Land Rover Defender vs INEOS Grenadier
4wd Low
Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 13
Likes: 13
Looks to be due to the seat supplier Recaro.
Ineos Grenadier Production Halted, Possibly Until 2025 (motor1.com)
Ineos Grenadier Production Halted, Possibly Until 2025 (motor1.com)
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,157
Likes: 464
From: USA
Too bad Recaro is facing difficulties. Hard to imagine they would go out of business, They are a major player in supplying seats for lots of airlines. I wonder if the airlines are dropping Recaro seat orders.
Rock Crawling
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 251
Likes: 95
From: USA
I too looked at Grenadier - all I had to do was sit in one to realize that it's not for me. The trade-off between that and a 110 Defender on the inside is too much for me to use as a daily driver. I get it - for someone that has a fun Wrangler, I don't doubt the Grenadier can be that weekend fun 4x4. It looked crazy strong, and the outside aesthetics were terrific. But for me, I'm getting a Defender as a daily driver, and Grenadier doesn't have the internal brilliance of Defender. I think Grenadier may make some sales vs. Bronco and Wrangler, but I don't seen anyone who's seriously shopping a Defender turning around to buy a Grenadier - the ownership experience seems to be so different.
Pro Wrench
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 1,338
Likes: 1,440
From: Atlanta, GA
Like several of you I was on the Reservation list (at $450 iirc) early, in Feb 2022. But when the traveling road show came to an off-road park in North Georgia I got my hour long off-road drive plus as much time climbing around it as I wanted. I canceled the order after that day. Turning radius is so much worse than my 663 (2022 110 D400); cargo space with folded seats is horrible because of the 8” step up caused by the seatbacks; step-in height was about 9” higher than the lowered 663. Also it felt noticeably slower than the LR 3-liter.
So I cancelled. My close friend (had a Bronco at the time but he trades all the time — trade his 2019 G550 on the Bronco) did the deal and picked his up early this year. He’s happy, but then it will undoubtedly be gone next year. He never off-roads.
So I cancelled. My close friend (had a Bronco at the time but he trades all the time — trade his 2019 G550 on the Bronco) did the deal and picked his up early this year. He’s happy, but then it will undoubtedly be gone next year. He never off-roads.
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 6
Likes: 4
I own a Grenadier and 2 L663 Defenders as of yesterday when my wife just picked up her new 110X.
Instead of selling her 90, I am keeping it so I can drive it.
The Grenadier is exceptional offroad and I find it challenging to fall in love with as any sort of urban daily driver.
I have become more enamored of the Defender platform since acquiring the Grenadier.
Last edited by Onefin; Dec 7, 2024 at 04:17 PM.
Winching
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 635
Likes: 553
Exactly, it is already boring...
As I stated before, I've had some seat time in one and was completely atrocious. The interior quality was awful. Everything felt cheap and chintzy. The infotainment sucked, as did the stereo, which is comprised of off-the-shelf JBL speakers you can buy at Walmart. The lack of a gauge cluster is also incredibly stupid. The only positive thing I can say about the interior is that the Recaro seats were excellent.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 44
Likes: 27
As I stated before, I've had some seat time in one and was completely atrocious. The interior quality was awful. Everything felt cheap and chintzy. The infotainment sucked, as did the stereo, which is comprised of off-the-shelf JBL speakers you can buy at Walmart. The lack of a gauge cluster is also incredibly stupid. The only positive thing I can say about the interior is that the Recaro seats were excellent.
I really wanted to like the Grenadier. I really did. Someone I play tennis with traded his Defender for a Grenadier and he let me drive it. He had it for a week before he traded it for another Defender. Objectively the WORST modern car I've ever driven. I fully understand that it is a purpose-built off roader with no compromises, but man that thing is compromised. The ride quality is atrocious - an old Defender has a much smoother ride. The steering and handling is borderline dangerous. Wranglers have recirculating ball steering and feel much more planted. The B58 BMW I6 is just as smooth as it is in BMWs, but they detuned it so much, that it genuinely feels slow. I think 0-60 is around ten seconds, and it feels that. The interior is cheap, the lack of a gauge cluster is irritating. Infotainment is terrible, as is the sound system, which is composed of off-the-shelf JBL speakers you can buy at Walmart. No doubt it is highly capable, but the Defender, on paper, is still more capable than the Grenadier. The build quality was also subpar, with the thing rattling to hell over every road imperfection (which you can seriously feel). I don't know who in their right mind would pay $85k+ for a decently equipped Grenadier. If you only drove it off-road, then it is fantastic, but as an everyday car, you can't get much worse than this thing. Also, it looks like a cheap Chinese knock-off Defender.
To be completely blunt, I'd rather have a PT Cruiser than a Grenadier. Hell, I'd honestly rather shoot myself in the foot than own a Grenadier and I am not exaggerating. Objectively, it is by far the worst vehicle you can buy right now, and in my opinion, one of the worst cars ever produced. I genuinely feel bad for people who actually spent money on one of these. Have I said enough?