This Grenadier in the review wasn’t pre-production. The review references previous off-road driving last year in a different Grenadier which was pre-production, and that vehicle was the one without the operational diffs. This review seems to be a 1000 mile road test in an Ineos press car.

 

Not everyone is going to like the Grenadier, not everyone likes the new Defender and not everyone liked the old one.

Evo is a performance car magazine and the Grenadier is the opposite of what they normally test.

 

I don't know, I've followed Evo since 1998, the early Harry Metcalfe days. Performance has multiple dimensions, and IMO they just tell it like they see it.

Easy to shoot the messenger, but the review was based on 1000 miles in a production Grenadier. No one here has done that.

And maybe some of the nuance about the prior drive in a pre-production car has been missed. The tested car seems to be a production vehicle.

 

Well, they didn't like it that's for sure!!

 

Yeah I can definitely see some of my opinion in their article. The things people complain about with the new Defender is that it isn't a farm truck and it doesn't have live axels. The Grenadier is definitely not a farm truck. As they point out, it's probably more of a rich person's play toy than the Defender is.

It does have live axels but it points out that while that helps off-road (and not even all off-road scenarios...) It's terrible on road. I will also add they make good points about things like the gauge cluster. Damn that looks like a train wreck.

The Grenadier is fine, but it's much more likely to be someone's side toy in my opinion.

 

Well yes with a start price of £65,000 for the base 2 seater and another £10,000 for the cheapest five seat model it will be out of reach for many.

Fortunately for those people not blessed with bank accounts overflowing with money there's plenty of old type Defenders always for sale and prices for those have dropped recently.

You can get a very nice Defender 110 Station Wagon for £20,000

 

-I had a chance to sit in a Grenadier! (but not drive it), and it was a solid, awesome looking SUV. When was the last modern SUV to offer a front & rear bumper that you didn't have to be careful not to hit? There's definitely going to be buyers for it: no matter what a Wrangler can do off road, it's got a flimsy top - there's no comparison to the steel box frame of Grenadier. I'm not saying it's better - and if you want a topless 4x4 you can pick Bronco or Wrangler. But Grenadier is very different because it's offering a solid roof to those buyers that want it & I think that's a great feature IMO. That said, I'm driving a Wrangler Sahara now (on loan) and it's really fun to drive. I have no issues with the recirculating ball steering. Is it loose? Yes, when compared to my LR; but it's less loose if I slow down, so if I am passing in between cars I slow down and the steering is more accurate. At speed the Wrangler can drift. Although I won't know until I drive it, I would expect the Grenadier will be no more of a compromise than the Wrangler, and this is no knock to Wrangler as I really love driving it! One difference I'll be looking for is around the weight (how will a far heavier Grenadier react vs the lighter Wrangler?) As for cost, yes Grenadier is expensive - but wait a second.... so is ND! ND is not in any "Payless" shoe store parking lots - none at JC Penny. I love ND; but inexpensive or even "reasonably priced" is a very difficult phrase to use. Weather it's ND, the Lexus GX Over Trail, or Grenadier - they are all relatively expensive choices. The ND costs can work as it can be your daily driver + your weekend adventure SUV. The ND cost outlay does double duty - making ND more approachable price wise. If Grenadier is not a great daily driver, it can still be a great adventure 4x4, but it will more likely be limited only for those that have the budget to maintain 2 cars. If you're only driving one, then on-road features (mostly interior design stuff) is going to matter. But for folks with a fun Wrangler doing weekend duty already, I think Grenadier is going to be a very interesting alternative. If the Grenadier is not a daily driver and you still need something that is, then you're "side toy" disclaimer on it is going to prove correct. But time will tell... I think the US market is exceptionally demanding, and some things folks don't like about Grenadier initially are probably not that hard to change? The basic indestructible shell & exterior siding, plus the percussion ready suspension & off road gearing (hi/lo&locking) all say Grenadier is here to party.

 

Yeah I think we are largely saying the same thing with different emphasis. My point was people call the Grenadier a true Defender and then one of the complaints about the ND is it's expensive and not a farmers truck. Nobody said the ND is cheap, but the Grenadier is also very expensive, so it doesn't make it the "true Defender" because of that.

The live axel thing we both seem to agree on. It sucks on the highway but is better is some (again not all) off-road situations. Comparing the Grenadier to the Wrangler or Bronco is not very fair because they really aren't in the same class unless you are going Raptor or 392 Jeep. Yes, the Grenadier is a hard top, that's a nice touch for some. I agree, it's a big market and people will buy it.

And we both seem to agree it's probably not ideal as an only car for the price, which is largely the angle the magazine seemed to come at it with. I don't think it was a hit piece, I just think it's a niche rig.

 

@paule My only words is try driving it on the street before you equate that it sucks. I don't believe this was a hit piece despite the connections with Harry who is/was paid consultant for Land Rover, but I do believe the driver no concept of what he was driving. It's not meant to be a SUV, it's meant to be a truck. I've had opportunity to drive it on the road and off the road for total of 2 hours. I personally enjoyed driving it and it reminded me what driving really is about. A connection between the driver and the vehicle. I just did 350 miles in my l663 and it was comfortable. At no point did I feel like I was driving it but more guiding it down the road. When I drove the Grenadier, it reminded me of driving my 1987 Toyota MR2. My inputs at all times had a direct effect in what I was doing.

as other people have said, you will either love it or hate it. No in-between

With pricing, a equally equip defender on steel 18 oh wait JLR killed that option. Also you no longer can get a full metal roof. Try pricing out a Grenadier Trialmaster versus a L663 with offroad pack and tow package is around 75k. The Grenadier is 78k. For l663 to compete, you need to change out the rims to at least 18 which is about 1 grand. Now you need proper off road tires and that is 1200. The grenadier comes with E rated KO2. So now difference is about 800 and you haven't grind down the brakes to fit the rim on. The Grenadier comes with a raised air intake which you can get from JLR off the pack. But lets just price that piece at JLR pricing of 500.00. Now the difference is 300. AS YOU CAN SEE THE PRICE IS NOT THAT MUCH DIFFERENT.

BTW I bought a 1.5 inch lift for mine from the same suspension manufacture that designed the Grenadier suspension. It cost me 500.00 dollars. A sub frame lift for L663 is 7150 dollars.

In end both are great vehicles and will meet each owners goals.

 

I don't think I posted this review but it's from Land Rover Monthly. They did a 3 person review of the Grenadier on and off road.