Grenadier

[WreckITFrank]

So dealer just called and mine is on its way to the dealership. I am not sure they are ready to sell them personally, still on the fence.

I am on the fence as well TBH. I am very interested in the GX, and have a deposit down on one, but what I didnt know is that Lexus does not take orders. I am on a list that they ask if you want what came in or not, and go down the line. I am going to drive the grenadier again, with my wife this time. Too bad I have to wait months likely to even see a GX.

 

[rocky]

I’m

Have you ever driven on MA highways? In my experience there are usually 2 cars in each lane going either the speed limit or slightly below. There is a Peloton for sometimes 1/2 to 1 mile behind them. I don’t drive excessively fast anymore yet 5-10 over isn’t all that excessive imho. Same happens on I95 practically anywhere during the day. Controlling a vehicle not to exceed the speed limit is more than Government overreach, its unsafe as the Peloton cars are usually right on each others ass. In an emergency stop, the result is a long pileup.

another massive issue with Mass highways are the exits/entrances Seems that at any time of day, there’s a line of cars in the exit lane, plus another one one lane over.
It due in no small part to the entrance to a highway coming before the exit.

 

[SaintPanzer]

Is it true that if you fail your Rhode Island driver's test, they give you a Massachusetts license?

 

[pmatusov]

All true.
Poor return to center.
Highway noise.
Engine is audible at 80mph in the 8th gear.
But it is perfectly livable with.

 

[RBBailey]

Oh most cars on the roads today allow near-full freedom to choose which lights are on.
It's just the owners who think DRLs are low-beams and don't know they have zero lights elsewhere.

That, and is it just me, or is there a new wave of stupidity where people are just driving around in daylight with their brights on?

 

[pmatusov]

That, and is it just me, or is there a new wave of stupidity where people are just driving around in daylight with their brights on?

If these people drive camper Sprinters in Death Valley, they drive around with every last million candlepower of lights on.

 

[FlyersFan76]

London has on the M25 and on motorways elsewhere, the ability to create temporary speed limits that drive me nuts when I’m there.
Offends my now Americanized “values”.

Schuylkill Expressway (route 76) outside Philadelphia has that. The temporary limits that are shown let drivers know what the speed up ahead. In that regard it is nice because the speed limit on that road is a tease. I do not remember the last time I have even been able to go 55mph.

Even with the temporary limits it is still near impossible to get up to that speed.

 

[pmatusov]

Schuylkill Expressway (route 76) outside Philadelphia has that. The temporary limits that are shown let drivers know what the speed up ahead. In that regard it is nice because the speed limit on that road is a tease. I do not remember the last time I have even been able to go 55mph.

That I think is pretty cool.
It is also cool to have different speed limits during day/night (many roads in Colorado and some in California have that), and adverse weather conditions.

ADAS in the Grenadier is mildly annoying, but just so. Going over the speed limit brings about four loud clicks, and that's it. Not even worth going to the settings to turn it off. Lane departure warning emits a sound like a generic EV backing up, but it is muted.
Turbo lag is significant. You can forget about stomping on the gas pedal and flying away like in an LR4. Remarkably, for me the most-relaxed freeway speed is about 75, which is the same for me in an LR4 or a Classic.

 

[TravelinLight]

All true.
Poor return to center.
Highway noise.
Engine is audible at 80mph in the 8th gear.
But it is perfectly livable with.

View attachment 29001

Is this your personal vehicle? If so any issues / problems so far? I am concerned that the dealer is 75 miles away and I have PTSD from the Three Amigos from my Discoveries through the years. The car seemed solid, but I am just a little hesitant.

 

[pmatusov]

Is this your personal vehicle? If so any issues / problems so far? I am concerned that the dealer is 75 miles away and I have PTSD from the Three Amigos from my Discoveries through the years. The car seemed solid, but I am just a little hesitant.

Yes to the first question, no to the second - but I've only driven it for ~60 miles or so.
I've seen a few warning lights - that the hood was open (I did pop it open and didn't slam down hard enough), and for the front driver door (same reason). The doors need to be closed with a bit of a vengeance - just like G-wagen doors (early, before they had 50 lbs of speakers).

 

[TravelinLight]

Yes to the first question, no to the second - but I've only driven it for ~60 miles or so.
I've seen a few warning lights - that the hood was open (I did pop it open and didn't slam down hard enough), and for the front driver door (same reason). The doors need to be closed with a bit of a vengeance - just like G-wagen doors (early, before they had 50 lbs of speakers).

Thank you!! I will be very interested in your experience before they ask for my checkbook!

 

[pmatusov]

Thank you!! I will be very interested in your experience before they ask for my checkbook!

OK, some impressions to build up a list. Unlike my test-drive impressions, these will be real-life, not just the Dennis The Menace park ((C)John Lee) off-pavement adventure.

• Doors and hood: go to town slamming them shut. They fit all right, but if any gap is detected, you will see the warning on the center console that will not go away.
• Lack of steering self-centering: I am glad I've been warned by NAS-ROW, but it becomes a non-issue after 10 miles in the city. It isn't an issue on the highway, but I haven't driven on any twisties yet.
• Engine: plenty of power for whatever - it keeps going up moderate inclines on I-15 within San Diego at 80mph in the 8th gear at 2200 rpm. However, turbo lag is very noticeable - you won't get anywhere just by stomping on the pedal. In normal driving (which is a little less temperamental than my normal driving) it is not an issue.
• Interior noise: exactly like a Classic. It starts up around 65-70, and becomes noticeable beyond 75. Engine drone is also audible, much more so than in a Classic, D1, or LR4, but not offensive.
• Front seats: stellar. On par with late Classic's front seats, far better than LR4's front seats.
• Rear passenger space: a little more than in a D1 or SWB Classic, a little less than LR4, a lot less than LWB Classic.
• Interior space: a lot less than in an LR4, probably as much as in a D110 (old OR new) and a G-Wagen.
• Knobs and switches: it is better to familiarize yourself with those before you drive off for the first time. The interior lights are pretty dim, and if you don't know what the switches do, you'll be looking for a flashlight.
• Steering wheel: small but adequate. I haven't used any buttons on it yet. Steering effort is on a lighter side for me, I'd prefer a little more heft - but not as light as in an LR4. Steering radius is larger than a LWB Classic's and LR4's (with similar wheelbase), which already made for several unexpected multi-point turns.
• Gear shifter: I still crack up when I look at it. It looks more like a sex toy than a useful appendage. It does its job, when you get past the annoyance of it. It is made more hilarious by the transfer case shifter that's all business.
• Stereo: one of the best Bluetooth transceivers I've had in rental cars (since none of mine came with one from the factory). Connection with the phone was drama free, and it reconnects every time without my intervention. I had a parking citation adjudication hearing scheduled for yesterday (phone-in), forgot about it, and had no problem participating in it on the way from the dealer to work. Android Auto works well, including rendering of GaiaGPS map on the instrument panel. though I have not figured out how to make GaiaGPS work in the instrument panel.
• Windshield: Another impression from today. Three cars ahead of me on the freeway, there was a typical contractor/trash hauler truck. A piece of stucco fell off, broke into pieces, and one piece, the size of a half-finger, flew into the Grenadier's windshield. It exploded into a blob about 2" in diameter - I thought the windshield was done in, a week into Grenadier's life. It was the hardest windshield hit I have ever experienced in my life - all my past and current vehicles' windshields cracked from much lighter hits. After a wash and two sweeps of the wipers - there's a tiny pit, that was difficult to find when I came to work and looked from outside.

 

[FlyersFan76]

I did another test drive yesterday. When I first drove the truck it felt like when I made a slight turn the truck wanted to keep going straight or not turn enough to follow the road. I misspoke on facebook when I called it lane keep assist and yelled at for it. Turns out that there was an error and has since been fixed. Steering is not an issue.

Cool feature that is probably not a big deal to some. You can turn the daytime headlights off.

 

[hillstrubl]

I was in my buddy’s Gwagon recently. Forgot how rugged it is and refined at the same time. His is an AMG, 5 inch lift and 35’s. However, a recent coolant leak from a relatively inaccessible hose proved why I dont have one. The cost of entry is high, the cost of repair… a lot higher…. But, what a well made truck.

Admittedly it was ~10+ years ago, but my mom had a new G-Wagen that was bought new. It was the worst car I've ever encountered from a reliability* and build-quality** perspective, but damn did it look good. Mercedes USA eventually bought it back under the lemon law where she got a GL450 which was the 2nd worst car from a reliability*** and build-quality** perspective that I've ever encountered. She has a Subaru now and loves it.
---
*-somehow put itself in low range on a regular basis then would get stuck in low range requiring a tow to dealer, fix linkage (one of the times), wiring (another one of the times) then 2 or 3 more fixes the other times it happened -3 separate times in heavy rain the wiper motor decided to abruptly die in a billow of smoke -The power windows would go up and down on their own randomly (only when on the highway), sometimes you'd arm the alarm, go to sleep and in the morning all the windows were down -The heated seats turned themselves on randomly

**Of the 10 door handles (5 doors, 1 inner 1 outer) at any given time at least 2 were inoperable as they would "pop" off on the inside to the rest of the release linkage. If the inner and outer of the same door failed together, this rendered that door now a wall. This happened to both on the driver's door at least 2 times where you'd have to climb over the console to get in/out of a ~$100K car. -Buttons regularly came off in your hands when using them; radio, window switches, HVAC, mirror adjustment, power locks, we just kept what fell off in the cupholder for the next trip to the dealer - the buttons had the same issue in the GL450

***When we got the GL450 the air suspension would explode at least 1 corner each winter whenever it finally got cold enough (Long Island, not Alberta), this happened 3 times. Then the seat heater caught on fire and burned through the seat and my mom's jacket, thanks to the guy on the side of the road that ran up with a fire extinguisher and put out that fire when she stopped. Merc's response to that was "that's not supposed to happen"

 

[hillstrubl]

Schuylkill Expressway (route 76) outside Philadelphia has that. The temporary limits that are shown let drivers know what the speed up ahead. In that regard it is nice because the speed limit on that road is a tease. I do not remember the last time I have even been able to go 55mph.

Even with the temporary limits it is still near impossible to get up to that speed.

The opposite is true on Lincoln drive however, I don't know the last time I was able to go less than the 25mph limit

 

[FlyersFan76]

The opposite is true on Lincoln drive however, I don't know the last time I was able to go less than the 25mph limit

Agreed. Same for Kelly Drive. Would love to see an F1 race there. lol

Not sure the Grenadier would be as fun to drive on Kelly drive. At least not right away while I adapt to it.

 

[TravelinLight]

OK, some impressions to build up a list. Unlike my test-drive impressions, these will be real-life, not just the Dennis The Menace park ((C)John Lee) off-pavement adventure.

• Doors and hood: go to town slamming them shut. They fit all right, but if any gap is detected, you will see the warning on the center console that will not go away.
• Lack of steering self-centering: I am glad I've been warned by NAS-ROW, but it becomes a non-issue after 10 miles in the city. It isn't an issue on the highway, but I haven't driven on any twisties yet.
• Engine: plenty of power for whatever - it keeps going up moderate inclines on I-15 within San Diego at 80mph in the 8th gear at 2200 rpm. However, turbo lag is very noticeable - you won't get anywhere just by stomping on the pedal. In normal driving (which is a little less temperamental than my normal driving) it is not an issue.
• Interior noise: exactly like a Classic. It starts up around 65-70, and becomes noticeable beyond 75. Engine drone is also audible, much more so than in a Classic, D1, or LR4, but not offensive.
• Front seats: stellar. On par with late Classic's front seats, far better than LR4's front seats.
• Rear passenger space: a little more than in a D1 or SWB Classic, a little less than LR4, a lot less than LWB Classic.
• Interior space: a lot less than in an LR4, probably as much as in a D110 (old OR new) and a G-Wagen.
• Knobs and switches: it is better to familiarize yourself with those before you drive off for the first time. The interior lights are pretty dim, and if you don't know what the switches do, you'll be looking for a flashlight.
• Steering wheel: small but adequate. I haven't used any buttons on it yet. Steering effort is on a lighter side for me, I'd prefer a little more heft - but not as light as in an LR4.
• Gear shifter: I still crack up when I look at it. It looks more like a sex toy than a useful appendage. It does its job, when you get past the annoyance of it. It is made more hilarious by the transfer case shifter that's all business.
• Stereo: one of the best Bluetooth transceivers I've had in rental cars (since none of mine came with one from the factory). Connection with the phone was drama free, and it reconnects every time without my intervention. I had a parking citation adjudication hearing scheduled for yesterday (phone-in), forgot about it, and had no problem participating in it on the way from the dealer to work.

Thank you for the real world feedback!! I really appreciate it.

 

[WreckITFrank]

OK, some impressions to build up a list. Unlike my test-drive impressions, these will be real-life, not just the Dennis The Menace park ((C)John Lee) off-pavement adventure.

• Doors and hood: go to town slamming them shut. They fit all right, but if any gap is detected, you will see the warning on the center console that will not go away.
• Lack of steering self-centering: I am glad I've been warned by NAS-ROW, but it becomes a non-issue after 10 miles in the city. It isn't an issue on the highway, but I haven't driven on any twisties yet.
• Engine: plenty of power for whatever - it keeps going up moderate inclines on I-15 within San Diego at 80mph in the 8th gear at 2200 rpm. However, turbo lag is very noticeable - you won't get anywhere just by stomping on the pedal. In normal driving (which is a little less temperamental than my normal driving) it is not an issue.
• Interior noise: exactly like a Classic. It starts up around 65-70, and becomes noticeable beyond 75. Engine drone is also audible, much more so than in a Classic, D1, or LR4, but not offensive.
• Front seats: stellar. On par with late Classic's front seats, far better than LR4's front seats.
• Rear passenger space: a little more than in a D1 or SWB Classic, a little less than LR4, a lot less than LWB Classic.
• Interior space: a lot less than in an LR4, probably as much as in a D110 (old OR new) and a G-Wagen.
• Knobs and switches: it is better to familiarize yourself with those before you drive off for the first time. The interior lights are pretty dim, and if you don't know what the switches do, you'll be looking for a flashlight.
• Steering wheel: small but adequate. I haven't used any buttons on it yet. Steering effort is on a lighter side for me, I'd prefer a little more heft - but not as light as in an LR4.
• Gear shifter: I still crack up when I look at it. It looks more like a sex toy than a useful appendage. It does its job, when you get past the annoyance of it. It is made more hilarious by the transfer case shifter that's all business.
• Stereo: one of the best Bluetooth transceivers I've had in rental cars (since none of mine came with one from the factory). Connection with the phone was drama free, and it reconnects every time without my intervention. I had a parking citation adjudication hearing scheduled for yesterday (phone-in), forgot about it, and had no problem participating in it on the way from the dealer to work.

you are coming from an LR4?

 

[supertreeman]

Admittedly it was ~10+ years ago, but my mom had a new G-Wagen that was bought new. It was the worst car I've ever encountered from a reliability* and build-quality** perspective, but damn did it look good. Mercedes USA eventually bought it back under the lemon law where she got a GL450 which was the 2nd worst car from a reliability*** and build-quality** perspective that I've ever encountered. She has a Subaru now and loves it.
---
*-somehow put itself in low range on a regular basis then would get stuck in low range requiring a tow to dealer, fix linkage (one of the times), wiring (another one of the times) then 2 or 3 more fixes the other times it happened -3 separate times in heavy rain the wiper motor decided to abruptly die in a billow of smoke -The power windows would go up and down on their own randomly (only when on the highway), sometimes you'd arm the alarm, go to sleep and in the morning all the windows were down -The heated seats turned themselves on randomly

**Of the 10 door handles (5 doors, 1 inner 1 outer) at any given time at least 2 were inoperable as they would "pop" off on the inside to the rest of the release linkage. If the inner and outer of the same door failed together, this rendered that door now a wall. This happened to both on the driver's door at least 2 times where you'd have to climb over the console to get in/out of a ~$100K car. -Buttons regularly came off in your hands when using them; radio, window switches, HVAC, mirror adjustment, power locks, we just kept what fell off in the cupholder for the next trip to the dealer - the buttons had the same issue in the GL450

***When we got the GL450 the air suspension would explode at least 1 corner each winter whenever it finally got cold enough (Long Island, not Alberta), this happened 3 times. Then the seat heater caught on fire and burned through the seat and my mom's jacket, thanks to the guy on the side of the road that ran up with a fire extinguisher and put out that fire when she stopped. Merc's response to that was "that's not supposed to happen"

Sounds about right. My brother had a 2002 (I think first year of MBUSA G class) and not always, but often when he would lower the drivers window the passenger seat would recline all the way. Various other electrical gremlins too. Shame because the pre MBUSA Europa's were / are pretty reliable.

 

[vtlandrover]

As with the closures at Moab, the DUIs of the world, and distracted driving, it's the few bad actors who make it worse for the rest of us. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the speed limit tech is the result of the auto insurance lobby getting into the ears of legislators around the world. After all, how many body repairs of the Cybertruck will it take before all of our rates go up significantly? If they can reduce the number of shunts through technology, the insurance coffers will once again grow.