deep

True. When you do a little digging, the plug in hybrid Defender and the V8 produce quite similar economy, once that battery goes flat. That shouldn't be surprising.

I had a clutch centre go on a Series 3 once - giving exactly the same symptoms - and it only made a quiet click when it let go too. Tricky to know if it's that or a broken input shaft. If the clutch, you MAY hear a small rattle with the pedal depressed? I'm trying to think what would be the easiest way to peer into the box but I'm having a brain fart and have to out shortly. It does look like an inspection is warranted.

And then I read about it and don't want one anymore! Back to Defenders.

I've never heard of a Citroen Ami but this one picture makes me want one... (Just looking at it, though, I can't imagine it would ever be legal in NZ.)

Whoops, how did I miss that? No matter, I suppose. I helped a friend set up an SU on his Ariel Square Four motorcycle recently. Quite a different beast with problems of its very own!

Those V8s can be quite forgiving to badly set carbs, in that they chug along smoothly, though possibly running a bit rich or lean. Before doing anything else, I'd check the diaphragms in the top of the carb bodies are in good condition. I know they are only four years old but a tiny crack or pinhole completely upsets the mixture control - in fact, they are quite cheap, so just replace them as a matter of course! Then there are some checks you can do without stripping and overhauling the carbs. The first is to check they're balanced. If you don't have access to vacuum gauges, it's easy enough to use feeler gauges to ensure the slides are at the same height at idle and then to make sure they lift exactly in synch. It's also easy to check the dashpots are full of the right viscosity oil (it won't be your problem but could have been compensated for with a poor mixture adjustment). The mixture setting is your next port of call. Plenty of information about how to do that and you do need a "special tool" as you are setting the height of the needle - I made a tool but cutting a groove in an appropriately sized bolt. No big deal. The idea here is to set each carb so that, with the engine warmed up (don't turn it off!), lifting the little pin momentarily causes revs to rise and then fall a bit. There must be Utube videos out there by now showing the process. Or get an old Haynes manual. If the mixture-setting procedure is going strangely, cackshifter's note about float valves and float adjustment becomes very relevant though, of course, you have to do a bit more disassembly to check that. I have found, over the decades, that the simplest way to tell if the valve is seating properly is to use my tongue and see if it holds a vacuum. If not, it will bleed fuel (often only noticeable after idling for a while). They really are simple carbs. Good luck.

I couldn't agree more. LR are in business which, sadly, becomes all about making money. Their decision not to pursue the Land Rover tradition (which ended in 2016) is just fine for lots of people but inevitably led others to a feeling of betrayal, or just a loss of choice. Good on Ineos for recognising that, though only time will tell if they go the whole hog, with flat deck and cab and chassis variants for example. Anyway, if you understand who makes the comments and why, there are no double standards at all. As for using big screens - I hate them but understand they are cheap to produce and given designers lots of freedom.They're probably cheaper to replace than a mechanical speedo too! I also hate my modern auto gearbox. I save quite a bit of petrol using the one in my Freelander 2 manually but we are always arguing about who is in charge! Frassing thing. I was happier when I just drove a Series 3...

Well said. The whole motivation behind the Grenadier project was always to build something along the lines of old-school Defenders but modernised in practical ways (space for the driver, sound proofing, reliability). They have stuck true to that. Well proven and high quality drivetrain components on a proper chassis with beam axles, a body designed to be practical in tough conditions rather than slick at racetrack speeds and a few clever design features of their own - it's all exactly what we expected and the price is exactly what anyone should have predicted. I doubt it's any more complicated than the big pickup trucks or its more direct competition (which really includes G-Wagens as well as Broncos and Defenders). I do wonder how it would compare to the Ford Everest though. If I was shelling out today, I'd look hard at that option.

If you want a relatively cheap pick-up truck with lots of seats, go for it. Definitely more appealing than some other pickup trucks (depending on how awful those hybrid motors really are). It hardly competes with a station wagon/van though! You'd be nearer the mark with a Skoda Yeti... Oh yes, it takes a massive stretch of the imagination to see an Escort grill in there! What are they smoking?

First thought looking underneath was "where's the chassis?!". Second thought was that they really are putting together very good parts and it completely justifies the projected pricing.

I'm curious about your decision to remove the rear windows. I've driven vehicles with those windows missing and they are deadly to reverse out of an angle park. I like that colour choice!

No.

I wish we'd had that exchange rate last time I was in the UK! The NZ dollar has nearly doubled, relatively, in the last 18 years.

I've been invited to send an $800 deposit on the 30th of September, in order to reserve one. Feels good that I can afford that much but it's as close as I'll get for a wee while (house shift is looming). It is a promising moment in the Grenadier journey, I think.

My last 110 had a 2.5 naturally aspirated 18J diesel. It definitely had more grunt than the old two and a quarter but wasn't quite as good on fuel. 25-30 was the norm, which I found disappointing as I expected the slightly newer technology to do better, not worse (if anything, I drove it more slowly, generally around 55 m.p.h.). Maybe the 110 pushes more air than a 109, being higher off the deck?