, narrow roads, and rain. We did fine but I was ready for a pint once we got to Broadway, lol!

I drove a manual Fiat 500 through Sardinia and Sicily and had to quickly change back from 3rd to 2nd.
Smashed my left hand into the door panel before I remembered I had to use my right hand to change gears.
Only had one mistake driving on the wrong side of the road on the first day in a remote location with no other traffic.

 

[Ichabod]

I drove a manual Fiat 500 through Sardinia and Sicily and had to quickly change back from 3rd to 2nd.
Smashed my left hand into the door panel before I remembered I had to use my right hand to change gears.
Only had one mistake driving on the wrong side of the road on the first day in a remote location with no other traffic.

LOL at least in the UK people tend to drive at sane speeds. Can't say the same for the Italians, lol! We had a car we drove up from Rome to/around Tuscany a few years back, we did a fair amount of pulling to the side to let the locals fly past hehe.

 

[DaveB]

LOL at least in the UK people tend to drive at sane speeds. Can't say the same for the Italians, lol! We had a car we drove up from Rome to/around Tuscany a few years back, we did a fair amount of pulling to the side to let the locals fly past hehe.

Wasn't too much chance for me to speed in Sardinia and Sicily but I did manage to ring it out to 140kmh once or twice before my wife noticed.
Picked up a Fiat Panda in Tropea and drove across to Polignano a Mare with a stop off at the James Bond set in Matera.
Finished off with a drive over to Anzio and managed to get it up to 120kmh before the handling started to worry me.
Plenty of people going past me
A few years before (1999??) I picked up a Ford Focus wagon in Stuttgart and drove across to Salzburg and back.
Pushed that one up to 220kmh on the autobahn and was still getting overtaken.

 

[Tom D]

I find driving on the wrong side of the road is harder in your own car. Ie take a RHD to Europe and although you’re familiar with the car that familiarity works against you as you are more likely to want to drive on the wrong side. I think the situation that will catch you out is when you’ve been there for a while and got complacent, back roads with no central line are what have nearly caught me out. You meet a car coming in the opposite direction and instinctively swerve the same way as he does!

 

[DaveB]

I find driving on the wrong side of the road is harder in your own car. Ie take a RHD to Europe and although you’re familiar with the car that familiarity works against you as you are more likely to want to drive on the wrong side. I think the situation that will catch you out is when you’ve been there for a while and got complacent, back roads with no central line are what have nearly caught me out. You meet a car coming in the opposite direction and instinctively swerve the same way as he does!

I find it easier to start in traffic as you get to go with the flow.

 

[Krabby]

Wrong side of the car is really tough to overcome in the sense that most everything we do when driving at “home“ is second nature. When I drive a RHD vehicle I have to concentrate on things I never do in a LH vehicle - something as silly as having to look left for the rear view mirror. Sounds dumb I know, but it is true.

 

[DaveB]

Wrong side of the car is really tough to overcome in the sense that most everything we do when driving at “home“ is second nature. When I drive a RHD vehicle I have to concentrate on things I never do in a LH vehicle - something as silly as having to look left for the rear view mirror. Sounds dumb I know, but it is true.

I walked up and jumped in the drivers seat only to find there was no steering wheel in front of me.
I had to get out and do the walk of shame round to the other side.

 

[Norb-TX]

By any chance are you a archi alum from UH from back in late 80s/ 90s?

Yes.

 

[4x4Brick #1561]

Yes.

Excellent - This is Jewels

 

[Norb-TX]

Hey man! Small world!

 

[Ichabod]

I walked up and jumped in the drivers seat only to find there was no steering wheel in front of me.
I had to get out and do the walk of shame round to the other side.

LOL similarly our first trip to the UK we got picked up by a driver and I almost got behind his wheel. Red eye flight, I just walked up to his door an almost opened it, he gave me a funny look (he was still trying to squeeze our rookie 'too much luggage' mistake into the boot) but I'm sure it's not hte first time that's happened to him!

 

[Tazzieman]

I find driving on the wrong side of the road is harder in your own car. Ie take a RHD to Europe and although you’re familiar with the car that familiarity works against you as you are more likely to want to drive on the wrong side. I think the situation that will catch you out is when you’ve been there for a while and got complacent, back roads with no central line are what have nearly caught me out. You meet a car coming in the opposite direction and instinctively swerve the same way as he does!

I've driven a LHD 911 on our LHD roads the past 13 years.
It took a couple of hours to adapt.
Luckily they don't reverse clutch and accelerator pedals.
The worst thing about Europe are all the roundabouts. Doesn't matter whether LHD or RHD roads/cars.
It's just mayhem unless you know the roads, and very bad with a passenger seat navigator telling you to do something instinct is telling you not to!