Americas Time for a Review…

[Kb6tho]

Having driven 1700 miles in the past couple weeks of ownership I feel I can now comment….

Road and highway handling is comfortable and responsive. On the highway it is a pleasure. The B58 engine provides sufficient power and the interior noise level is amazingly quiet… comparable to our 2024 Subaru Outback. Around town it is also a pleasure to drive. With a larger turning radius one needs to plan accordingly… places the Outback slips into with one fluid movement may take the Grenadier a two-point turn to execute.

A 700 mile road trip saw heavy downpours, quite windy conditions, and a bit of sunny weather too. Did not experience any drenched feet when opening the doors, and the heated seats & climate control kept the cabin very comfortable.

I had my daughter drive off road for an afternoon to gauge how the Grenadier performed for someone with minimal off road experience. She found the controls intuitive and quickly gained confidence in her ability to handle the vehicle. A couple hill climbs and descents and she felt ready to try additional hills. Her “big metric” are sand tracks and washes. This is where she has the most experience and also her greatest challenges. A deep sand wash gave ample opportunity to evaluate the Grenadier. She was suitably impressed. Forward visibility is unsurpassed which greatly enhances your ability to maneuver.

And because they are such hot topics…

Steering: Not an issue. Is it the same as the Outback? No, it is just different. The return to center takes a bit longer, so you simply guide it there. Once around the block and you have it sorted.

ADAS Intelligent Speed Assist- Over Speed Warning: I really think INEOS missed the boat on this one. At least here in the states, 25 MPH speed limits adjacent to schools only apply at certain hours, on certain days, during certain seasons…. yet ADAS is not able to determine if that limit is currently in effect. When overtaking another vehicle, one typically accelerates beyond the posted limit, and ADAS nags you about this. This particular “feature” really has no meaningful value in my humble opinion. There are far more useful choices (Adaptive Cruise Control or Blind Spot Monitoring come to mind) that INEOS could have chosen… perhaps one of these more useful features could be incorporated in future iterations or software updates… please?

Overall the Grenadier meets my current and future needs and then some. 1.9875 thumbs up…. would have been a full two, but ADAS, you know

 

[Jack123]

Having driven 1700 miles in the past couple weeks of ownership I feel I can now comment….

Road and highway handling is comfortable and responsive. On the highway it is a pleasure. The B58 engine provides sufficient power and the interior noise level is amazingly quiet… comparable to our 2024 Subaru Outback. Around town it is also a pleasure to drive. With a larger turning radius one needs to plan accordingly… places the Outback slips into with one fluid movement may take the Grenadier a two-point turn to execute.

A 700 mile road trip saw heavy downpours, quite windy conditions, and a bit of sunny weather too. Did not experience any drenched feet when opening the doors, and the heated seats & climate control kept the cabin very comfortable.

I had my daughter drive off road for an afternoon to gauge how the Grenadier performed for someone with minimal off road experience. She found the controls intuitive and quickly gained confidence in her ability to handle the vehicle. A couple hill climbs and descents and she felt ready to try additional hills. Her “big metric” are sand tracks and washes. This is where she has the most experience and also her greatest challenges. A deep sand wash gave ample opportunity to evaluate the Grenadier. She was suitably impressed. Forward visibility is unsurpassed which greatly enhances your ability to maneuver.

And because they are such hot topics…

Steering: Not an issue. Is it the same as the Outback? No, it is just different. The return to center takes a bit longer, so you simply guide it there. Once around the block and you have it sorted.

ADAS Intelligent Speed Assist- Over Speed Warning: I really think INEOS missed the boat on this one. At least here in the states, 25 MPH speed limits adjacent to schools only apply at certain hours, on certain days, during certain seasons…. yet ADAS is not able to determine if that limit is currently in effect. When overtaking another vehicle, one typically accelerates beyond the posted limit, and ADAS nags you about this. This particular “feature” really has no meaningful value in my humble opinion. There are far more useful choices (Adaptive Cruise Control or Blind Spot Monitoring come to mind) that INEOS could have chosen… perhaps one of these more useful features could be incorporated in future iterations or software updates… please?

Overall the Grenadier meets my current and future needs and then some. 1.9875 thumbs up…. would have been a full two, but ADAS, you know

Thanks for sharing. Specially the part where you had your daughter took the wheel off-road. I had my daughter read that part since she's been asking when we're getting ours. My daughter likes outdoors, nature, and the beaches. As for me and wife, we'll drive the IG to get our breakfast somewhere on the weekends. Thanks again!

 

[Ragman]

Jives with my impressions as well. Nice write up.

 

[Kb6tho]

Jives with my impressions as well. Nice write up.

Thank you! @Ragman

 

[Kb6tho]

Thanks for sharing. Specially the part where you had your daughter took the wheel off-road. I had my daughter read that part since she's been asking when we're getting ours. My daughter likes outdoors, nature, and the beaches. As for me and wife, we'll drive the IG to get our breakfast somewhere on the weekends. Thanks again!

@Jack123 Thank you! My daughter likes the same things... I suspect she may be "just down for a visit... hey let's go for a drive!" more often now

 

[Jack123]

@Jack123 Thank you! My daughter likes the same things... I suspect she may be "just down for a visit... hey let's go for a drive!" more often now

You know it!

 

[rovie]

Almost exactly 2 years ago, in December 2022, our Trialmaster was assembled in Hambach. A good time for me to do a review. I now have around 25,000 km on the clock. Half of it on the road, the rest on unpaved roads. A quarter of it on difficult terrain. Rutted, muddy forest tracks, wet, boggy meadows. Forest paths with stones and logs in the ground.
I use the Grenadier exclusively as a means of transportation to get to places where I wouldn't be able to go without an off-road vehicle. It is often used to tow heavy trailers. I have pulled agricultural trailers myself. However, this is too risky for me, as I have decided not to install a hydraulic braking system for trailers, as I once had on the Defender many years ago. I don't use it as a camping vehicle. That's why I deliberately didn't carry out any installations or conversions.
As I travel long distances on roads between my agricultural areas, I enjoy the comfort compared to my former Defender, which I don't regret. Comparable to my two Discos (2 and 4), which I have also sold in the meantime.
I am happy with my Grenadier. Even though it's still not perfect. Let's start with the positives:
The engine (diesel) is powerful and smooth-running. The gearbox shifts smoothly and, in my opinion, in good time. Fuel consumption is now around 11.5 liters in predominantly road traffic. Off-road it's around 13-14 liters, depending on whether you're towing a trailer or not. The gear reduction is easy to engage due to frequent use. The same applies to the center differential lock. The front and rear locks must be engaged in good time. Don't wait until you get stuck. But I've got that down pretty well by now.

Switching the lock on and off works without any problems. The steering is absolutely fine for me. Over a long straight stretch of road, it pulls slightly to the left. Then I have to correct slightly. I've been doing this automatically for a long time and don't even think about it any more.
The BF tires are absolutely fine for me. They are excellent, especially in wet terrain with reduced air pressure. The seat heating is powerful enough to transport enough heat despite the good, robust Melvill&Moon seat covers. Despite the seats being fully reclined, there is sufficient legroom in the rear seat and long journeys are no problem. The floor in the interior is easy to clean. I often get in with muddy rubber boots.

What am I still not satisfied with?
What bothers me is that the heating and air conditioning controls are constantly being adjusted. I can get it to be cold and warm, but my expectation is something else.

I'm also bothered by vibrations inside the dashboard at certain engine speeds. Alan Jackson then makes sure that I no longer hear them. Overall, the build quality is not good. For me, this is clearly sloppiness in production in France. I used to drive a Peugeot when I was young. I find parallels there.
I have one of the first production vehicles (VIN in the mid 3-digit range). My expectation would have been a very detailed quality inspection, especially for the first vehicles. The fact that after removing the interior trim (to connect the INT power connections) I find torn-off taps, screws lying around on the floor or forcibly bent plastic clips does not inspire confidence in me.
But I'm good at differentiating and weighing things up. I can deal with these issues and live with them, always against the background of the intended purpose. All in all, I'm always happy to get back into the Grenadier and enjoy driving such a robust car.
I am still convinced that it is a good vehicle that meets most of my requirements. And I'm not currently thinking about selling it. Incidentally, I could have done this already, for a loss of only around 5000 euros in just under 2 years.
However, I have also spent a lot of time with the new G-Wagon and tested it extensively. Off-road, it meets my requirements just as well. And that is the decisive factor for me. It would not serve as a show or lifestyle car, but would work like my previous off-road vehicles. At the same time, I would have a pleasant, reliable vehicle in which nothing rattles, whistles, gets hot or cold. But it's smaller than the Grenadier. The trunk in particular is not really suitable for my applications.

I would recommend the Grenadier, but would point out the weak points. For me, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. That may be different for some people. Nevertheless, such problems should not occur in a vehicle for which I have paid 70000 euros. New company or not.
My Grenadier, I like him!