INEOS Grenadier

[Highlander]

The Defender never had it and probably the Grenadier did not put it for the same reason.
The Rang Rover Classic had one and we loved it! After the hunt or hike we would sit on and have a snack or tea.
Something simple and yet 100% functional.

 

[T-Willy]

I do understand his passion for the split horizontal tailgate. Having had one on my 100 and now 200 LC, I can't imagine not having one. I love being able to root in the back in the rain, and not get wet. I love having an instant work surface; hell, half the time I'm working outside, I choose the tailgate of the LC over going into the garage workbench. It's that good. And I would have loved to see that on the Grenadier.

I've been driving 80s since a teenager and wholeheartedly agree, though I do think barn doors are more desirable in a cut-roof pop-top live-aboard build--which Grenadier seems like a perfect platform for.

 

[paachi]

Just saw this entire video from LR Workshop:
- Looks like the chassis is very well built with maintenance and accessibility in mind
- The fact that even 33s might rub is a big downer. 33” tires are standard for over-landing applications. I do wish they address this more in the final version
- 35 ECUs and CanBus!! I don’t know if this is too high or low. He does mention that the new Defender has 85 ECUs. I wish I knew how many ECUs are there in a 1HZ 70 series stock from factory. Might be a good benchmark to baseline against. On the plus side most of the ancillary ECUs seem to be isolated and not a series failure design (a headlight or a brake sensor breaking won’t put the vehicle in limo mode). Again these are required in a modern vehicle for both safety and comfort. I just hope they are built to a good standard
- Sheet metal seems quite amazing and robust. Double skinned 2mm metal in the doors
- Similarly lots of attention looks to have been invested in reducing NVH to make it a more comfortable drive
- 2.5 tons or 5000 lbs current weight with a 3.5 ton GVM. The Ineos team is looking to reduce the weight to 2.3 tons it looks like. I hope it doesn’t come at an expense of payload. A metric ton is the right payload given once you add people, fluids and camping stuff in it and still keep the vehicle in optimal performance range
- The roof design is interesting and potentially controversial. The gutters if I understood right aren’t load bearing. The roof itself can take 150 kgs but mounting options didn’t seem clear in the video
- The fuel tank is 90 liters or 23.5 gallons. It could be reduced potentially which I think is a huge mistake. They already have the spare on the back and per the commentary there isn’t much space for additional tanks
- I am not very impressed by what I am seeing in the read load area in terms of plastics jutting out here and there. I’m hoping Ineos cleans it up to a nice rectangular space in the final draft

As an owner of an old G Wagon I can clearly see a lot of the design brief DNA of the G Wagon than the Defender. The articulation, the wheel parameters, the chassis points, etc.

However, all in all a very impressive vehicle but with some sobering points which will swing the decision for some buyers. If you haven’t watched it please do checkout the video.

 

[roving1]

Mentioned in the video the cooling package might still be oversized from final production so there is some potential to get smaller.

That rear skid, due to the panhard rod mount I think, is pretty ridiculous though. It's a giant shovel as it is now.

It's weird the vehicle is all 9 and 10s in off road-capability until those two skid plates and their location and clearance. It's kind of jarring for something so purpose built.

Wheel wells being that tight is a bit odd. But it's still a prototype so who knows.

 

[Riptide]

Just saw this entire video from LR Workshop:

Great commentary. But I was dizzy from the camera motion...

 

[utherjorge]

Kind of bummed at the price, though. But I can get behind the quality first notion; I'm glad it's not being built to a price point, but to a certain level of quality.

I'll just be watching from afar, it seems.

so, what price did you think this would be, bub?

 

[paachi]

And he posted his second walk through video with final thoughts:
Lots of commentary on parts, dealers and sales.

- I missed this yesterday but there will be apparently a position for a second battery next to the main battery. Both will be under second row seats. I think this is a smart move acknowledging their target demographic and I am also happy it’s not in the engine bay so the second one can be a lithium
- Today’s video also shows a detail on the tow hooks which I missed yesterday. They look very beefy and well braced
- the idea of having a 3D exploded parts diagram, with allowing users to directly source and change parts while not binning the warranty is brilliant. I am glad they are leveraging network scale. Kinda like how Starbucks offloads the planning/ customizing of your drink to you
- looks like they are going for a hybrid D2C and dealer model for sales. Potentially BMW (maybe even Mercedes given the Magna Styr, production factory and F1 connection). Given the volumes and limited models it might work very well just like Tesla
- the pricing still seems to be locked at £45K incl vat. So maybe it’s safe to assume a $60K entry price and $80K upper price for US. Which means it’ll squarely target the upper end of Jeep, 4 Runner and lower end of Defender and Land Cruiser buyers. Probably take bite out of the second hand LC buyer market as well
- I was really disappointed by how little the team at Goodwood had researched the LC 70 1HZ. Given their ambition of the halo they want to build around the Grenadier the 70 series should have been front and center in their research. They could have marketed it as the 70 series for US and a more modern 70 series for ROW.

Anyhoo there is a big distance between the cup and the lip. Let’s hope the final draft that comes to US addresses some concerns, keeps the core tenets alive and isn’t a watered down or luxo barged abomination.

 

[utherjorge]

Assuming that everything we have seen so far is true, and that there are no more supply-chain disruptions, this price is about the best that can be hoped for. I doubt that Riptide guy will come back to reply here, but considering that a Jeep Cherokee can easily had for north of $60k, and 4Runners are now officially being marked up into the $70Ks (and are almost to $60k before markup) having a rig that starts at $50k, if it's true, is pretty great.

I do expect to to creep up to a $60k entry due to the market being able to bear it.

 

[Timcampsallover]

I’m ready to order now providing the last bits are done right and nothing is sacrificed for the production run. Ground clearance and at least 33” tires are important as is the diesel option. This is what I’ve been looking for but isn’t quite available in the USA! Can’t wait.

 

[paachi]

Assuming that everything we have seen so far is true, and that there are no more supply-chain disruptions, this price is about the best that can be hoped for. I doubt that Riptide guy will come back to reply here, but considering that a Jeep Cherokee can easily had for north of $60k, and 4Runners are now officially being marked up into the $70Ks (and are almost to $60k before markup) having a rig that starts at $50k, if it's true, is pretty great.

I do expect to to creep up to a $60k entry due to the market being able to bear it.

The video was stating £45K so I’m expecting $60K for a base one and atleast $80K for a fully decked version. Like you said the market can easily bear it, crazy as it is. That being said I’d be game for the base one without carpets and other fripperies as long that they don’t cripple it mechanically to upsell pricier versions.

 

[paachi]

I’m ready to order now providing the last bits are done right and nothing is sacrificed for the production run. Ground clearance and at least 33” tires are important as is the diesel option. This is what I’ve been looking for but isn’t quite available in the USA! Can’t wait.

I am actually more excited for the gasoline/ petrol version. The diesel sounds nice but modern diesels with adblue and DPF extras don’t really appeal to me. I have a diesel truck now and maybe I’m unlucky but I get just about 20% better mpg than the gas equivalent. Furthermore, my experience finding diesel in the boondocks in US is about 20%. If the diesel really does end up improving tank range by 50% I might be interested. Maybe I’m a minority luddite..

 

[PSea]

i was surprised that they admitted in one of these recent videos that the target market ISN'T overlanding. huh? have their heads been in the sand the last few years? but, that explains some of design decisions, like what appears to be poor clearance, the rear skid plate that will wind up scooping a lot of sand/mud, small wheel wells and 33" tires being about the max size you could put on without modification. i'm a bit bummed to be honest.

 

[paachi]

i was surprised that they admitted in one of these recent videos that the target market ISN'T overlanding. huh? have their heads been in the sand the last few years? but, that explains some of design decisions, like what appears to be poor clearance, the rear skid plate that will wind up scooping a lot of sand/mud, small wheel wells and 33" tires being about the max size you could put on without modification. i'm a bit bummed to be honest.

Maybe I missed it but I distinctly remember them saying the vehicle was not meant for hardcore rock crawlers. It is meant for overlanders. If you hear the guy who designed the interiors, he speaks about the accessory switches to easen the work to add lights winch etc. that being said the 33” tire size is a good overlanding spec but it seems even that’d rub. Also, I agree in the rear skid plate..daft design to say the least. I am also not too chuffed about the front skid plate and the radiator scoop/ hole. It’s just begging to get clogged. But they did mention that the radiator size might be reduced so the final version might not have the front opening/ scoop in the bash plate

 

[utherjorge]

But they did mention that the radiator size might be reduced so the final version might not have the front opening/ scoop in the bash plate

I agree that they have mentioned the overland "Crowd" once or twice...but I wonder if they aren't stating that overtly for liability reasons?

I also wonder and worry if they are going to try to see what's the smallest radiator they can fit to have it still cool well, like they are shooting for a minimum rather than a maximum. At this point, these are merely things to watch for.

 

[PSea]

Maybe I missed it but I distinctly remember them saying the vehicle was not meant for hardcore rock crawlers. It is meant for overlanders.

it was stated in one of the recent videos i saw this week where the guy was checking it out at an auto show iirc. i listened to it twice just to make sure i heard it correctly. Their target audience are farm/working folks/fleets < 10 vehicles iirc that need a work horse in an off-road environment.