Ineos Grenadier (10 Viewers)

[DesmoPilot]

Since we have a thread on the Rivian, thought I would start some discussion on the Ineos Grenadier. I had the opportunity to attend a test drive event on Tuesday.

The vehicles that Ineos has in the US are prototypes, so not road legal yet. The events they are doing are off-road only. Road legal prototypes are supposed to arrive in July. US pricing will be released in May.

First impressions in no particular order:
Exterior fit and finish looked great. Doors fit and closed perfectly.
Visibility from driver's seat is fantastic.
Large wheel wells should easily accommodate 34's, maybe even 35's. (I think 285/75-17s would be perfect)
The Recaro seats are dreamy!!!!!!
A swaybar disconnect would be a great addition. Hopefully the aftermarket introduces something.
Factory auxiliary battery setup under the rear passenger seat is nice.

Cons:
The steering stabilizer is in a precarious position. It sits low and in front of the axle. I could see this getting bashed on rocks. Wouldn't surprise me to see someone make a bolt on skid for it.
Lack of driver A-pillar and rear seat B-pillar grab handles is annoying to me. In talking with the Technical Director, evidently the first prototypes had handles. Hopefully they bring them back for final production. I overheard others expressing this concern as well.

Driving Impressions:
The throttle mapping was very smooth and easy to modulate offroad.
Transmission shifted smoothly and was in the proper gear at the right time.
There wasn't a single creak, groan, rattle, etc while driving over rocky terrain. I was truly impressed at how solid the vehicle felt.
Stock suspension and shock tuning was very comfortable. Only thing that I felt was missing was the ability to disconnect swaybar(s).
Did I mention that the Recaros are so comfortable!!!
Steering ratio is a little tall for my personal preference. A half turn reduction in overall ratio would be optimal for my taste.

Final Thoughts:
I was genuinely impressed and really enjoyed driving it. Enough for me to swap from the the 200, no. I love my 200! However, I think if I had anything other than the 200, I would definitely buy one. This will be an easy vehicle to kit out for overland travel. Put a larger tire on it, front & rear bumpers with a winch, add some skid plates and call it a day.

Has anyone else driven one? Or signed up to attend a test drive event? Thoughts/impressions?

 

[AnyMal]

Lucky dude! Have you got interior shots to share?

 

[TeCKis300]

As a boutique vehicle used for off-road or overland travel, I do wonder about the inevitable need for service and parts. Unobtainium and expensive come to mind.

Performance is also in question. Compared to a 200-series, it basically outclasses the Grenadier in most every metric from power, capacities, RTI. I'll give that the Grenadier does have more physical lockers and better stock approach and departure.
I think this is one of those vehicles that might be better in mind than in practice.

Maybe I'm too focused on function, when it should be measured in style points.

In my mind, a 200-series, slap on 35s with a mild lift, and run rings around a Grenadier. Might not look as good, but win some lose some?

 

[DesmoPilot]

Lucky dude! Have you got interior shots to share?

We weren't allowed to take any interior shots since some of the panels weren't finalized yet.

 

[daneo]

How was the footbox? A video I saw made it look like the transmission tunnel was rather large and pushed the driver's feet to the side. Noticeable?

 

[DesmoPilot]

How was the footbox? A video I saw made it look like the transmission tunnel was rather large and pushed the driver's feet to the side. Noticeable?

I thought the footbox was more than adequate. I am 5'8" and generally sit pretty close. I really liked the left foot dead pedal.

 

[linuxgod]

Stock interior photos from the website...

 

[CharlieS]

I hate these non technical threads in this section.

But that being said, with the 200 no longer being sold in the US market, and the upcoming "Land Crusier" being a Prado, the Grenadier is the only serious new vehicle offering for people like me.

I see myself in one once they get past the initial model growing pains. I expect them to be a great success in parts of the world where consumers value utility.

Depending upon how the pricing sugars out they may struggle stateside - between the people that are more interested in cup holders for their big gulp and CarPlay, and the luxo-suv crowd, they may struggle to find the right market.

I am continuing to watch them with enthusiasm and hope. They fill a gap that the Land Crusier and Defender once occupied.

 

[2021 LC200]

Ineos Grenadier is an interesting attempt at re-creating a Land Rover Defender.

Why I would never buy one?
- Driven a Defender before for work. Poor seating position, A-pillar to big and in the wrong place, noisy and a British design to be avoided at all cost in my book
- Ineos making a handful of niche cars without proper money for testing and development
- Land Cruiser 200 and her sister are comfortable, quiet, capable and reliable
- If you want to spend more money and lose more buy a Mercedes G

Have to admit, it looks the deal. Like the Range Rover, which I would take when given to me and immediately trade in.

 

[DesmoPilot]

I hate these non technical threads in this section.

But that being said, with the 200 no longer being sold in the US market, and the upcoming "Land Crusier" being a Prado, the Grenadier is the only serious new vehicle offering for people like me.

I see myself in one once they get past the initial model geowing pains. I expect them to be a great success in parts of the world where consumers value utility.

Depending upon how the procing sugars out they may struggle stateside - between the people that are more interested in cup holders for their big gulp and CarPlay, and the luxo-suv crowd, they may struggle to find the right market.

It was interesting to hear the worldwide volume mix. For current orders, half are in the US(7000 of 14000). Although, they have not opened up sales in Australia yet. They are opening 20 brick and mortar full service dealerships in the US in July. One being here in the Phoenix, AZ area.

 

[AnyMal]

It was interesting to hear the worldwide volume mix. For current orders, half are in the US(7000 of 14000). Although, they have not opened up sales in Australia yet. They are opening 20 brick and mortar full service dealerships in the US in July. One being here in the Phoenix, AZ area.

Why would Australia bother when they can get a brand new 76?

 

[AnyMal]

Stock interior photos from the website...
View attachment 3286518

Thanks, my main interest here is in the touted mostly mechanical simple electronics.
OP did you have any time to play with things?

 

[Madtiger]

Ineos Grenadier is an interesting attempt at re-creating a Land Rover Defender.

Why I would never buy one?
- Driven a Defender before for work. Poor seating position, A-pillar to big and in the wrong place, noisy and a British design to be avoided at all cost in my book
- Ineos making a handful of niche cars without proper money for testing and development
- Land Cruiser 200 and her sister are comfortable, quiet, capable and reliable
- If you want to spend more money and lose more buy a Mercedes G

X2 for me. Agree 100%.

 

[DesmoPilot]

Thanks, my main interest here is in the touted mostly mechanical simple electronics.
OP did you have any time to play with things?

Unfortunately, was not able to try out any of the electronics. I was really just focused on the basic driving experience(suspension, noises, drivability, ergonomics, etc).

 

[DesmoPilot]

X2 for me. Agree 100%.

Ineos Grenadier is an interesting attempt at re-creating a Land Rover Defender.

Why I would never buy one?
- Driven a Defender before for work. Poor seating position, A-pillar to big and in the wrong place, noisy and a British design to be avoided at all cost in my book
- Ineos making a handful of niche cars without proper money for testing and development
- Land Cruiser 200 and her sister are comfortable, quiet, capable and reliable
- If you want to spend more money and lose more buy a Mercedes G

Have to admit, it looks the deal. Like the Range Rover, which I would take when given to me and immediately trade in.

One thing to note on the seating position. The Grenadier felt very similar to my 200. It doesn't have the platform under the seat like a Defender has.

 

[CharlieS]

X2 for me. Agree 100%.

If people really believe this, they haven't paid much attention to what Ineos is actually doing. The only thing similar to the Defender is the appearance (if you squint). They tried to buy the rights to the Defender, but were not successful. The rest is a vehicle built from the ground up for utility and offroad use. It has all the right components to be successful at the mission. Whether or not they succeed is a matter of commercial success or failure, not the vehicle, at least as I see it.

Whether it is better or worse than a 200 is moot. They aren't making or selling the 200 anymore. Toyota in their infinite wisdom isn't giving us the 300. A Prado is no competition. The new Defender build quality is a joke. Jeep (Rubicon) and Ford (Bronco) are not remotely interesting to me - both manufacturers broke my heart repeatedly in the past, and I've sworn them off. The Mercedes option is priced so high even if they are the cat's pajama's, I'll never afford one. Show me another new front and rear solid axle 4x4 vehicle that is even close.

 

[grinchy]

i'm not a fan of the stuff under the middle row, otherwise a lot to like.

 

[DesmoPilot]

If people really believe this, they haven't paid much attention to what Ineos is actually doing. The only thing similar to the Defender is the appearance (if you squint). They tried to buy the rights to the Defender, but were not successful. The rest is a vehicle built from the ground up for utility and offroad use. It has all the right components to be successful at the mission. Whether or not they succeed is a matter of commercial success or failure, not the vehicle, at least as I see it.

Whether it is better or worse than a 200 is moot. They aren't making or selling the 200 anymore. Toyota in their infinite wisdom isn't giving us the 300. A Prado is no competition. The new Defender build quality is a joke. Jeep (Rubicon) and Ford (Bronco) are not remotely interesting to me - both manufacturers broke my heart repeatedly in the past, and I've sworn them off. The Mercedes option is priced so high even if they are the cat's pajama's, I'll never afford one. Show me another new front and rear solid axle 4x4 vehicle that is even close.

I couldn't agree more.

My intent of this thread wasn't to debate whether the Grenadier is better than the 200. As an automotive enthusiast, I am excited to see that there is another option on the market. One that includes some top tier parts(Brembo, Recaro, Carroro axles, etc) and built by Magna Steyr in France that builds the Gelandewagen for Mercedes. With that said, I absolutely love my 200 and have no intention of swapping to another platform. But, it definitely is great to see a utilitarian option available for us.

 

[Madtiger]

The new Defender build quality is a joke. Jeep (Rubicon) and Ford (Bronco) are not remotely interesting to me - both manufacturers broke my heart repeatedly in the past, and I've sworn them off. The Mercedes option is priced so high even if they are the cat's pajama's, I'll never afford one. Show me another new front and rear solid axle 4x4 vehicle that is even close.

How do you know that this brand new offering from an unknown OEM won’t break your heart repeatedly? How do you know that this built quality won’t be a joke? Everything looks nice nowadays. Has it been proven? No. Why you elevate an unknown above an established brand/manufacturer, be it Ford or Jeep?

Why do many of us doubt Rivian and Tesla and not Ineos??? I see a bunch of people crapping on Rivian and Tesla…should we treat Ineos the same? (And to be fair, i am NOT a fan of Tesla nor Rivian either.)

 

[Madtiger]

I couldn't agree more.

My intent of this thread wasn't to debate whether the Grenadier is better than the 200. As an automotive enthusiast, I am excited to see that there is another option on the market. One that includes some top tier parts(Brembo, Recaro, Carroro axles, etc) and built by Magna Steyr in France that builds the Gelandewagen for Mercedes. With that said, I absolutely love my 200 and have no intention of swapping to another platform. But, it definitely is great to see a utilitarian option available for us.

My G500 had issues. Being from magna Steyr does not impress me to be honest. But i sure trust Mercedes more than Ineos!

Like any new OEM, what is the dealer‘s network? How are the parts suppliers? Will you wait 6 months for parts? How will the service handle the influx of customers?