Hello from Worcestershire in England

[KeithL]

Thanks @Oliver Brookshaw . Interesting that you were in a dilemma about which to get as well but opted for petrol. Do you green-lane or drive off-road in yours?

Not great to hear about your other issues. How old is your car? Did you buy it from an Ineos dealer or privately? I knew there had been a bit of a cull of the dealers from when we first looked after they were launched, but hadn't realised how bad it was. I assume the Birmingham dealer was Grange in Solihull - our nearest dealer. How long ago was it that you approached them? I certainly hope things improve as it doesn't sound great from what you are saying.

 

[DoubleDoom]

July 24 build for me. 11 months in.
Issues:

1. One of the heating valve flaps or catches on something when very cold outside temperatures and a lot of heat being generated. it creates a clicking sound (like a bit of plastic hitting a fan). Dealer had the same issue in one of their 2025 QMs. Still waiting for fix instruction from Ineos. Minor issue as I can get the sound to stop by closing the cubby vents and reopening them later.
2. Condensation on their aircon pipe which drips into passenger footwell. Virtually all builds until recently have this when the outside temperature gets high enough. Think of a cold drink glass condensating in the heat. There is a fix and mine is being done at first service.
3. Rear parking sensors stick on when nothing is behind. This too has happened with others but is fixed with no sensors.

No software issues. No warnings popping up (noting that Ineos decided that all alerts should appear as large amber boxes that some mistake for faults but are just information).
Mechanically sound. Has a similar wallowing to the Disco 2 but is closer to the Disco 4 in comfort.
Despite what the Americans may tell you the steering is fine. It returns to the centre. Just slower. It drives in a straight line with your hands off the wheel. You don't need to wobble the steering wheel to correct the car. Indeed, any movement of about half an inch either side doesn't make any difference. To be fair on our US friends, it does appear that a fair batch of them went out with different castor settings to the UK and those with poorly set caster would not enjoy the driving feel as much.

I knew there had been a bit of a cull of the dealers from when we first looked after they were launched, but hadn't realised how bad it was.

The dealers are not being culled. Just the agents. Those agents that didn't want to become dealers or Ineos didn't think would make decent dealers closed. There are new dealers coming on stream soon but the total number of dealer sites will end up being less than in 2024.

 

[Cheshire cat]

I bought a petrol version after going to and fro on which engine to have but a combination of diesel prices and the fact that I don't tow very much lead me to choose a petrol engine version. No regrets on that front. I love it - having grown up on 110 Defenders, it was a bit like coming home and finding home had been refurbished and upgraded while I was out. Having said that I have had and still have too many niggles such as error messages popping up, very poor microphone for the handsfree (no-one can hear me when the car is going over 30mph), front passenger window not being operable by the the passenger and several others. Getting them fixed is now a nightmare with the cull of Ineos dealers. I live south of Leicester and was with Sandicliffe in Nottingham which went (they had anyway failed to fix almost all the niggles). Ineos kindly sent me to a dealer in the Birmingham area - I assume that whoever did that had no access to Google Maps to work out how long it was going to take me to get there or to realise that there was a much closer one in Northampton. Not that the dealer in Birmingham ever returned a call. The guys in Northampton were quite responsive but following the cull apparently they and their Oxford branch have to cover the whole of the UK south of where they are and can't even begin to talk to me about my issues until October/November. For a new car manufacturer with a first ever car to provide such an appalling level of service is ridiculous and has to be a disincentive to buyers. Given the break in production with the Recaro administration, you might have thought that they would focus on keeping their existing owners well cared for but apparently not. Ineos possibly feeling the pinch and looking for cost savings post Man U and America's Cup less than successful investments? Whatever the reasons, they are not doing as good a job for their owners as they should be.

If you have serious niggles, empirical evidence would reflect your experience regarding rectification of any issues. Ineos and their dealerships do not have the best reputation in that regard. That is one of the main benefits of this forum. Loads of knowledge.
Fortunately I would guess, the majority of vehicles suffer with very minor problems if any.