Grenadier

[pfshoen]

BMW's been building I-6 cyl's for almost 90 years. Their commitment to the design has been unrivaled. Unlikely any new model bugs will be engine faults. The 265hp won't put it in hot rod territory, but the 405ft.lbs. of torque's pretty fat. The BMW fits well with the Grenadier designers' overall approach and blend of old school/mod cons. Ineos must have looked hard at the run of SA Defenders built with the BMW 6. Hard not to like that.
One thing that will make or break the Grenadier in my eyes is the quality of the ride. It has to be able to take some hard hits, and substantial payload. Getting it to do that and ride nicely the 90% of the time it will be on pavement without much of a load is not so easy. Range Rovers and some early 110's had the advantage of the Boge self-leveling strut that adjusts for load. Later Defenders still give a superior ride for a truck, but as Jeep has shown, tough to duplicate. Land Rover really understand that end. No guarantee that Ineos has it figured out.

 

[RBBailey]

Yeah, now that I think of it, the two 3 Series BMWs I've owned both had the in-line, so I do have some good experience with them.

 

[jymmiejamz]

Then they're electric, or is it a secret? They fail.
I never use a/c unless it's hot, except to briefly exercise it during periods of non-use to extend the life of the seals. It loads the engine and decreases mpg, which it does already because of it's weight. I can see it would be helpful to deal with fog-up in especially humid conditions, even tho it isn't connected to the windshield defrost vents in a D90. However, for expeditions, anything that's not absolutely necessary gets left behind. Parameters are quite a bit different than those for DD, travel, camping and even overland. For example, there would be no provision to take raw meat and beer. Need the room/weight for fuel and water.
A/c also fails. (It quit working in my Subie DD yesterday.) Then it becomes dead weight, and does nothing but make it more difficult to work under the hood. Sure glad that didn't happen half way through a 10 day expedition in hot weather after the driver's side window and tailgate won't open, and the seat is stuck in the rearmost position. Good times! I do what works for me.
This thread is about the Grenadier, where it fits in the landscape vs. the Defender and Pretender, and their relative merits and demerits. 3 different animals with different purposes and capabilities. Each is better at something than the others, and in general should appeal to different segments of the market, based on customers' priorities. None could be all things to all people and the street will sort that soon enough. My comments in response to the videos are my humble opinion and best guess. I enjoy and benefit from reading the same from others.

What are these expeditions you’re talking about?

 

[pfshoen]

What are these expeditions you’re talking about?

See "Vehicle-dependent EXPEDITION Guide" by Tom Sheppard (1998/2008).

 

[chuckc4]

raw meat and beer

Expedition space saving items: gun, whisky, and whiskey

 

[erover82]

I can’t think of a trip I’ve taken my D90 on where I didn’t use the ac.

 

[SARTech]

As for a BMW straight 6, I owned a X5 that had the 3.0l straight six and it was an outstanding motor. Im happy that is the motor the chose. Im excited about the Grenadier and very seriously considering it. I would sell my two Land Rovers to get one comfortable. reliable and capable rig.

 

[jymmiejamz]

View attachment 20430

I’m not claiming to be some bad ass tactical expedition expert, just saying I’ve been around a lot of the US and in plenty of remote areas alone, and always use ac.

I think it’s also nice that the ac in a defender is not integrated into other systems. Worst case scenario is it breaks and your stuck with a small amount of extra weight to carry around. Best case, you can run the condenser fan in the event of a fan clutch failure to help with low speed cooling. It’s not like an LR3 where the HVAC control module is tied into the MS CAN bus and a fault could prevent the vehicle from starting.

I’d like to think that my Snow Peak titanium cookware makes up for the extra weight of the ac

 

[RBBailey]

View attachment 20430

Totally fake. The trucks in this picture are WAY dirtier than any Toyota Ta-clone-ma I've ever seen.

 

[dcg]

I've watched all of the Ineos PR videos and most of the youtube reviews. At one point I specifically looked at the construction from a modular and modification perspective. On the frontend, I noticed that the hood ends at the fenders and the lights in the grill take up the depth of the grill. The radiator is set back just enough to allow for a shroud that is flush with the vertical plain of the fenders and would allow for a "Defender-look" grill kit. I think Ineos designed this vehicle to be just enough of a departure from the Defender body design for legal reasons, but in crafty way that as time marches on, they can tweak small details and bring it closer to the Defender look by changing the grill and adding alpine lights (in markets that allow them). Also, I think Ineos did their best to make a brick aerodynamic. I could be wrong on all of this.

I like it and will put a deposit down. I want a traditional non-metallic color and would even add "Grenadier" stripes if the styling allows for it. The gear anchors get in the way a little. I could nit-pick the thing, but I think it is 99% amazing.

The door panels remind be of an '80s Benz with cloth interior, which I like. When they were asking for suggestions, I specifically mention the W123 for mb tex and durability.

 

[RBBailey]

I’ve thought about front light guards that are flush with the front grill. The front end just has a lot of Santana look in it that I don’t like.

 

[pfshoen]

I suggest waiting till you see one in person to make up your minds about the aesthetics. Better yet, wait until you drive one. The most important visual angle is the view you get out the windscreen as you cover ground.

 

[RBBailey]

Yes, I agree about the interior. This is one reason why I can't stand the JF Cruiser and Jeeps.

 

[Eliot]

I suggest waiting till you see one in person to make up your minds about the aesthetics. Better yet, wait until you drive one. The most important visual angle is the view you get out the windscreen as you cover ground.

I saw the 001 prototype. The back end looks great. The front end is just ugly though.

You could fix it... but it means a flat front end, or dropping the hood, or any number of similar changes. I'd also make all the side windows symmetrical.

 

[Reese_D90]

I keep hoping a great brush bar will overcome the fugly front grill.

 

[WreckITFrank]

If accessory mfg's take interest in sure there will be some grill and lighting options to go with, hopefully. I agree that it's not my favorite, but not a show stopper for me. Seems like the stupidity of front grills is at an all time high these days. The truck front grill scene is hurting in my opinion. Split headlamps, huge grill faces, etc.

 

[WreckITFrank]

I guess I didn't pay enough attention, but looks like the "130" Double Cab and 7 seater will be close behind. I'm all for the extra storage space even if the truck doesn't make it here.

"Two versions of the Grenadier will be available from the outset: the five-seat station wagon driven in prototype guise here and a two-seat commercial vehicle, both based on a standard 2921mm wheelbase. Shortly afterwards, Ineos will launch a double-cab pick-up truck and a seven-seat station wagon, both using a longer (3175mm) wheelbase."

 

[vtlandrover]

 

[rocky]

Like every new design/new generation, my habit is to ignore the first year. That’s where all the bugs come out. Year two, engineers figure out the causes and solutions.
Year three: is first year I’d consider. Regardless of brand.

 

[Eliot]