Hey all. I just found this forum - dumb me, I should have known an Ineos user forum existed. Anyway - nice to connect with you all.
I got to drive on Sat April 22 down at RAM park. My slot was towards the end of that day (after the light but wet snow we got) - so it was sloppy which added to the charm. As we were all leaving, one of my fellow participants was using a hacksaw (only thing they had in their car) to cut the 1" of mud platforms caked on their shoes. Not having any useful tools for mud removal, I just took my boots off and threw them in the passenger footwell for an awkward drive home.
My TLDR impression? I was happy with it and will probably be an owner (assuming pricing, logistics, etc. works out).
Anyway, not much to add that you all haven't said. I'm not an extreme offroader, but like to get to my out of the way beaver ponds and streams to throw fly line... and access less traveled hiking trails like Rattlesnake Canyon. I thought the Grenadier was a good fit for my intended use cases and my... personality.
Based on my experience driving other 4x4s offroad in the past, I was prepared for the steering wheel to be jerked out of my hand a little at the bottom of a drop, but it never happened in the Grenadier. My guide saw me prepare for that before we bottomed and laughed at me every time I leaned into it. I daily drive a BMW sedan so the Grenadier shifter was a nice surprise - no adjustments necessary. But I do see how a lot of people don't like it and some necessary movement in the shifter might provide positive tactile reinforcement that you're in the right gear in a rocky/bumpy situation.
Even though we were told to disregard all the warning lights and alarms, it was a little distracting but not enough to realize I liked the vehicle. I appreciated they had a unit on the ramps so we could get a good look underneath - everything is laid out logically and looks pretty easy to work on. I appreciate that they designed the Grenadier using what they felt were the best available and proven components out there vs. designing and engineering brand new parts and piecing them together. So I'm not as worried as I should be this is a brand new car with zero track record.
In the most complimentary way possible, I would say that it felt a little boring driving the course in the Grenadier, but that speaks to my expectations (I had pre-imagined that it would drive like a ~1980 FJ55 for some reason) combined with the capabilities of the Grenadier. The Grenadier tamed the course well.
I enjoyed the drive and look forward to seeing how this continues to unfold... BTW, that Shale Blue is nice. I almost wish I would have driven one with the fabric seats cause I didn't want to like the leather.
Anyway - I look forward to reading more and sharing in all of this with you.
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