Hi all.
6,200 kms on the clock with only about 300 kms in low range off road.
Little bit of sand, mud and loose dirt/wet grass.
Feeling is it probably would have done it all in hi range unlocked but hey....................
Haven't used the front and rear diffs yet.
I am a glorified sales rep so this is mainly a work vehicle going to sites and seeing customers.
Motorway between Gympie and Brisbane at 120-140 kmh it is a dream.
About 20% of use so far
- sits on the road like a good quality SUV
- Steering is no problem at all and if you wanted it would be a one finger control. (I prefer to plan for the worse so tend to always have two hands on the wheel)
- Overtaking is a dream provided morons don't sit in the fast lane. I always move back over the same as driving on an autobahn.
- Fuel consumption suffers the faster you try to push the stack of bricks through the air.
- I have had quite a few waves and vehicles pulling alongside to stare.
- Fuel and food stops on the way often lead to people asking questions and wanting a look inside.
Driving around Brisbane city and suburbs
About 10-15% of use.
- Turning circle and turbo lag need to be taken into account but took maybe 1,000 kms to get used to.
- Parking at hotels and shops is a major issue as many have 1.95 - 2.05 metres maximum clearance.
- No problem in city traffic and the view is fantastic.
- Again be prepared to answer questions(or be an arsehole) I have even taken a couple of groups for a drive.
Country towns/cities such as Gladstone, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Maryborough & Hervey Bay
The majority of its use so far.
- Big, wide roads around town with lots of 4WD's so fits in beautifully. Rough, potholed and slippery roads out of town. Forestry tracks and mine roads can go from rubbish to really rubbish in 50 metres.
- Parking in hotels still a problem so select ones with secure above ground or open air parking.
- Reverse parking up against a wall typical as most customers require reversing into parking spots on site.
- Small rear door is fantastic as it allows you to park close to a wall, open it fully and then open the large door until the spare tyre hits. Means the large door is only open about a quarter but that provides a huge amount of access.
- I keep my safety boots, gloves, hi-visibility shirt etc in the spare wheel lockable box.
- Snake bite kit and extra first aid stored in space in front of the jack storage. ( always snakes on customer sites, often just don't see them)
- Space under rear seat behind second battery has my waterproof hi visibility pants and a heavy waterproof hi visibility warm jacket.
- Still trying to sort out something for hard hat
- Once again allow time for country folk to ask questions and look around. Only difference this will include "cockies" otherwise known as farmers, and their wives in town from out bush. Don't sell the 80 year old wives short as they have been driving and fixing 4wds and farm equipment for most of their lives. The men are often veterans of one war or another.
- This is the Grenadiers natural environment. No concern whatsoever about driving down any road or track, or across a field or paddock. Lots of floodways/causeways and creeks to cross.
Pro's & Con's
- Rear door open alarm was fixed by dealer in 10 minutes
- TPMS alarm at initial pickup was annoying but went away after 30-40 minutes and hasn't returned.
- Lag on maps connection is a total pain and makes it unusable.
- Trying to switch between two different mobile phones, work and personal, is a pain in the arse. during the week I have both with me but want work to be connected. After hours or weekends I only have personal and I have to go through the pain of telling it to connect everything to it. In my Mercedes it was just a 10 second exercise.
- Getting in and out is a dream with the side steps.
- Safari windows are fantastic for vision, airy feeling and head room. I strongly recommend a really good ceramic tint treatment.
- Parked in direct sunlight 30-40 degrees it takes about 30 seconds to cool the interior down. Open all windows, including safari. Turn aircon down to minimum and drive away. Then close everything back up.
- Aircon works fantastic. I always leave it on, set to auto, then just adjust the temperature. This works for cold and hot temps.
- Seats are extremely comfortable and great for long trips. I have black and white leather and due to window tinting they are never too hot to sit on.
- I had Williams F1 ceramic coating put on before collection and despite the fact it is parked outside and gets very dirty I have never washed it. It rained a few minutes ago and it is now sparkling clean.
- Despite gear stick looking a bit out of place it is now easy to use and I don't even have to look at it anymore. It falls straight to hand and is very intuitive to use.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rLlLfAcESmM
Hardest part of ownership is trying not to comment on stupid Facebook posts and to coin a term from Christian and Vera "dumbarse" YouTube reviews by experts who think it needs automatic braking, lane departure, speed control, radar, speed sign recognition, a subwoofer, etc etc etc.
I also have no idea how so many people managed to travel the world in 4WDS that don't have a sway bar disconnect function. Clearly all those millions of people just made shit up.
