 | Home > INEOS Grenadier > Test Driven. |
 
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| jim4244 Member Since: 13 Apr 2014 Location: Bedfordshire Posts: 847   
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I was one of the folk who put down a deposit 2 years before its launch and had attended a couple of off-road days where prototype vehicles were put through their paces. I kept asking the question "What's it like on the road?" but never really received a constructive reply.
Fast forward to the Grenadiers launch and still nobody was able to tell me how it handled on the road. I was being contacted on a regular basis to spec up a vehicle and eventually I got to drive the 3.0L diesel, which was the engine I wanted. I found the steering bordering on being dangerous at 50-60mph on B roads and country roads. Quite noisy and, as the OP said, vibration from the drivetrain. The finish didn't overly impress me either. By the end of the 45 minute test drive I decided that the vehicle wasn't for me. I drove home in my then 300Tdi 90 quite disappointed. I wanted a Grenadier as a long term vehicle and soooo wanted it to be good. I don't know if all the pre launch hype had me expecting too much? If people like the Grenadier then good on them. All I know is that for the £70k+ price tag I can buy anything from a L405 Range Rover, a Discovery 4, a 'New' Defender or a late model bone shaking classic Defender and then have a huge sum of money for maintenance, repairs and modifications. Jim |
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6th Feb 2025 2:12pm |
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| Mdm Member Since: 11 Sep 2013 Location: Sunny Lancashire Posts: 1635 
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i think a lot of us followed the truck as it crawled into dealers.took to long and i know many folk bought lr or other makes and that's what we did.
it has the right mix of parts but is undercooked for me.it should be so much better on the road than what it is. we cancelled ours over the vat fiasco,fuel economy and poor road manners. fuel economy is the same as a 20yr landcruiser and dare i say the old 100 series drives better in many respects. we had 2 good localish dealers but 1 has closed, perhaps the lack of cars to sell? 2nd hand sales are sluggish and the truck isnt worth 60+k for the way it drives when new. at 40k used they are a good buy if you can put up with its idiosyncrasies and were starting to see them off road prepped now. |
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6th Feb 2025 3:32pm |
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| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 792
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Is this recent? I would swear blind I’ve read this exact same text before…. Is it a cut and paste from somewhere else? |
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6th Feb 2025 8:24pm |
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| jim4244 Member Since: 13 Apr 2014 Location: Bedfordshire Posts: 847
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Chicken Drumstick, I think that there are a fair few post on the internet raising very similar concerns to those of the OP. Then again you have folk saying that the Grenadier is the best 'real' 4X4 that they have ever driven.
I guess that it all comes down to the individual? Jim |
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7th Feb 2025 4:07am |
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| 90 Dreamer Member Since: 13 Jul 2019 Location: Oop North Posts: 2184 
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looks like Ratcliffe made as good a job on the Grenadier as he seems to be trying to do with Man U.........
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7th Feb 2025 8:45am |
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| TexasRover Member Since: 24 Nov 2022 Location: Paris Posts: 1126  
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Well you can't win. We wanted a true successor of the original Defender and now we complain it does not drive like the new Defender.
Drive anything with life axles and you will find they are all have dated road manners. I have a P38 and a Disco 4 (and a Td5 defender). I used to have a Wrangler and a G-wagon. You can never get a live axle vehicle to ride like a modern car. Even the G-wagen had a quirky ride and they are Expensive. You need to see the Granadier for what it is and not compare it to a car with modern suspension. Personally as beautiful as the Disco4 rides I kinda like the roly-poly klunky ride of my P38 - more character. |
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7th Feb 2025 9:57am |
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| MarkBrown Member Since: 03 Oct 2022 Location: Mid Wales Posts: 512  
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I've sat in the grenadier and thought it was excellent! Apart from the cost, I think that it would suit me very well as I find the newer stuff too good - so good that they're boring. I'm not keen on the name but never really liked the defender name either, but that doesn't matter - I do like the styling. Maybe in some years when they're second hand and therefore lower in price. 1983 110 automatic OM606
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7th Feb 2025 11:17am |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17581 
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Well said. 
Noting that once LR made the strange decision to retarget the old Defender as a "lifestyle" vehicle similar complaints were made. |
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7th Feb 2025 12:22pm |
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| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 792
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No I mean 100% the exact same words.... its either that or a very serious case of deja vu. |
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7th Feb 2025 1:24pm |
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| lightning Member Since: 23 Apr 2009 Location: High Peak, Derbyshire Posts: 2937
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Seconded really. l've got a new Defender but have driven the Grenadier twice, both on road and off. I like the vehicle, although l would want to do something about the steering. RTC steering damper should help, although there's not much room where the standard steering damper is fitted, may need a bit of modification to fit one. lt's like an old Defender, brought up to date. l thought this is what we all wanted. l think times have changed for the general buying public and while they think they want an old Defender, what they REALLY want is a new Defender. That way, they're buying into the legacy but without any of the compromises. l think LR realised this would be the case. The new Defender has certainly been a success for them. Catering for Land Rover enthusiasts by producing a new "old Defender" wouldn't have been profitable. l love the Grenadier. But l don't really go off road, or Overlanding. So the new Defender works for me. But if was doing Overlanding or serious off road driving it would be the Grenadier without question. |
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7th Feb 2025 1:26pm |
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| AMBxx Member Since: 24 Jul 2016 Location: York Posts: 1039 
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Looks like Deja Vu. I did a quick search on some of the phrases. Only destination was back to this discussion. Looks like Deja Vu. I did a quick search on some of the phrases. Only destination was back to this discussion. (Sorry, couldn't resist) |
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7th Feb 2025 1:34pm |
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| westie_ Member Since: 06 Apr 2021 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 18
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I agree with all that say the vehicle shouldn’t be compared to the like of the new defender etc…
HOWEVER, the steering is worse than the original defender. It has 0 feedback, 0 weight and almost 0 self centering. They managed to somehow take a step backwards…. Any argument of “oh that’s how steering box cars are” is just nonsense. Manufacturers have been making steering box vehicles that drive better than that for over 4 decades. For 60£k I’d expect a vehicle to handle a lot better… 110 Td5 Van |
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7th Feb 2025 2:10pm |
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| Stacey007 Member Since: 25 Sep 2015 Location: Cheshire Posts: 3792
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I think they look 'ok'
A few times in my defender I have almost waved at one coming the other way... Think there must be dome mod's to the front by now it looks a bit Santanna like? Anyway the biggest issue I feel is the price, I've just gone on line and chose a field master with leather seats Its £81K Now its a good spec, but not great, no head up display, no heated wheel, At this price... When they came out wasn't the talk of them being around £40K / £50K While I'm moaning 27mpg?? My 7 year old L405 RR does 35 with ease and more regularly 40mpg, why is this figure so poor. I think at £40k / £50K and a bit more rugged / basic then you would see a lot more. At £80K your into a different price range completely and not sure if you were looking at a new Defender you would choose one of these? Shame as it was a bold move and the product does look ok, Interestingly how they keep advertising pre registered models to get them quick (read.... they are not selling). Lets see how they fair second hand also... |
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7th Feb 2025 3:29pm |
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| Rashers Member Since: 21 Jun 2015 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3554 
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Prize for the best post so far!  |
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7th Feb 2025 3:40pm |
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