Anyone 'daily' or do a lot of miles in a Grenadier?

[utherjorge]

Personal experience says that's not accurate. Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and even New Mexico during a holiday trip have been over 300 miles between fuel stops for me a few times.

Allow me to agree, and say that with OEM range on my GX at around 300, I took it out last week and did some minor off-roading to scout for dispersed campsites with friends. Slow going, though we did get into a swamp at one point that had been dry and flat week ago. Despite no real wheelspin, and nothing demanding, I'll bet my mileage was much closer to 10 that it was to the 15 and up I normally get.

300mi/15mpg stock is really not great, especially for a clean sheet design, but perhaps this was a noted compromise. I suspect no one has figured out a long range/duel tank at this time, or someone would have mentioned it.

If I were truly booneying on the regular, I'd go for the extra tank for sure. Already relocated my spare out back so I have the option. I bet Aussies will drive this future Gren hack, just as with the LRA tanks.

 

[86scotty]

Plenty of places in Utah where 300 mile range is not nearly enough.

I'm sure there are other places but when set free I usually wind up in Utah for some reason.

 

[Sid Post]

300mi/15mpg stock is really not great, especially for a clean sheet design, but perhaps this was a noted compromise. I suspect no one has figured out a long range/duel tank at this time, or someone would have mentioned it.

If I were truly booneying on the regular, I'd go for the extra tank for sure. Already relocated my spare out back so I have the option. I bet Aussies will drive this future Gren hack, just as with the LRA tanks.

I feel a little bit like a loser letting a Land Cruiser 70 diesel with factory dual tanks, suspect it was an African NGO LC70, slip through my hands at ~$50K. At the time with the Grenadier base listed at $71.5K I thought it simply too expensive for what it was even though it was a clean Troopy with ~100K km on the clock.

Regarding the Grenadier range, I suspect a Jerry Can ladder rack addition is in our future or, relocating the spare to the roof rack for a Jerry Can there.

For anyone pulling a small overland trailer, this becomes a lot easier to manage.

 

[utherjorge]

I feel a little bit like a loser letting a Land Cruiser 70 diesel with factory dual tanks, suspect it was an African NGO LC70, slip through my hands at ~$50K. At the time with the Grenadier base listed at $71.5K I thought it simply too expensive for what it was even though it was a clean Troopy with ~100K km on the clock.

Regarding the Grenadier range, I suspect a Jerry Can ladder rack addition is in our future or, relocating the spare to the roof rack for a Jerry Can there.

For anyone pulling a small overland trailer, this becomes a lot easier to manage.

If I had found something like a troopy when I was looking to get a replacement for my last GX, which got crusty after a couple of years on brine-filled winter roads, I would have spent up. I have never seen a place where you can find old African/etc. Cruisers. I don't care if they were beaten. A poverty-spec 200 with the split rear doors would have been nice, too.

I'll be running at least one rotopax for a diesel heater, but am able to run two more. Obviously much cheaper than a LRA tank, and of course swappable between rigs. I assume all Gren owners have something else in their stable, so maybe that will be their solution as well.

 

[86scotty]

It surprises me that fuel range is being discussed already about the Grenadier when it is an off the shelf overland vehicle, so to speak, that is practically covered with E-track. Super simple for long mile explorers to cover it with Rotopax. Every door, over the rear side windows or on the very strong roof.

99% of people will never have a problem. 5 gallons of fuel in a Rotopax only taken on unknown adventures will cover .9 percent more of folks and then we're only left with the really entertaining stories from that last .1 percent.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

It surprises me that fuel range is being discussed already about the Grenadier when it is an off the shelf overland vehicle, so to speak, that is practically covered with E-track. Super simple for long mile explorers to cover it with Rotopax. Every door, over the rear side windows or on the very strong roof.

99% of people will never have a problem. 5 gallons of fuel in a Rotopax only taken on unknown adventures will cover .9 percent more of folks and then we're only left with the really entertaining stories from that last .1 percent.

It’s all by design- make the tank small so you need a rotopax- because we all know any self respecting overloader wouldn’t be caught dead without extra stuff hanging off the sides…

 

[nickw]

My fuel consumption on the above mentioned trip across the country.

The slower you drive (and less grade) the more MPG you get. Many of these miles were in the 80-85 range, across the Cascades, Rockies and i80 across Nebraska, PA tpk, etc.
View attachment 813712
View attachment 813711

Not far off my 2500 Ram w/6.4....but at this point MPG really isn't going to change much from rig to rig (assuming gas) if they weigh the same and have sim tires. My Ram is 1000+ lbs heavier, much heavier drivetrain, but is probably more aero....and the IG like a Jeep is a lighter duty platform but probably less aero, those numbers don't surprise me.

Once you add a RTT, Rotapax, winches, bumpers, limb risers I bet you cut another 2mpg off those numbers....but again, no surprises there.

 

[CanyonLX]

Not far off my 2500 Ram w/6.4....but at this point MPG really isn't going to change much from rig to rig (assuming gas) if they weigh the same and have sim tires. My Ram is 1000+ lbs heavier, much heavier drivetrain, but is probably more aero....and the IG like a Jeep is a lighter duty platform but probably less aero, those numbers don't surprise me.

Once you add a RTT, Rotapax, winches, bumpers, limb risers I bet you cut another 2mpg off those numbers....but again, no surprises there.

2mpg would be a minimum reduction. Bumpers and a winch alone would be 2 mpg.

 

[SkiWill]

It surprises me that fuel range is being discussed already about the Grenadier when it is an off the shelf overland vehicle, so to speak, that is practically covered with E-track. Super simple for long mile explorers to cover it with Rotopax. Every door, over the rear side windows or on the very strong roof.

99% of people will never have a problem. 5 gallons of fuel in a Rotopax only taken on unknown adventures will cover .9 percent more of folks and then we're only left with the really entertaining stories from that last .1 percent.

I want a larger fuel tank that is crash test rated because I don't like covering my vehicle in Molotov cocktails on every spare bit of e-track.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Everyone's risk tolerance is different. I'd prefer something a bit more well thought out than a small fuel tank in a 6,000 lb vehicle because I need more than 300 miles range for what I do, and because if I'm spending that much money, I want the convenience of not having to plan every detail of my trip around gas stations. That's not why I go on trips to plan logistics around constant refueling or refueling after 175 miles because the next station is 100 miles where I'll get to do it again. Project management and energy industry is my day job. Why would I want to spend my off time doing the same darn thing?

 

[SkiWill]

My fuel consumption on the above mentioned trip across the country.

The slower you drive (and less grade) the more MPG you get. Many of these miles were in the 80-85 range, across the Cascades, Rockies and i80 across Nebraska, PA tpk, etc.
View attachment 813712
View attachment 813711

Thank you very much. Speed is really important with something that has such a high drag coefficient so thank you for confirming your speed with the mileage as that is such a critical variable for real world results.

Thank you for posting actual data. Really refreshing.

 

[SkiWill]

I'm right at 6'2" and my wife is around 5'7"ish. The seats in the new Defender are similar to most of the cars out there, first thing I noticed was how flat the seat base was. Wouldn't say they were uncomfortable, but even with all the adjustments I could make I could never quite get the base angled enough to support my thigh on longer road trips. If you look at the interior pics on the Grenadier you can see just how bolstered there are on seat and seat back. Much more like a bucket-type seat from a sports car than a SUV. Seems like every review I've read or watched, regardless of whether they liked the overall vehicle, talked about how nice the seats and seating position was. There's more room in the second row in the Grenadier as well. Always set the front seats to a comfortable position for me and then climb in back when looking at any new car and I could sit comfortably back there. If you've been in any previous generation GWagon, the Grenadier looks and feels to be 15-20% larger but with the same interior dimensions. The only people that seem to mention the bump on the pasanger side are those who are in the LHD market, and even then it's a mixed bag between those who seem to be bothered by it. I never noticed it on our first 'off road experience' last year or when we went for a test drive months ago. I have more passenger footwell space in the Grenadier than I do in the G550.

Regarding range - I'd say its somewhere around 350+ but I haven't truly tested it. Feels like I'm filling up at similar intervals to the Defender. The computer in the Grenadier says we're around 17-18mpg but some have said on the forum it may not be accurate. Haven't felt the need to do my own calculations yet but may soon just to see. My wife just broke into double digets in her G550 and is sitting right at 11mpg for reference.

Happy to answer any more question you may have so fire away!

Thank you very much. What year is the G550? 11 mpg seems low even for a G550. It's very helpful for me to have the perspective of someone who's owned a Grenadier, G550, and Defender.

For our use case, the G550 isn't really practical or at least the 2014-2016 range of natural aspirated V8s which I love. We're a family of 5 with the only short ones in car seats, which take up even more room than a tall person. I can get a 46 gallon tank to deal with the range on the new Defender. I'll probably wait to see if a long range tank comes up for the Grenadier in the next year or two and then make my final decision at that point.

 

[Copple]

Thank you very much. What year is the G550? 11 mpg seems low even for a G550. It's very helpful for me to have the perspective of someone who's owned a Grenadier, G550, and Defender.

For our use case, the G550 isn't really practical or at least the 2014-2016 range of natural aspirated V8s which I love. We're a family of 5 with the only short ones in car seats, which take up even more room than a tall person. I can get a 46 gallon tank to deal with the range on the new Defender. I'll probably wait to see if a long range tank comes up for the Grenadier in the next year or two and then make my final decision at that point.

Our G550 is a 2015. It's almost all city driving running kids back and forth. The original plan was to swap it for the Grenadier but my wife really likes it and we've found a good independent specialist shop that has experience working on them. We joke about it, but you can almost watch the fuel gauge fall when driving it for the day. I totally get the point about car seats and the space that tiny humans take up...

 

[CanyonLX]

Our G550 is a 2015. It's almost all city driving running kids back and forth. The original plan was to swap it for the Grenadier but my wife really likes it and we've found a good independent specialist shop that has experience working on them. We joke about it, but you can almost watch the fuel gauge fall when driving it for the day. I totally get the point about car seats and the space that tiny humans take up...

My 500 is the same; if you step on it...you can see the gas meter drop. To be fair, my 100 series Landcruiser did something similar. Both vehicles did 12 mpg on their best days.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

My 500 is the same; if you step on it...you can see the gas meter drop. To be fair, my 100 series Landcruiser did something similar. Both vehicles did 12 mpg on their best days.

The difference is you step on it and watch the gas gauge go down on the 100 but it’s not going much faster..😆

 

[plainjaneFJC]

My 500 is the same; if you step on it...you can see the gas meter drop. To be fair, my 100 series Landcruiser did something similar. Both vehicles did 12 mpg on their best days.

I remember trying to pass someone in my 100, thought I had plenty of time to merge, put the signal on, step out and hammered down and thought oh crap this is all I got…😆felt like a guy that saw his girlfriend for the first time without makeup.