trobex
Grenadier Owner
EDIT: VIN no. is a 004500s and 1946 SW.
So, I am sure one of the 1st questions us owners will ask ourselves almost immediately is: Do I really like my Gren? Not gonna lie, I do.
Does it have some obvious issues/flaws - sure does.
Does it remain appetising after a 1200kms+ over the last week of ownership... - sure does!
Does it require me to get off road in the next few months when work says 'its ok you have time now! - sure does!
Does it lure me in every day to drive to work in it and shun the ute which really does use less fuel...! - sure does!
My thoughts below are simply a personal view on the vehicle based on a solids week and bit driving (and taking particular notice), and even if I call in the BAD - that does not really discourage my want of ownership at all. Quite openly, the truck is here to stay based on initial use!
I won't comment too much under under chassis, 4X4 and off road - have not had time to do either at all - for another day.
I have photos on phone for a few water ingress issues and the other bits, but for some reason CANNOT connect phone to PC to download them all - will do this later!
External Fitment - 1st Appearances
THE GOOD AND MANAGEABLE
- No need to repeat what others say regarding looks - it is a great looking vehicle and unique enough that many people here in SEQLD just stare at it. I just give a cheeky wink and nod (like a coy kid who got to the front of the Lolly line first!).
- Generally, the solid paneling is rather well aligned - I cannot find too much to comment on. Bonnet, Rear Corner, Headlight Panels etc are also straight, true and what I would expect.
- Hard plastics (the black extruded/moulded bits and bobs) generally sit well enough, however as many have mentioned, the solid/extruded plastic covers do have a variance of minor warp to them in several key areas of the vehicle in particular the fore and aft of the accessory rails & rear corner vents/grilles, but for me personally they are not bad enough to warrant long term concern (I think unless muck starts to accumulate...) and they do their intended purpose.
- All doors close and sit perfectly well, including tailgate doors. They all shut well, thud on shut, no rattle on shut, seem to sit well aligned, seal well and rest flat enough considering the seal arrangements.
- The biggest gripe is the fuel lid, it's about 2-3mm sagged in the shut position but from what I can see it should be easily adjusted when I have time. DEALER FIX
- Ladder to tail is good, but a few rubber grommets on the rear ladder are deformed slightly do not sit entirely flush too body work (probably not an issue but I will attempt to fix them).
- Left rear passenger door has a small burr on the internal weld/seam which when the door is closed with a 'mid-range' push, does impact against the body door threshold (metal) and leaves a tiny chip (1mm) in the paint work. I'll get dealer to remove blemish later. DEALER FIX
- Generally, all other seams/welds/folds are pretty good, and nothing stands out from this type of fabrication method that would alarm me.
- Front windscreen fitment seems quite good.
- Wipers fit and work well although I had have had to click back in to place the wiper knuckle shroud (the black plastic that protects the hinge pin). But when it clicked back in to place it seems to 'click' in well and I will keep an eye on it.
- All other windows actually seem well fitted. They close firm, do no rattle in general open positions.
- Snorkel seems well fitted although there is some sponginess at the junction to the body panel... not much but I will double check this on the weekend. DEALER CHECK
- Door handles on my vehicle are excellent - sorry @Jean Mercier !!!
- Seems to be a minor warp on the rubber seal between under wiper guard plastic shroud and the main body panel - back of bonnet area (a flexible weather strip). DEALER CHECK
- Rear passenger doors, dry as a bone... even in extra rainy conditions upon open cannot see any water ingress.
- Roof drainage channel is neat, well built and the rubber trimming is well fixed. The corner guards on mine are reasonably true and plumb and well fitted, although the front corners drain in an odd arrangement explained below. They do drain ok at present but will need to ensure drainage points at corners are well maintained... any scum, dirt, leaves etc will easily block these.
- Side step bars are well fitted; rubber seems to be ok on grip and robustness. MADE IN CHINA sticker still attached!
- Upper roof does not seem to retain water in the pressed bodywork as some others have found, not that I have found as yet myself.
- Quite often, in rain, when you have to brake more suddenly a gush of water cascades down the windscreen! Not a problem really but it did raise an eyebrow from a fellow passenger: "wipers take care of it".
THE BAD (frustrating for now): Both front driver and passenger doors have the 'wet feet' syndrome - a known issue and I can deal with that for now, but that is not my concern as much as the upper seal of the same doors which rest parallel with the roof channel, as these do retain water, enough that an uncomfortable amount of water falls directly from between this horizontal portion of the door seal and the body, when the door is opened in medium to heavy rain and even shortly after in garaged situations. This water directly falls on the driver's side door window/lock control panel (is this bloody waterproof???), then a fair portion falls directly on to the arm rest, and further water into the lower footwell. FOOTWELL AREA: This water falling from the top of an open door would be manageable if the water dripped down the outer door threshold, but it does not and initially upon door open it falls internally into the lip of the footwell. This is exacerbated by the fact the roof drain channel and the odd way in which water is diverted through the corner rubber guard, seems to be directed to the same spot!!! At present this is annoying... but with new seals coming for the wet feet issue, hopefully, most of the upper seal issue is also resolved??? To be kept on the burner this issue. Not sure on corner guard and how diversion of water to the 'point' can be avoided. DEALER FIX
- Tail gate doors, both allow again an uncomfortable amount of water to drip INTO cargo area of the vehicle... by uncomfortable I mean a dry cloth is required to wipe up in my opinion and not leave sitting. The worst part is in the rain we just had, I drove into my garage and about 2 minutes later I opened the large tailgate, where water then dripped into the unprotected open area where the gas strut connects to the body. Again, rag in the cavity to dry it up. Some of this water also finds its way in to the upper locking mech of the large tail gate when the gate is opened during or just after rain. I'll keep an eye out but read a similar issue from a few members elsewhere. DEALER FIX
- The above was all found whilst parked flat, being, a garage and external concrete hardstand.
Internal Fitment
THE GOOD AND MANAGEABLE
- My tailgate camp tray is missing! None in QLD maybe, so waiting on that to arrive and then it will be fitted.
- Seats - excellent. Both front and rear. Quality seems on point and comfort is good.
- Window panels, trims, seals, rubber fitments, etc are all good.
- Door handles internally are solid, arm rests are sturdy, grab points to get in and out are solid. Nothing seems to move in that respect.
- Centre console lock box is well fitted, doesn't move around and mine is well finished.
- Lights and cloth fitted around is looking good.
- Cargo area finish is good with tie down rails and vinyl's fitted well - only the tailgate internal storage has a flimsy plastic cover (camp table will take that out!).
- Some others experienced poor internal trim fitment, however, in my vehicle I have nothing much to comment on. Internal hard plastics, dashboard, consoles, rear plastics, rear consoles, vents, steering wheel & brake lever finish, lower vinyl's to all floors, arm rests, door panels, faux/cloth trims, everything seems to be well fitted and reasonably neat. One MINOR squeak in dash and its directly behind the hard plastic supporting the info centre, and the softer dashboard trim - fix with tiny 2mm thick sleeve of foam cut and wedged.
- Some mentioned their roof switch panels were a little flimsy - again in my vehicle it feels very well connected and firm with little movement when you press against it. I guess only that these later built trucks have an improved fitment QA process, and possible parts may have been provided in a slightly high quality.
- Rubber foot mats fit perfectly well... quite good actually and nothing to concern myself with here. Later, ill get a more rigid 'tray like' mat system which can capture mud, dust, water off shoes etc. Similar to what I run in my work ute.
THE BAD
- LOW/HIGH lever knob feels tacky as - like those 20c slot machines where you get the 2-piece egg with a hidden surprise. Just feels cheap, and tap it sounds like an eggshell! But it is probably quite robust, and I am being picky.
- For now, internal fitment generally seems to be on par with what I would expect in this type of vehicle.
- EDIT: I am now certain that condensation, from AC use, is dripping into the left hand footwell. Wife reported drops hitting her feet. Ill investigate further. DEALER FIX MAYBE
So, I am sure one of the 1st questions us owners will ask ourselves almost immediately is: Do I really like my Gren? Not gonna lie, I do.
Does it have some obvious issues/flaws - sure does.
Does it remain appetising after a 1200kms+ over the last week of ownership... - sure does!
Does it require me to get off road in the next few months when work says 'its ok you have time now! - sure does!
Does it lure me in every day to drive to work in it and shun the ute which really does use less fuel...! - sure does!
My thoughts below are simply a personal view on the vehicle based on a solids week and bit driving (and taking particular notice), and even if I call in the BAD - that does not really discourage my want of ownership at all. Quite openly, the truck is here to stay based on initial use!
I won't comment too much under under chassis, 4X4 and off road - have not had time to do either at all - for another day.
I have photos on phone for a few water ingress issues and the other bits, but for some reason CANNOT connect phone to PC to download them all - will do this later!
External Fitment - 1st Appearances
THE GOOD AND MANAGEABLE
- No need to repeat what others say regarding looks - it is a great looking vehicle and unique enough that many people here in SEQLD just stare at it. I just give a cheeky wink and nod (like a coy kid who got to the front of the Lolly line first!).
- Generally, the solid paneling is rather well aligned - I cannot find too much to comment on. Bonnet, Rear Corner, Headlight Panels etc are also straight, true and what I would expect.
- Hard plastics (the black extruded/moulded bits and bobs) generally sit well enough, however as many have mentioned, the solid/extruded plastic covers do have a variance of minor warp to them in several key areas of the vehicle in particular the fore and aft of the accessory rails & rear corner vents/grilles, but for me personally they are not bad enough to warrant long term concern (I think unless muck starts to accumulate...) and they do their intended purpose.
- All doors close and sit perfectly well, including tailgate doors. They all shut well, thud on shut, no rattle on shut, seem to sit well aligned, seal well and rest flat enough considering the seal arrangements.
- The biggest gripe is the fuel lid, it's about 2-3mm sagged in the shut position but from what I can see it should be easily adjusted when I have time. DEALER FIX
- Ladder to tail is good, but a few rubber grommets on the rear ladder are deformed slightly do not sit entirely flush too body work (probably not an issue but I will attempt to fix them).
- Left rear passenger door has a small burr on the internal weld/seam which when the door is closed with a 'mid-range' push, does impact against the body door threshold (metal) and leaves a tiny chip (1mm) in the paint work. I'll get dealer to remove blemish later. DEALER FIX
- Generally, all other seams/welds/folds are pretty good, and nothing stands out from this type of fabrication method that would alarm me.
- Front windscreen fitment seems quite good.
- Wipers fit and work well although I had have had to click back in to place the wiper knuckle shroud (the black plastic that protects the hinge pin). But when it clicked back in to place it seems to 'click' in well and I will keep an eye on it.
- All other windows actually seem well fitted. They close firm, do no rattle in general open positions.
- Snorkel seems well fitted although there is some sponginess at the junction to the body panel... not much but I will double check this on the weekend. DEALER CHECK
- Door handles on my vehicle are excellent - sorry @Jean Mercier !!!
- Seems to be a minor warp on the rubber seal between under wiper guard plastic shroud and the main body panel - back of bonnet area (a flexible weather strip). DEALER CHECK
- Rear passenger doors, dry as a bone... even in extra rainy conditions upon open cannot see any water ingress.
- Roof drainage channel is neat, well built and the rubber trimming is well fixed. The corner guards on mine are reasonably true and plumb and well fitted, although the front corners drain in an odd arrangement explained below. They do drain ok at present but will need to ensure drainage points at corners are well maintained... any scum, dirt, leaves etc will easily block these.
- Side step bars are well fitted; rubber seems to be ok on grip and robustness. MADE IN CHINA sticker still attached!
- Upper roof does not seem to retain water in the pressed bodywork as some others have found, not that I have found as yet myself.
- Quite often, in rain, when you have to brake more suddenly a gush of water cascades down the windscreen! Not a problem really but it did raise an eyebrow from a fellow passenger: "wipers take care of it".
THE BAD (frustrating for now): Both front driver and passenger doors have the 'wet feet' syndrome - a known issue and I can deal with that for now, but that is not my concern as much as the upper seal of the same doors which rest parallel with the roof channel, as these do retain water, enough that an uncomfortable amount of water falls directly from between this horizontal portion of the door seal and the body, when the door is opened in medium to heavy rain and even shortly after in garaged situations. This water directly falls on the driver's side door window/lock control panel (is this bloody waterproof???), then a fair portion falls directly on to the arm rest, and further water into the lower footwell. FOOTWELL AREA: This water falling from the top of an open door would be manageable if the water dripped down the outer door threshold, but it does not and initially upon door open it falls internally into the lip of the footwell. This is exacerbated by the fact the roof drain channel and the odd way in which water is diverted through the corner rubber guard, seems to be directed to the same spot!!! At present this is annoying... but with new seals coming for the wet feet issue, hopefully, most of the upper seal issue is also resolved??? To be kept on the burner this issue. Not sure on corner guard and how diversion of water to the 'point' can be avoided. DEALER FIX
- Tail gate doors, both allow again an uncomfortable amount of water to drip INTO cargo area of the vehicle... by uncomfortable I mean a dry cloth is required to wipe up in my opinion and not leave sitting. The worst part is in the rain we just had, I drove into my garage and about 2 minutes later I opened the large tailgate, where water then dripped into the unprotected open area where the gas strut connects to the body. Again, rag in the cavity to dry it up. Some of this water also finds its way in to the upper locking mech of the large tail gate when the gate is opened during or just after rain. I'll keep an eye out but read a similar issue from a few members elsewhere. DEALER FIX
- The above was all found whilst parked flat, being, a garage and external concrete hardstand.
Internal Fitment
THE GOOD AND MANAGEABLE
- My tailgate camp tray is missing! None in QLD maybe, so waiting on that to arrive and then it will be fitted.
- Seats - excellent. Both front and rear. Quality seems on point and comfort is good.
- Window panels, trims, seals, rubber fitments, etc are all good.
- Door handles internally are solid, arm rests are sturdy, grab points to get in and out are solid. Nothing seems to move in that respect.
- Centre console lock box is well fitted, doesn't move around and mine is well finished.
- Lights and cloth fitted around is looking good.
- Cargo area finish is good with tie down rails and vinyl's fitted well - only the tailgate internal storage has a flimsy plastic cover (camp table will take that out!).
- Some others experienced poor internal trim fitment, however, in my vehicle I have nothing much to comment on. Internal hard plastics, dashboard, consoles, rear plastics, rear consoles, vents, steering wheel & brake lever finish, lower vinyl's to all floors, arm rests, door panels, faux/cloth trims, everything seems to be well fitted and reasonably neat. One MINOR squeak in dash and its directly behind the hard plastic supporting the info centre, and the softer dashboard trim - fix with tiny 2mm thick sleeve of foam cut and wedged.
- Some mentioned their roof switch panels were a little flimsy - again in my vehicle it feels very well connected and firm with little movement when you press against it. I guess only that these later built trucks have an improved fitment QA process, and possible parts may have been provided in a slightly high quality.
- Rubber foot mats fit perfectly well... quite good actually and nothing to concern myself with here. Later, ill get a more rigid 'tray like' mat system which can capture mud, dust, water off shoes etc. Similar to what I run in my work ute.
THE BAD
- LOW/HIGH lever knob feels tacky as - like those 20c slot machines where you get the 2-piece egg with a hidden surprise. Just feels cheap, and tap it sounds like an eggshell! But it is probably quite robust, and I am being picky.
- For now, internal fitment generally seems to be on par with what I would expect in this type of vehicle.
- EDIT: I am now certain that condensation, from AC use, is dripping into the left hand footwell. Wife reported drops hitting her feet. Ill investigate further. DEALER FIX MAYBE
Last edited:
- probably a few sighs here from some forum members! I will get to it: - in the end it does become pretty unsatisfying trying to find a truly comfortable position and I can 100% feel how others that have issues with this actually feel. It is ok for some, but not all. This was my no1 issue after driving the PT03 several times, and for me personally is the primary comfort gremlin for the as built vehicle (however not a sellable issue I have decided!). My $40K Single Cab ute has a better leg and comfort position than my GREN - but I will deal with it. I did about 800km of travel on the highway this week within the 1200+km total, and I got to testing as many possible seating arrangements as the seat allowed. I broke the three adjustments in to 9 separable zones (imagine a grid of 3x3) and sat in these zones for various trips. Most are pretty ordinary with the footrest in that position, however, I found two zones where at least my leg and center of balance as a close to 'good' as it can be. However, in both my left knee is forced to rest directly against the forward center console with pressure greater than is comfortable, because neither allows my leg to rest on the squab of the seat (I am a skinny bugger). So, I am looking at installing a 4mm thick boat foam rubber pad to the side of the plastic console which I can then rest the bone of my knee against... not ideal but it is a good solution for me and that is just how is it... still causes the left side of my foot to get achy because it's hard to sit with my foot FLAT on the rest, and, hip is still off center a little to right leg alignment and causes minor numbness at about 1hr of driving but thats where I then adjust from my personal preference of Tolerable Position 1 to Tolerable Position 2, and weekly Chiro will take care of the rest! Failing all that, the little, tiny glove box will still fit Rose-Tinted Glasses!!!
