Really good series this, Robert. Kudos to you for organising it and for Ineos taking part. This is very unusual and a sign that they are invested in the vehicles, the owner experience and the wider off-road enthusiast community. As an owner, I find the Grenadier very satisfying on road and off, as a farm and forestry vehicle, for family/leisure use, towing 3.5 tonnes and simply from an enthusiast/pride of ownership pov. By far my favourite 4x4 in 30 years driving and working all the pickups, all JLR's products in that time and most of the Japanese 4x4s. I'd certainly recommend Ineos continue an ambitions program of firmware updates to both fix the niggles/bugs and ensure continued owner goodwill - they cannot afford significant online disaffection. My only real complaints so far are an utterly ineffective heating system that's barely fit for purpose (how did it pass cold weather testing in Sweden?) and (post dealer bleeding) vibrating HVAC hoses. Always surprised by the subjective LHD footrest fuss - I'm a big bloke with workbooks and I've never noticed it, other than its a comfy place to rest a foot!

@jesmor3

4 күн бұрын

Thanks for the tip on the heater. I forgot to test that on my test drive and I will have to go back to check it out

Kudos to the ineos rep for coming on and responding to some legit technical questions.

@L2SFBC

7 күн бұрын

Yes!

I love these interviews. It’s great they take the time

@L2SFBC

6 күн бұрын

Yes definitely kudos to INEOS!

Thanks!

@L2SFBC

6 күн бұрын

Thank you Jerry!

Great Robert - you are really super competent and kudos getting Oliver on board. And yes Oliver is a real honest German engineer - and I like it 👏. In other automotive companies Finance and Marketing are deciding about all the technical features. Having said this I consider IA as an engineering company. And I hope they will learn from their errors and listen to their customers and experts like Robert.

@L2SFBC

6 күн бұрын

Thank you!

On a frivolous note.. when I was young I remember watching a film "Ice Cold in Alex". A tough scene was the crew of a large truck removing the spark plugs and hand cranking it while in reverse gear in order to ascend a sand dune. Collapsing with heat and exhaustion I am sure what they really needed was Apple Car Play. More sensibly a great interview, though the issue with the RHD footwell is a recurring criticism. With an automatic transmission road car I know my left foot tends to not be in that area I would imagine it to be a nuisance offroad where the driver may be bracing themselves a little with the left leg.

@Daniel-vl8mx

7 күн бұрын

I have owned mine for about 8 months now, and haven't found the footrest to be an issue, whether on-road or off. In fact when it is really gnarly it is a good surface to brace against, with the side of your leg braced against the trans tunnel, and the side of your right foot and leg braced on the other side, keeping you firmly in position (and without your right foot bouncing on the throttle). I think that this so-called issue is overblown. FWIW I am 184 cm tall, size 12 (Aus) feet. YMMV

@L2SFBC

7 күн бұрын

I don't think the issue is overblown. Some people, me included, hate it to the point where it is a dealbreaker. But many others do not mind it such as you. The percentage of dealbreaker people is enough for it to be mentioned in reviews. And either which way, the issue is indicative of an oversight problem by INEOS.

@youtubecarspottersguide1

7 күн бұрын

its a true off-roader /car camper with things off-roaders don't need , 8 way power driver and passenger front seats , 8 touch screens , 2nd row ent screens ,power tilt and fold 2nd and 3rd row seats .massive sunroof and luxury car bits and driver nannies , park assistant

@ElderStatesman-pi3lc

7 күн бұрын

@@L2SFBCan oversight problem or a calculated trade off? Non-issue for LHD market, so all they give up is a small segment in RHD markets - so my guess is they deliberately decided to sacrifice that segment in those markets in return for speed to market with the powertrain they selected. I was a little curious about his statement “not to start rumors” regarding the engine. Several times you could catch a little smirk.

@L2SFBC

6 күн бұрын

It would certainly be a calculated tradeoff as nobody says it's a good feature; the fact it exists to me indicates an oversight or error in marketing appeal as I think with time/money a solution could have been found and it has definitely hurt sales, and possibly the problem was realised too late to fix - the winch appears to be another example.

He mentioned full screen rear view camera but was that just for MY2024 forwards or would such things be updated for earlier vehicles? Interestingly, my DAB radio was near useless from delivery. I was stonewalled/met with a blank face when I raised this with the agent/Ineos; then it suddenly worked with the latest head unit software but I never got any detail of this being the case. Shame they don't treat owners with a little more respect and acknowledge issues, and issue release notes with software updates so we actually know what the changes were. This is the sort of interaction I was expecting from all the earlier promises of the project. Sadly most on the aftersales side have not materialised.3rd

Very interesting. He skipped or I missed the answer to why traction control on the front is disabled when the rear locker is engaged. It's the same with the LC300 GR sport. I was wondering if it was a safety issue. I have a 300 Sahara with aftermarket front & rear lockers & traction control works on the unlocked wheels.

@L2SFBC

6 күн бұрын

I can answer the LC300 question as I was on the preview launch and spoke to the engineers about that exact question when I found out what they had done. The answer is that they only added the lockers for user demand as they didn't feel it necessary so simply didn't bother add BTC to the front axle with rear engaged.

I think any real experienced off-roader, and I mean serious off-roader would agree that having the ability to use only the front locker only is a very handy thing to have. The wrangler does the same as the G… what I find is that I’m very rarely only using the rear locker. Particularly on climbs, it’s both or nothing. Purely because I can’t only lock the front. Good questions that I feel like that haven’t had to face yet

@L2SFBC

6 күн бұрын

Yes, many occasions when locking the front before rear is useful. I demonstrate it in another video.

@operation4wheelz

6 күн бұрын

@@L2SFBC 100… keeping that front axle working is 90% of the win. Whether it’s a good line, TC or a locker. (Or not having a too much weight over back end)

I had a recent situation in my Grenadier here in Dubai dunes, whereby I drove in High range, center diff locked, and my ESC is "ESC Off" - this requires to press the button twice. Driving up a fairly long dune and at the top on the crest I got stuck 2 times due to momentum. On the third attempt, getting stuck again, this time unable to reverse due to me having cross-axle, opposite wheels just spinning. in my case it was left front and right rear. The problem here is that I am unable to switch on a rear or front diff lock because I need to be in low-range. I was also not able to get into low-range, probably due to mechanical drive train alignment, it just did not want to go into low range. happened a few time now, sadly. So, I am stuck. What I then tried, was to switch my ESC on again, this time however, using "ESC Off road" mode,. This is a reduced mode, I had it totally off previously. I feathered the throttle and within a couple of seconds the vehicle popped out of the beaching on the dune crest. My thoughts here is - I will use the "ESC Off Road" mode more, to properly feel it in the sand dunes. I understand you need to have wheel slip in sand, but torque goes to the wheel with the least amount of resistance - when I used the reduced traction control mode, I was astonished how easily the vehicle started moving, moving my torque to the wheels that have some traction. The INEOS engineer was not clear on the BTC - my feeling is, when its in "ESC Off Road" mode, that there is BTC but without power limiting where as in regular settings where "ESC" is fully on, most vehicles will use traction control to stop wheel slip (and move torque to wheels with traction) and it will also limit vehicle power. Happy to get some thoughts

@edward3189

7 күн бұрын

Interesting feedback. I’m also in the UAE and have been thinking about whether there’s a Grenadier in my future. I own a Land Rover LR4, and I was previously in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I have driven both cars extensively in the dunes, over a period of 10 years of ownership on both. I have compared performance with ESC (or traction control) in sand/offroad mode, and also with ESC fully off by removing the appropriate fuses. In both cars, there is no doubt that performance is better with ESC in offroad mode as opposed to fully off. Especially when cross axles on a dune crest with opposing corners in the air as you described. You can hear the brake traction control braking the spinning wheels to drive power to the wheels that are on the ground. So, I am not surprised by your experience. I would imagine (and hope!) that the Grenadier would perform better with ESC partially on in offroad mode than fully switched off.

@L2SFBC

6 күн бұрын

Interesting comment, thanks. Thoughts: 1. If you got to the point where you were cross-axled and unable to reverse down a dune that suggests you didn't give up early enough. 2. once in that situation, yes cross-axle lockers would absolutely have helped you. See my Zook video for precisely that situation, although I intentionally bogged that time. kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZWuL09WLZcWraLA.html 3. this is a another example of where cross-axle locks in high range would be helpful. There are others. However, INEOS does not see any need for high-range lockers. I disagree. 4. I asked about BTC calibration in Offroad Mode and the answer seems to be it doesn't change. I also don't think you can engage Offroad Mode in high range? Essentially what we have here is lack of clarity about how the car works, and also restrictions in what drivers can do which is at odds with INEOS' stated aim of driver control. More here: l2sfbc.com/simple-things-to-get-right-for-modern-4x4-designers/

@L2SFBC

6 күн бұрын

The LR4 is entirely dependent on electronics; if those fail, the car is gone. The INEOS is not so reliant on electronics with a mechanical c/d lock, and long-travel suspension.

@edward3189

6 күн бұрын

@@L2SFBC yes there’s no doubt the Grenadier is designed to get traction through mechanical means - a combo of articulation and mechanical locks. Combine that with BTC and you have a system that is ultimately both better performing and more reliable than a BTC-only system. I presume INEOS doesn’t allow locker engagement in high range for safety reasons and to prevent drivetrain damage. That’s how the local boys here in the Gulf take their cars onto two wheels… quick swerve on tarmac with lockers engaged to roll the car onto two wheels.

@edward3189

6 күн бұрын

I enjoy your videos very much by the way, I think you’ve found a great niche for more technically inclined viewers.

German trees?

@L2SFBC

4 күн бұрын

????