Great video from ASPW. He provides an excellent summary of the rationale for buying a Grenadier. The Grenadier's niche in the 4x4 world is "as simple as possible" - while meeting contemporary safety regulations. Based on this premise, some of the arguments against things like the digital gear shifter might make more sense to some who might be wondering what all the fuss is about (there is a manual lever for the transfer case, a manual lever for the handbrake, but the auto-shifter is one of the "least mechanical" auto-shifters in the market place).
He also makes a good argument about why the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon so great off-road; he cites two things:
(1) Solid axles
(2) The ability to put on really large tires
He left out the fact that Rubicons have a really low geared, low-range, resulting in a crawl ratio of 77:1 or up to 100:1 (depending how you spec your vehicle). In other words, for every full rotation of the tires, the engine crankshaft must rotate 77 times (or up to 100 times). Thus, the ability of the vehicle to crawl up steep slopes, and over rough terrain is magnified, and control is increased. This results in fewer breakages, increased safety, and a whole lot of fun. Likewise, steep descents are controlled by engine-braking, and not brakes applied to the wheels, providing control when otherwise one might lock-up the wheels and slide. As ASPW says, you don't need electronic traction control when you have the right mechanical components (solid axles, low gearing, locking differentials).
