INEOS Media INEOS Grenadier Trails: Australia | Episode 1: Preparation

[mkennedy009]

 

[Rooballer]

I found them a little disappointing - all fluff and style, no actual substance.

Told us nothing about how the vehicle actually performed in real world conditions.

It would be great to see more details on the vehicle performance on the trip and less gratuitous B-roll....

 

[DenisM]

I watched all of the videos.. .over breakfast)
It was the same vehicle in which I rode for the SE Qld drive day. To the best of ny knowledge it was not equipped with the F/R locking diffs. So its performance towing the Unimog out of the mud, bordered on "impressive" if you carefully watch the rotation of the rear wheels compared with the front wheels ....

 

[Tranquilo]

I watched all of the videos.. .over breakfast)
It was the same vehicle in which I rode for the SE Qld drive day. To the best of ny knowledge it was not equipped with the F/R locking diffs. So its performance towing the Unimog out of the mud, bordered on "impressive" if you carefully watch the rotation of the rear wheels compared with the front wheels ....

Not sure how much of it was the Grenadier and how much of it was the mog under its own power - look at the edit just as the mog is coming out.

 

[DenisM]

You're right! However, while I'd expect the Mog to be trying to power its own way out of the bog... the IG nevertheless was certainly meeting resistance and was able to get the Mog at least moving.... albeit for a short distance. What was interesting is that they took up the slack in the tow strap slowly, none of the "hero" snatch-strap antics.....

 

[stickshifter]

Fun videos, and the Grenadier comes across as a capable workhorse, but I have to agree with Rooballer - not a whole lot of substance. It would have been good to hear from drivers describing vehicle dynamics, etc.

In addition, almost all footage of the Grenadier off-road has been on dirt roads, sand, or muddy fields. I have seen one image of the vehicle's articulation being stressed (below), but other than that, we have not seen the vehicle on terrain that is most common in the Western U.S. - rocky trails. In the image below, there is not much visible down travel in the front right tire. Perhaps this is related to the vehicle's high payload - when compared to something like a Jeep Wrangler, which (in my experience) has better wheel articulation.



I know that the Grenadier is not built as a "rock-crawler", but I'd really like to see the Grenadier on some rocky trails, like in the video below from TFL. In this video they eventually tackle a level 8 obstacle (scale from 1-10). I don't drive level 8 trails, and I don't need a vehicle capable of overcoming a level 8 obstace; however, the rest of the trail is more moderate, and is much more typical of trails here in Colorado. We often drive trails like this to access the higher summer trailheads for hiking and mountaineering. I'd like to see the Grenadier on some level 3 to level 6 trails.

1. Does it have decent articulation?
2. Will the stock underbody protection be sufficient?
3. Is it geared low enough to use engine braking for controlled descent on steep rocky trails?
4. Will the vehicle need a small lift (1.5 inches) and slightly larger tires to tackle "moderate" rocky trails in Colorado and Utah?
5. If Ineos is not preparing its own suspension lift (like Jeep does for the Wrangler, Ford does for the Bronco, and Chevy does for the new Colorado ZR2), are they actively working with a partner? I've heard rumors that Old Man Emu might be involved - can we get confirmation on that?
6. What are the stock gears in the Carraro axles, and does Carraro make alternative gear sets? For context, Jeep offers 3.73 gears in the Wrangler Sport, and 4.10 gears in the Wrangler Rubicon; in addition, Jeep provides the consumer with the choice of 4.56 or 4.88 gears in their "Extreme Recon Off-Road" package, which comes with 35-inch tires and a factory-installed 1.5-inch lift. Ford also provides the appropriate gears for the different size tires they offer on the Bronco (which range from 31 to 37 inches in height).

Here is the TFL video mentioned previously:

 

[stickshifter]

I think you've missed quite a bit of coverage if you've only seen a single photo?

Ha - maybe! Just got back from a work-trip to Germany, and then three weeks of climbing and open-water swimming in Slovenia, so maybe I've missed some footage. Do you have links to any videos of the Grenadier driving on trails similar to the one in the video I provided above? Have you seen any of the questions I asked answered by Ineos?

P.S. the second photo you posted is the same photo I posted, just from a different angle, but the other ones are new to me and quite good!

P.P.S. the trip to Europe was a good reminder of why so many forum members from the U.K. and continental Europe describe the Grenadier as a "big" vehicle. We saw the occasional 200-series Landcruiser or BMW X5, and they looked massive on Slovenian roads. Here in the Western U.S. those are "mid-sized" vehicles, and are no where near the size of the ubiquitous heavy duty trucks from Ford, GM, and Ram.