I just got back and trying to write this to keep it fresh for everyone. First, it was a phenomenal event! There were 25 of us, and Greg Clark was open and direct. He did not allow recordings because it wasn't a media event. That allowed him to be very honest about things. We spent about 15 minutes of formal Q&A, but the rest of the hour and a half was spent trying things out. The Grenadier was a prototype and was the only one in America. The exterior design is pretty much locked in. The interior is in the final stage, but everything is almost finalized. When looking at the interior, not all materials will be in the final production vehicle. If you make it to the bottom, I have pictures

First impression: The Grenadier is overbuilt in terms of quality. It looks much better in person, and you get a better sense of the proportion of everything. All the latches are industrial, and there is some weight when shutting the doors. Everything gave you confidence that it is a solid build. The front and rear bumpers will be steel, and you will be able to stand on the hood.



Timeline: In April of 2021, the online configurator will be live with all options. End of 2022, you will be able to go on test drives in America. They look to have the dealer network sorted out by the end of 2022 for America. Greg is interviewing each dealer and identifying the one that will represent the brand the best. They cannot sell direct like Tesla because of state-to-state law. In reality, in many states, Tesla has a monopoly on selling DTC because you need to be an EV, produce many automobiles, and be made in the US. Other EV manufacturers are fighting to change the law to include them. Greg said He could spend five years fighting to allow DTC or just go dealer. He is working on getting it sold to early hand-raisers at no markup.



Statistics: Length is 194"

• The width is 84"
• Ground Clearance of 10.4"
• Wade Depth 800mm
• Towing is expected to be 7700pds
• Roof weight 660pds static, still calculating dynamic.
• No weight yet; it looks heavy.
• There is no range, but they are saying a 24-gallon tank, and the engine averages 21mpg. You are looking at 500 miles. Third-Party is already in talks of an AUX tank. You can fit another 10-15 gallons underneath with very little work. People asked if you could buy some when the car is built, and there is no option.
• 33 will be option on 17 or 18. You will be able to fit 35 with little modification and it wont affect warranty

They are using a 4mm (1.73 inches) steel skid plate and will offer the ability to put a thicker piece on. Air Intake is not sealed, so like Defender for clean air.



Engine: B58 BMW tuned for Grenadier. The idea was lower HP for more torque. We wanted to provide smoother torque throughout the powerband. The engine is a proven engine and has had little to no issues. The most significant pain will be the timing chain in the back of the engine. No diesel because BMW stop importing the engines post-2019. The loss of certification stopped Grenadier from allowing the engine here.



Service: Working on the network, but it was hinted it would be BMW because of the engine. More cars are moving to electric which reduces the number of cars in for service if you think about it. Grenadier will bring in money. Grenadier is looking at selling service packages at the sale of the vehicle. If you want to work on the Grenadier yourself, you will have free access to the service manuals. You will be able to order parts directly from Ineos, and the pieces will be shipped to you. You will not void the warranty if you do the work yourself. There will be third-party suppliers that will sell parts, which keeps prices in check. They are looking at three years of unlimited miles, but there are now talks of 5yr unlimited miles warranty.



Interior: The interior looked better in person too. I get the boom box jokes, but it looked more natural in real life. You feel like you are sitting in the cockpit, but the dials and switches feel normal. I have to say it was satisfying being able to flip switches. I am a tactile person, so I did appreciate it. I tend to use the manual controls more than the touch screen in the Defender. The seats were Recaro, and they were very comfortable. The material used in the version I saw was their fabric version which is water repellant, and you can wipe away messes with a sponge. It will come with leather seats, and you can choose a rubber floor with drain holes or carpet. You will be able to spec it with heated front seats. Everyone was asking for a heated steering wheel, but the current iteration will NOT have a heated steering wheel. They did tell us to keep asking, and we might see it at some point. Grenadier will run the infotainment system via Andriod Auto or Car Play. It does not look like it will be wireless because there will be no wifi in the car. That may change, but I doubt it. There will be satellite radio and traditional radio. It has all the offroad information like the Defender but gives you more details around the temperature of your transfer case and battery level. You will have the option of two batteries in the Grenadier at purchase. One battery will be under the hood with a fuse box to control the Grenadier. The second one can be mounted under the rear seat with a fuse box to control AUX and anything else you wire up. You can also option a 2000w inverter. Plug and play is very much part of the design. You will have everything prewired and the wires will run down the A pillar and there will be a plug set up in the rear.

When sitting in the back, and the driver was at the halfway mark of the seat, you had 12inches from back of the seat to the rear seat cushion. I am 5'11, and i had plenty of room. The picture of the rear seat, you will notice a guy who was 6'2 sitting with no room but the driver seat was pushed all the way back.



Interior Cargo Dimension versus Defender(inches)

Height: Defender 35 at the door and 37 from ceiling/Grenadier 39 at the door 42 at ceiling

Width: Narrow portion between wheel wells: Defender 45/ Grenadier 42(they are talking about making it wider)

Upper portion above wheel wells: Defender 52.5/Grenadier58

Rear Seat cushion to Door: Defender 61.5/Grenadier 68

Broadest between windows Grenadier 60/64

Rear Seat to the door Defender 34.5/Grenadier 36





Exterior: Not much to add except it felt wider than in the picture and, at the same time, not as big. It felt proportional and slightly longer than the Defender 110. Does the front look like the older defenders? Yes. The rest does not. It has more of a G wagon feel, especially the back.



External Dimensions Versus L663 (all in inches)

Length: Defender 187 without spare/Grenadier 194 (i believe without spare)

Width: Defender 82/Grenadier 84

Height: Defender 77/Grenadier 80

Wade: Defender 35/Grenadier 31

Ground Clearance 11.4/10.4



Tech: TrioRover, you asked about the person who did the coding. It sounded like it was a joint venture between BMW, INEOS, and Bosch. I asked about the lockers, and Magna is the supplier. Two electronic actuating lockers for front and rear, manual center locker.

Here is the list of Standard Tech for the US, pretty much required from the DOT

• Park sensors
• Blindspot warning
• rear camera
• autonomous emergency braking
• Trailer sway assist
• 2000W inverter (optional)
• Trailer Hitch is standard

A push of the button can kill all these nannies, including the engine shifting into the park when you open the door to see where you are going—also, the seatbelt chime.



Accessories: They already have given vehicles to 3rd party manufacturers. They realize that people will want to customize, and they want their 3rd party partners to meet the demand. Adding third-party parts that are approved will not affect the warranty. ALU-Cab, ARB, Frontrunner, and EMU are already at work. Grenadier will offer three racks, a full expedition rack, a 2/3 rack that starts right after the front safari windows, and a luggage rack with the smallest of the three. They will offer roof bars for those who do not want a rack. Grenadier will offer a lot more accessories. There will be a drawer system that can also be a sleeping platform.



Might Show up not guaranteed.

• ability to unlock the door by pushing a button on the key
• In the US, the rear seats will be able to be removed by the owner. A solution for not bringing the commercial variant to the US
• Diesel Engine, if it happens it will be a while
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Pickup truck version 2024 target

 

Did they mention anything about the approximate price?

 

No, but the rumor is base will be 70k and fully loaded at 80k

 

I like what I see here and have seen on other sites. Thanks for the detailed update. I could see myself making the switch in a couple of years if the off-roading experience of the 663 falls short of what I want. Good to know its out there, at about the same price.

 

I literally just rescheduled a business call to re-read this. Thank you - great review and specifics,.

 

How do I sign up to get on a wait list?? Right behind StarLink, yada yada yada.

 

IMHO the L663 does it job. The question then becomes why Grenadier. I think it fits the niche for people who want more control and less interference. Greg came from Land Rover and one thing they really strived for was not having XMAS light dashboard. You can always get home and if you can't they are there to make sure you get home. The last piece is longevity; it feels like it can be handed down to family members at least until all ICE are ban.

 

This. Just the simple act of wanting to open the door and hang out so I can back precisely to the edge of that 200' cliff without going over or stopping short, but the truck "knows best" and goes into lockdown mode over that.

I guess I spent a lot of time learning to drive old school, analog offroaders, and I miss being able to disable all the street nannies (easily) and play in the dirt. And understand how the mechanical components work. I like your description "Christmas tree dashboard."

 

JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE DESCRIPTION AND PICTURES !

Very interesting and educational.

 

Anytime and as things move along, I will keep ppl updated. I appreciate everything you have done for the community, Thank you