The Game Fair, Ragley Hall

[Jeremy996]

I went to the Game Fair at Ragley Hall with my wife, the first time she has seen the Grenadier. I would not describe her as supportive, but at least it wasn't "over my dead body". She got into it OK and thought my Mother and Mother in Law would be able to get in.

Nice looking stand with one pre-production Fieldmaster Edition, and two 2B prototypes. It was a bit hard to recognise specific vehicles as they have been wrapped in different colours. The 2B I saw in Sussex was there, although it took a staff member to point it out. The pre-prod was wrapped in blue and red for the Tour de France, but the underlying colour was dark green, (sela green).

The pre-prod was a massive improvement from the 2Bs I saw last; it looked "finished", the seats looked great and the interior trim much better. Having now sat in both a commercial and a non-commercial station wagon, I will not worry too much about the rear seat differences, but I will probably try and convert between the set ups once I have the vehicle in my hot, sticky mitts!

Now waiting for my local dealer to contact me with the contract papers and the formal specification.

(Checked against the spec sheet and yes, as Shaky says it was a Fieldmaster).

 

[Spjnr]

I was on an exhibitor stand there since Thursday, had a sit in it everyday when I got the chance to slip away! Concur on the improvement of the PTO1 that was there. lots to like

 

[Shaky]

I was there and made sure I sat in the most up to date vehicle which was a fieldmaster. Alloys, leather seats etc.

It was the first time I have sat in the drivers seat and I was keen to see what all the fuss about the footwell was about And the “twisted” driving position.….My honest opinion, a storm in a tea cup. There is no twist.

Yes there is a larger than normal footrest and I would say that the brake and accelerator pedal could possibly be further apart but that’s it. I would say that if someone was wearing a really heavy set of boots there might be some catching of pedals but I am talking ski or motorcross type boots as opposed to a normal walking boot. I am size 10 footwear and had no problems.

I also spoke to Melville and Moon UK about seat covers and my bubble was burst when I realised the seat covers I have ordered through IA are NOT the M&M covers but some black things with Grenadier written on them…..They will be cancelled asap.

If anyone is interested for front and back M&M covers I was quoted £660 all in and that includes a rear wheel cover in the same style. No good if you have ordered the locking spare wheel cover though.

 

[grenadierboy]

Thanks for the feedback all and especially the latest pre-production version (PTO 2?).

Shaky - The left foot positioning/pedals to the right/twisting of the legs for RHD has been an issue raised by many, so thanks for your view on the ongoing saga of the RHD footwell issues.

Did you take any photos of the drivers footwell?

Did you check out the footwell on one of the prototypes and are they the same or different to the pre-production - meaning there has been a production change.

 

[DCPU]

I also spoke to Melville and Moon UK about seat covers and my bubble was burst when I realised the seat covers I have ordered through IA are NOT the M&M covers but some black things with Grenadier written on them…..They will be cancelled asap.

I have to say the Ineos seat covers look better fitted than M&M generally do.

Not sure these are OEM or aftermarket though.

Andrew St Pierre White has some nice Recaro branded seat covers on his latest project build. I meant to see if these were from Recaro or not.

 

[Shaky]

Thanks for the feedback all and especially the latest pre-production version (PTO 2?).

Shaky - The left foot positioning/pedals to the right/twisting of the legs for RHD has been an issue raised by many, so thanks for your view on the ongoing saga of the RHD footwell issues.

Did you take any photos of the drivers footwell?

Did you check out the footwell on one of the prototypes and are they the same or different to the pre-production - meaning there has been a production change.

I didn’t take any photos unfortunately, as you can imagine the stand was bedlam. I did meet a high number of people who had ordered who have no clue about this forum as well.

I would say from memory that the footrest does look slightly smaller that the PP models. Not much in it but the pedals are pushed to the right because of it, being a auto I dont know if I would have noticed it without everyone who hasn’t ordered one eagerly pointing it out to anyone who will listen.

I am far from a fan boy and I will be honest I went there with the intention of cancelling if I saw anything I didn’t like. having seen the latest version I am now really looking forward to taking delivery of this vehicle.

One thing that still needs work, is the customer service, training and that flipping website. The staff were all very polite and helpful but apart from a couple I got the impression I actually knew more than they did. Whilst one member of staff was trying to show me some stuff on their website it crashed and completely gave up the ghost for her as well. Not great.

 

[Shaky]

I have to say the Ineos seat covers look better fitted than M&M generally do.

Not sure these are OEM or aftermarket though.

Andrew St Pierre White has some nice Recaro branded seat covers on his latest project build. I meant to see if these were from Recaro or not.

I will cancel mine and see what they are like when they are out on the street. I can make a decision which are best and best value for money then. I can see them being hard to get as I would like to thing a dealer will have them in stock or can get them quite quickly.

I have details of M&M and an email address. I am wondering if we could negotiate a discount for a bulk purchase if enough on here are interested. Or a forum discount code would probably be better.

 

[emax]

@grenadierboy
> has been an issue raised by many

If you have closer look, most of them just parroted Stephan from youtube. As of the date of that video even Stephan hadn't yet seen a Grenadier in the flesh, let alone taken a seat in it. He in fact just cited ASPW.

Indeed a storm in a tea cup. A very tiny tea cup, however.

 

[grenadierboy]

agree emax - but I raised it with the INEOS chap at my prototype testing drive after I sat in the drivers seat in November last year.

As I said before he acknowledged others had raised the issue during the Australian prototype tour and it was going to be addressed (whatever that means of course).

A "showstopper" - no - and probably the human body would adapt the Grenadier driving position very quickly without fuss.

Lets see

 

[DCPU]

A "showstopper" - no - and probably the human body would adapt the Grenadier driving position very quickly without fuss.

Lets see

I think this is the real point ~ the driving position/setup may well be different to what some are used to & it just needs a bit of time behind the wheel to adjust to or develop the muscle memory for.

I'm more surprised that people haven't mentioned/noticed that the accelerator pedal hinges from the floor, rather than the top. I can see a few "the accelerator pedal is awkward" comments once people have had a go.

 

[HT]

I think this is the real point ~ the driving position/setup may well be different to what some are used to & it just needs a bit of time behind the wheel to adjust to or develop the muscle memory for.

I'm more surprised that people haven't mentioned/noticed that the accelerator pedal hinges from the floor, rather than the top. I can see a few "the accelerator pedal is awkward" comments once people have had a go.

I would actuallly be quite interested to hear about that floor mounted throttle. I wonder if it makes throttle control a bit less sensitive? Personally, I tend to drive with a fairly tender touch (just my big toe or tip of my shoe) on the top mounted accelerator… does anyone have experience Off-roading with a floor mounted throttle? Is throttle control a little more difficult? I imagine a good jolt might floor your peddle, where a good jolt with a top mounted accelerator might make your foot slip off for a second (the lesser of two evils).

 

[DCPU]

Generally speaking, I don't think it makes things any less sensitive.

I've read it can reduce foot fatigue over extended periods as it's a more natural muscle movement.

All depends on whether we get the different throttle maps/sensitivity settings linked to say locking the centre diff and/or going into low range.

But it is different to what is a common/norm and to some people their immediate reaction to different is "wrong".

 

[ECrider]

Re throttle, normally wedge the righthand side of my right foot against the footwell and feather throttle that way when it gets a bit lumpy off-road, means less likely to accidentally lift or press down too much. I prefer a non bottom hinged accelerator but guess it just comes down to what you're most used to, I'd soon get used to a different set up. Bottom hinge normally of lorries and they manage ok, drove a SL500 recently and that was hinged at the bottom and was not pleasant. Might have to do with the age of the car and was a bit stiff in general.

 

[DCPU]

Yes, seems to be the old way of doing it. Would be interested to know when it generally changed. I've also read that a major factor in changing to a top pivot was to simplify the arrangement with clutch and brake and thus reduce costs.

Perhaps this way is more expensive but also more ergonomic.

 

[@nd]

Just been chatting with a friend who was at the Game Fair who thinks the Greny inside is ''beautiful'' but just tooooooo big for her to drive around in.

 

[Spjnr]

Just been chatting with a friend who was at the Game Fair who thinks the Greny inside is ''beautiful'' but just tooooooo big for her to drive around in.

It may be big, but at least its square! much easier to judge distances in this than an amorphous blob like most modern SUV's

 

[emax]

To compare: The VW Bus T6 is in Germany a commonly driven vehicle for many families and of course for campers.

The Grenadier is a few millimeters shorter, 13 cm narrower from mirror to mirror and just less than 70 mm higher.

Not much of a difference.

 

[emax]

> amorphous blob like most modern SUV's

Best description ever!

 

[Shaky]

I have a BMW that has a bottom hinged pedal. Doesn’t bother me, but I certainly don’t drive it off road. Through just adapting if I want to adjust the sensitivity of the pedal I put my foot lower down the pedal. The less of your foot that is on it and the nearer it is to that bottom hinge the harder it is to depress the pedal by accident.

As i said previously I honestly don’t think I would have noticed this pedal set up if it hadn’t been pointed out.

Are we now looking for a problem here ? I couldn’t tell you what type of pedal I have had in the past on off roaders as I have just got on with it and adapted without even thinking about it.

I currently drive pickups and they are already bigger than the IG, longer and I believe wider. So too big no, is it a bigger than most cars off course it is.

There has been plenty of testing done by IA over this vehicle and I am sure that at least one test driver would have said the pedals are not hinged properly or unworkable on rough terrain if it were so. If enough said it then I am sure they would have changed it way before now.

 

[emax]

By the way: though I had already driven a (real) Defender (110, TD5, 2003), I don't remember how the pedal was mounted. Is it a top or a bottom mount?

Just curious ...