Gotcha and I can’t fault you at all. You’re certainly not alone here in that a good chunk of us aren’t wealthy hobby car types and for many the IG will be a daily driver.
Prices went up over past 1.5 yrs as inflation hit. Several articles out there indicating that original price was going to be ~$10k greater than originally thought in 2021.
Woodstock!
You’re right, I followed those articles closely and I was holding out hope on the original claim “more than a wrangler less than a Benz” and that is still true but just a bit of a let down I didn’t get the build I want and the base build was still higher than a configured 24 GX
I hear you - budget wise I was hoping for the UK prices I saw last summer!
From my calling around to dealers the only 'discount' is paying full sticker...
Drove the IG today before I signed the paperwork -
1) ADAS system (and bothers some more than others) was not even an issue to me. In the vehicle I had ordered I had to go north of 5-7mph over the speed limit to make it click and when it did it was nothing more than minor annoyance - no vehicle short cuts or settings were changed before by the dealer - vehicle was totally off without a key when we arrived. Moreover after the first couple clicks it went silent
2) Lane Change NEVER came on during the entire drive.
3) Steering concerns are a non-issue - car did fine - weird that the wheel would only adjust forward and back and not up and down (sales guy said he would look into)
4) I did feel a little 'motion' discomfort driving the car - and you will feel isolated from the road - isolation was expected - motion discomfort was not.
A couple observations:
1) LOTS of unsold cancelled orders at the dealership - anything ordered was marked sold - but there were 10 there between the floor/outside I could see.
2) The AC was pretty average and there is ZERO ability to adjust climate between the driver and passenger sides - I know what the hard core crowd will say - but my wife and I can have temps in any of our cars +/- 10 degrees of each other. Before I had never paid attention to it - she noticed immediately and already has concerns about wanting to do much driving with me on a long road trip. As a wise scholar friend from the forum today reminded me via text "happy wife/happy life"
3) Cup holders are for keys - not cups. Too small to be useful - I never noticed - wife saw that immediately. I always have a Nalgene sized bottle with me and there are few beyond my X5 that would take that. My wife had her small Yeti coffee holder with a small base - would not fit so useless for that
4) Rear AC was almost non existent (not impressive) which would not be fun for my yellow lab who is almost always with me
5) There is some bizarre background noise/resonance between 60-68 - I specifically checked for it that after seeing a comment yesterday - and it is real.
6) Vehicle had vibrations just sitting at a stop light - not as bad as a Harley but could feel them annoyingly - I'm driving an X5 diesel right now and have never experienced vibrations/resonance like that in my current car - maybe I would get used to it - who knows - but that was a surprise - maybe an idling problem?
7) Fire extinguisher kills foot positioning for your passenger
At this point I'm going to think on this overnight - dealership was outstanding so no marks on them. I've been a fan since the start and so love the car for everything it is and is not - but the 'not' issues are where I'm stuck right now. I'll know tomorrow what I want to do.
I had my Grenadier for two weeks. I drove it back from the showroom circa 200 miles and 18 miles today. I ordered my vehicle circa 17 months ago. Got to say it’s the worst car I’ve ever driven. My 1994 defender drives better than this. Warning lights coming on and the dam’n alarm button on the key fob that you catch and wake the entire neighborhood. I’m going to ask the dealer Monday if they want to buy it back. If anyone is interested in a fully loaded field master at no mark up then let me know.Hi rt10516, To my way of thinking, Ineos should investigate what is causing this vibration and resonance at certain speeds and rpm. It is being reported enough by forum members to be an issue to many that needs to be further investigated and resolved by Ineos.
It should not be that difficult for Ineos along with BMW and Magna Steyr to pinpoint the cause of this and come up with a solution. A straight 6 is the most balanced engine design in the world, so they have a damm good starting point to start from and get to the the bottom of it.
The expectations in the US market I believe are higher than in many parts of the world as most of us were never exposed to an original Defender, which from everything I have read is a substantial compromise in ride quality and vibration. Coming from an original Defender or even a Jeep, a Grenadier is indeed a refined vehicle, however coming from some of the nice SUV like trucks, SUV's or a New Defender, the Grenadier is not as refined in ride quality as we are all aware and not expecting. We were however not expecting excess vibration and resonance as part of the driving experience. Yes, We in the US are winers and Yes I love Pinot too.
Early on in this forum I posted about excess vibration in one of the Range Rover Sports I owned. Feeling that vibration through the steering wheel quickly went from mild irritation to making it not enjoyable to drive at all. I tracked down the cause, (which I found on the Land Rover Forum), and had my dealer fix it. In this case, Range Rover had decided they no longer needed to install a donut shaped rubber vibration damper and left it off. The dealer thought I was a bit nuts and could not imagine that I knew what I was talking about, however after insisting they install it, they did and it 100% cured the vibration that I was feeling up through the vehicle and steering wheel. What an incredible pure rush of joy driving my vehicle back home from the dealer and for as long as I owned it. It completely transformed the driving experience. If you or INEOS, (are you listening), is interested in reading about this early post and the link to the simple cure, I have posted 2 links to it at the bottom of this post.
I am not saying something as simple as this would cure the vibration and it would likely not fix a resonance, as they may not be related, however perhaps Ineos should start here and investigate installing a simple vibration damper as if that would offset the vibration, it would be a super simple and low cost solution. If not, they need to chase these excess vibrations down and the resonance issue too and come up with solutions to those who are experiencing it. I know if my new Grenadier experiences excess vibration, and Ineos has not found a solution, I will be look at the possibility of installing a vibration damper on my Grenadier as a first step toward solving the issue.
Coming up with a solution to this issue and others that Forum members have found can only help sales and build the brand, something I know Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants or he would not have created this vehicle for himself and the rest of the world. We are all incredibly grateful he has put his time, effort and money behind this incredible vehicle and only want to see it succeed, improve and prosper. DaBull
Link to my original post.
Q&A Americas - Something Ineos Should Investigate Regarding Vibration Issue
Hi Ineos, There has been a lot of Grenadier owners experiencing vibrations in the drive train that is felt in the vehicle and through the steering wheel. I owned a Range Rover Sport with the exact same issue and Land Rover was able to cure it by installing a damper that they had left off. They...www.theineosforum.com
Link to the Land Rover Technical Bulletin showing the rubber vibration damper that was screwed onto my Range Rover transfer case.
Hope they take it. first post?
Usually when you talk shit about a product you need to discount it to sell it. Just saying...
I will happily discount it. It should be in top trumps crap cars!
Sounds like you were never the right kind of buyer in the first place.
Details!
NAS 90?
Yes NAS 90.
That is an issue. I am even worse off being 3 hr 11 min (198.0 mi) from my assigned dealer. It certainly makes you wonder if they will provide food and lodging for customers out of town or will I have to have the vehicle towed for any warranty issues!
One typically should contemplate such issues before signing a contract or making a high dollar purchase of this type. I am pretty sure there are not many here who believe, or read, that Ineos would at any time provide food and lodging, or towing, for any purchaser of a Grenadier for any reason what so ever.
Please post the window sticker for your vehicle....and a proper "for sale" listing in the classifieds.
