Hello Everyone,
Now that the cool and novelty factor wore off, I think I am ready to write an unbiased medium-term review
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In the last 3 months, my IG was the only vehicle I drove for commuting, family vacations, overlanding, and light off-roading. I drove it by myself, with my son, and occasionally with an extended family of four.
Things I love about this car:
1. Suspension and handling. A joy to drive on mountain roads, on and off-road. The steering is extremely precise. It’s a bit noisy on the highway after 125 Km/h, but very drivable until the soft speed limit of 160 Km/h. It outperforms LC150 on BP51 suspension and LC300 GR Sport on stock suspension. Best suspension and steering on any 4x4 I’ve tried, by far.
2. Heavy duty alternator, factory winch and pre-wiring.
3. Looks, interior, and vibe. It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.
4. Very capable offroad, stock.
Things I dislike but are not deal breakers:
1. Turning radius: Needs getting used to and requires more effort and planning.
2. Sketchy climate control: Needs frequent adjustments.
3. Useless brake traction control: Need to engage lockers more often, requires additional planning because of the sketchy unlocking confirmation.
4. Seats: Despite being Recaro, the comfort feels subpar. Only worse in Toyota 70-series and Dacia Duster.
5. Random false faults and electrical gremlins.
6. Fuel Consumption: 13L/100Km average over the last 2.5k.
Things I dislike and are deal breakers:
1. Fuel and air filter design - smaller surface area and not easy to inspect, clean, or replace. On a 500km dusty drive, I had to clean the air filter 3 times. Compared to Toyota, the process was a pain. Smaller surface area means more frequent replacement and cleaning needed.
2. Undersized air conditioning unit - struggles to cool the interior if outside air exceeds 37°C.
3. Electronics overload - too many things are controlled by computers. Despite marketing claims, the IG has a lot of interconnected electronics (headlights, offroad lights, alarm, window actuators, door locks, wipers, switch panels, climate control, axle lockers, gearbox, engine, wheel speed sensors). One malfunction can lead to multiple issues: faulty door switch means unable to put the car in drive, random check engine light means unable to put the car in off-road mode and unable to activate axle lockers, locking the car from inside while camping triggers the alarm if you try to get out and pee, removing the alarm fuse makes the car enter “transport mode” which disables window motors except for the driver.
4. Special tools, screws, parts design - not engineered for DIY modifications/repairs as advertised. For example, the fuel tank design is intricate and makes aftermarket options out of the question.
5. Materials not fit for hot climates - some plastics warp, and the glue on tape wrap used on wires melts, becoming sticky and messy.
6. Powertrain choice - the B57 engine and gearbox are reliable until they break, and repairs require a BMW workshop or very few specialized workshops. The engine and transmission are complex, making long drives in remote areas like Africa daunting.
7. Limited interior space for overlanding - with the front seats fully forward, there’s only 1.8m of available room. Sleeping in the car with a normal mattress is tight. This is a personal issue, I admit. But I was able to load 2.10m PAX packages from Ikea in a Skoda Octavia, and still had enough space to fit in the driver's seat.
8. Low hanging radiators, hoses, pipes, wiring looms, sensors, sensitive parts. It seems no research has been made in this direction. Some components almost impossible to relocate.
