Picked up my Gren today, here's the spec:
-RHD Diesel Trialmaster
-Sterling Silver
-Rear steel side panels
-Safari Windows
-Saddle Leather Drivers Pack
-Utility Trim (standard seat fabric)
-Utility Flooring with Carpet Floor Mats
-Cross bars
Drove approx. two hours, all inner city on a cloudless 26 degree (celsius) day. What a monumental vehicle! You need to be present in the moment and actively command this car, but it quickly becomes second nature. Most of this has been said before but here are my first impressions....
The good:
-Steering if fine. Initially it's something different, it feels like the wheel should be bigger but when you get used to actively re-centring after turning the smaller wheel makes perfect sense.
-RHD footrest / hump not that bad and falls where I would rest my left foot anyway. The offset accelerator pedal more of an issue but you quickly adapt.
-Start/stop function works perfectly well (same as any other modern car) and is a non issue for me. By the time you have moved your foot from the brake to the accelerator the engine is up and ready to go.
-Aircon held a comfortable temp on auto and quickly cooled the interior (very sunny day).
-Fit and finish is excellent. The interior plastics work for me, they suit the intended purpose of the vehicle and feel like they will last.
-Everything important feels solid, very quiet on the road with no squeaks or rattles (so far)
-Diesel has plenty of get up and go when required. Throttle response a bit slow but I already have an aftermarket throttle control on order.
-Seats and driving position very good, love the flat door tops where you can rest your arms and centre cubby box lid works perfectly for me as an armrest.
-Sound system is better than I expected.
-Turning circle not that bad, you can't turn on a dime like a Jimny but better than I expected.
-Sterling Silver! Love the contrast with the all the black exterior trim and the slight blue tinge under a bright sky. Will stand out in the sea of Magic Mushroom and Inky Black!
-The Rhino Rack cross bars are beefy and really solid, well finished and grip tenaciously to the gutters. Small amount of noise at 100kph+ through the safari windows but not bad.
-Standard seat fabric is a cracker, really well finished and does not feel "cheap". The fabric weave has a bit of a early 911 pepita vibe.
The bad:
-On my RHD car the right side mirror is a shocker, does not pan wide and low enough to get a clear view of side lane. Designed for a LHD vehicle and not adapted for RHD. Safety issue.
-Rear view camera is a joke, image needs to be enlarged. Not acceptable on a modern vehicle, especially one with poor rear vision from rear view mirror. Safety issue.
-Reflections make it hard to see the central screen in bright daylight, rear left window interior reflection washes out screen.
-Reflection from almost flat front windscreen in bright sunlight can light up the cars in front, could be very annoying for oncoming traffic.
-GPS lags badly when using Apple Car Play, would be tolerable on wide open roads but is almost useless in inner city.
The awesome:
-Safari windows! Easy to open and close with one hand, love the fresh air and the noise is not oppressive at normal speeds. Well tinted, did not seem to heat up interior plus you can leave them ajar to keep it cool while away. A must have. Just don't forget to close them when entering low car parks!
-Saddle leather drivers pack! Quality feel and finish, was worried the colour would be a bit too red but its a really tasteful dark brown that will just get better with age. A must have.
-Rear steel side panels! Makes the car for me, almost the only reason I ordered one. The irregular spot welds look fine and suit the industrial vibe of the car, even the el-cheapo sound deadener on the interior is not as bad as I feared. Interior is still bright for passengers and they don't impede vision out of the car when driving.
A couple of quick pics.
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