Thoughts and Musings on the Ineos Grenadier

[western]

Looks to be downloading to my phone now, 

[Stellaghost]

Loaded onto my Amazon fire no problem

Regards Stephen

[Snagger]

On 3/21/2023 at 2:03 AM, FridgeFreezer said:

Good job these Grenadiers are nothing like the awful new Defender with all its software and ECU's and such nonsense just plain simple vehicles, easily repaired with minimal electronics, yes sir...

I’ll be keeping my 109 and RRC.  They’ll be passed down to my kids, presuming the govt doesn’t bring in a law preventing transfer of ownership of non-EVs at some point.  I shouldn’t give them ideas…🙄

[ThreePointFive]

On 3/30/2023 at 5:37 AM, Snagger said:

 presuming the govt doesn’t bring in a law preventing transfer of ownership of non-EVs at some point.  I shouldn’t give them ideas…🙄

They don't need to. They will just roll out the LEZ/CAZs until it is financially impossible to own a non-EV. Between that and the price/non-availability of fuels, there's no need to pass laws and they will disproportionately gain financially from anyone that tries to run them. I'm just (trying to) enjoy my car while I can.

I may or may not have passed through the Bristol CAZ last night. I say 'may' due to the lack of clear signage and the ridiculous route my satnav took me. I called to query if they could confirm and I would gladly have paid the £9. Nope. No way to do that, you just have to pay in case you think you did, the system isn't intelligent enough to confirm. Funny, it's intelligent enough to send a penality of £120 to my home address. It's almost like they want to collect money from cars that didn't even pass through those areas and make it harder for people to not pay £120 for the pleasure of unknowingly doing so.

Sorry to derail another thread.

[Bowie69]

Once tax exempt, as LGT is, also exempt from LEZs....

 

[Snagger]

2 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

Once tax exempt, as LGT is, also exempt from LEZs....

 

Yep.  Can’t afford to replace the 109 now! 😂

[Snagger]

2 hours ago, ThreePointFive said:

 

I may or may not have passed through the Bristol CAZ last night. I say 'may' due to the lack of clear signage and the ridiculous route my satnav took me. I called to query if they could confirm and I would gladly have paid the £9. Nope. No way to do that, you just have to pay in case you think you did, the system isn't intelligent enough to confirm. Funny, it's intelligent enough to send a penality of £120 to my home address. It's almost like they want to collect money from cars that didn't even pass through those areas and make it harder for people to not pay £120 for the pleasure of unknowingly doing so.

If a private individual or business was to behave that way, they’d be prosecuted for fraud.  Funny how many government and local government departments continually get away with it.

[jeremy996]

I've driven a couple of hundred miles now, I'm still slightly intimidated by it, (nearly 3 x more powerful than my old LR110), but I'm starting to get over the sticker shock, (3 x more than I have ever spent on a car before), and seeing where the value is.

Driving wise, think of a better P38; it has live axles and it feels like it has them, but quieter and better controlled, the Eibach springs and fancy dampers are earning their keep. It is quieter than my wife's Fiat 500C and has a much better ride, the seats are really good and it has plenty of power, coming out of junctions can be a blast. Ergonomically, it is a mixed bag; the primary controls are excellent, (lights, wipers, indicators, transmission selector and pedals), but the secondary controls are going to need learning so that muscle memory kicks in. Think cockpit drills in WWII movies; on Sunday, I was marshalling a cycle race and forgot, (or never remembered), that there was a switch to turn on the 12V and USB power sockets when the ignition was off, so my mag mount orange beacon was only on when the ignition was. More 'Operator Error' than a vehicle fault.

I don't trust the reversing camera yet, so parking is not as simple as it could be and I'm finding the parking sensors a little hysterical; I know it is wider than a Defender, but it is still a square-cornered vehicle that is not that difficult to place. I've never had a camera or sensors before, so this may just be a simple learning exercise.

Over the miles i've done it says, digging through the touch screen menus, that it is doing 23.7mpg, which sounds about right for a stiff 3.0l diesel engine driven by a heavy-footed racer still adjusting to automatic transmission. When it is run-in and I am on a long trip, I can imagine high 20s and even the odd 30mpg - it's a big vehicle with squishy tyres. I regularly got 30mpg with my LR110, but it was lighter, had smaller tyres and was driven slower, (as the racket got unbearable quickly).

Issues; nothing really, sometimes the driver's door bounces on its seals, so does not latch property, (solution; shut the door a little harder), and sometimes, the infotainment seems a little slow-witted, not picking up that I have put my seatbelt on, so the warning light and buzzer are on longer than expected. It sorts itself out, but by then I am in gear and moving.

The integration with ApplePlay, my phone and the dashboard seems to work realiy well. Voice activated dialling works, voice activated navigaton via Google Maps works much better than I thought it would, (finding Toolstation by asking Siri and getting directions). I need to play with Waze to see it I can make that the navigation app of choice.

Next project is putting a dash-cam in, Costco have an OK one on offer, I need the details from Ineos to put it in properly and hang it on the prewired switch and outlet. The fancy 3D workshop manual is not yet out, so I may be pressing Ineos again.

(Picture: Out with Leicestershire & Rutland 4x4 Response, marshalling the Classic CiCle race at Burley on the Hill, Rutland, D2 Td5, G4 D2 V8, and newly minted Grenadier).

[Arjan]

Good to hear real world living reports with one.

Love that DII behind you.

Would love to know more on them..

[jeremy996]

7 hours ago, Arjan said:

Love that DII behind you.

Would love to know more on them..

It's a real G4 V8 - you can hear his wallet scream when he revs it!

[Happyoldgit]

Thanks for the first impressions Jeremy. Imposing vehicle. 23 mpg is likely to have Greta blubbing.

[Snagger]

[simonr]

12 hours ago, Snagger said:

That's just the coolest thing I've seen this side of Christmas!

 

23mpg is around where I'd expect.  I concluded a long time ago that lowish mpg can be good value in a car that's comfortable / fun to drive.  At the time I had a 2 Door RR which I could get as low as 5mpg - but is still one of my favorite cars ever.  Nothing has ever come close for comfort (and a good noise!).

The Grenadier has gradually grown on me.  I look forward to getting a go in one.  The only reason I've not been pro-active about that is I decided I'd have a SWB next.

[deep]

13 hours ago, Happyoldgit said:

23 mpg is likely to have Greta blubbing.

Not very nice.  This site tends to be a bit more respectful?  

(Though I agree that isn't great economy for a diesel.  I'd have to drive like a hoon to get my Freelander 2 - with it's bigger petrol engine -that low.)

[Happyoldgit]

17 minutes ago, deep said:

Not very nice.  This site tends to be a bit more respectful?  

(Though I agree that isn't great economy for a diesel.  I'd have to drive like a hoon to get my Freelander 2 - with it's bigger petrol engine -that low.)

 

Is your petrol Freelander comparable to a new Grenadier?

(Thanks for the unnecessary advice regarding the etiquette of this forum - speaking as one of the team who wrote the rules and assisted in managing the place before you joined.

Please feel free to message me personally if you wish to discuss further).

 

[deep]

20 hours ago, Happyoldgit said:

 

Is your petrol Freelander comparable to a new Grenadier?

(Thanks for the unnecessary advice regarding the etiquette of this forum - speaking as one of the team who wrote the rules and assisted in managing the place before you joined.

Please feel free to message me personally if you wish to discuss further).

Yes.

If you call that "unnecessary advice", you missed the point that this isn't generally a nasty site.  No need for further discussion.  Nor to derail the thread.

[landroversforever]

Seen my first ones on the road today! All black one in Abingdon which I mistook for a Gwagen in the distance. Then a dark blue one this afternoon which looked much better than the black, the shape was more visible. 

Overall I think they look good, interesting to see if we get any working ones around here. 

[Bowie69]

I think the white roof really helps them.

[landroversforever]

46 minutes ago, Bowie69 said:

I think the white roof really helps them.

Definitely! Both of today’s were all over colour. I love @jeremy996’s colour combo  

[Bowie69]

1 minute ago, landroversforever said:

Definitely! Both of today’s were all over colour. I love @jeremy996’s colour combo  

Agreed, the boy done good. 

[jeremy996]

My wife thought the colour choice was dull until she saw the colour choices at the dealer. Then she decided I'd done the best of a bad job.

I quite like Magic Mushroom, but I suspect it is the name I like, (remembering I am red/green colourblind).

[Naks]

 

[Happyoldgit]

Apart from the dire sound quality due to location and the questionable steering techniques that is a useful review.

Rear seats that don’t fold flat to increase rear load space and the dire fuel consumption are things that really do need addressing.

[landroversforever]

Recent post from Jim Marsden of Gigglepin fame:

Quote

Well I’ve had the Grenadier for about a month now and I’m loving it. 
Niggles? Yeah of course. But you don’t sign up to be one of the first owners without expecting a few issues. In fairness most have been directly relatable to a discharged battery caused by the vehicle standing for a long time before collection. 
But we bought this vehicle to tow 
So how does it do? 
Well, I think the Discovery 4 or the new Defender is the bench mark and they have some genuine advantages. Like air suspension.
But they also have built in Land Rover issues. 
So how does the Grenadier do? 
I’m surprised at the suspension, it’s really good. Even when loaded the car feels solid, planted and dare I say more stable than a Discovery 4. That’s a pretty big statement. 
And it hauls ass! cruise control set at 65 and it goes up and down dale without blinking an eye. 
Fuel consumption is not great and this is where the Defender slays the Grenadier.
Locked and loaded I’m seeing 16.4mpg towing 3.4 tons over 300 miles of motorway and lanes. 
That is just towing. 
So no where near the new Defender 3.0 (worth noting a friend of ours has a 2.0 litre version and towing on a recent trip to Sweden, he struggled to return double figures 😳)
But better than my Discovery 2 and my 3.0litre V6 Mercedes Sprinter. 
The Discovery 3 returned 18/19 and the Discovery 4 about the same. If you are getting better I really don’t care. This is about one guy driving all the same vehicle’s as a comparison.
But unlike the New Defender, the Grenadier has a decent boot space and a ruggedness that assures you that bits won’t just fall off. 
Oh and did I mention that it’s a brief case of cash cheaper than a similar spec Defender. 
Then there is the accessories. 
The only upgrade I’ve really done so far is to fit some lights to the back. And it so simple it was awesome! Just fitted the lamps to the rear rails. Plugged into the pre-made wiring and there we go. It’s that simple. 
Negatives…. 
There is zero and I mean zero storage. The dash is lovely, but nowhere to put sunnies, or paperwork or pens, keys etc… the cubby box is woeful and the glove box. Well you could get a pair gloves in there, but not if the handbook is in there as well. There is no storage behind the seats, or in the boot area. Everything has to just float in space. Then there is the rear load mat…
Made from the most slippery material known to man. The girl friends dog thinks she is on a ski slope as we go round corners 🙄😂
And if you don’t strap down your tool boxes they have a great time smashing around in the back. 
But the one thing that really does tiddle me off… 
This vehicle is designed to be at one with your mobile phone device using Car play (love that).
BUT THERE IS NOWHERE TO PUT YOUR BLOODY PHONE!! 
A truly epic fail and bugs me everytime I get in.
And in an age where the first thing people do when they get in a car is plug in their phone… there is not nearly enough charging points.
But you know what…. 
That’s niggles, that’s proof they got the rest right if that’s all that bothers me. 
Keep up the great work Ineos 
If this is the first attempt I can’t wait for the future 😎👍🛻💨

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[deep]

Some cars have endless storage, some have fairly restricted options and I'm surprised the Grenadier is one of the latter.  I still like the old Series Land Rover solution of junk in the dashboard and everything else strewn across (and then behind) the middle seat. 🤣