![[ Adam ]](/data/avatars/m/9046/9046040.jpg?1705937698){kind=avatar}
An introduction:
I live just outside of Washington, DC and when I booked my pre-order with Ineos, I had no idea when orders would be fulfilled, but I knew that this was a vehicle I wanted to have a chance to drive across the country.
Having watched the development of this vehicle from near the beginning (when did it begin?), I placed my reservation at 8:58 PM eastern on Sept 29 (confirmation # 0005263753). So fairly early as far as such things go. I've owned a ROW Defender 90, Nissan Xterra, Jeep Cherokee XJ, Pathfinder, etc. Currently, a NAS Defender 110 and a Discovery V TD6. A few years ago, I did a portion of the Trans American Trail ( TN to La Veta CO) in my Xterra.
When it comes to the Grenadier, I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm getting into - and when I selected my dealer, I had a few criteria:
The Vehicle:
I submitted my pre-order on May 31 of this year (Pre order #0005544604). I opted for a Magic Mushroom Trialmaster with Safari windows, leather seating and the carpeted interior. We had no idea at that time what the story was going to be regarding dealer installed options, so I ordered none (regretting the lack of floor mats). I figure if there is anything I really want from the accessories catalogue, I can order them later from my dealer. At the time I ordered - I had only driven it off road at one of the Ineos driving experiences. Since then, I did have the opportunity to test drive one in Philadelphia with the dealership there. It was everything I expected, a great drive.
Since then:
Looking back through my e-mails, it appears I heard from the folks @ Elliot Bay Ineos around September 30th, and on Nov 17, they sent me my VIN (006478). We've been in regular contact, and I tracked its delivery on the Morning Chant to Tacoma like many of you did. Communication has been back and forth over the time since then, and they were able to confirm they have my grenadier there at the dealer.
I recieved a call last night from the good folks at the Elliot Bay dealership in Seattle, and they have my Grenadier on hand. There is a small issue with the transfer case not shifting into low, and they are working with Ineos to resolve it. In the mean time, I'm planning my flights out there and am shooting to land in Seattle +/- the 26th of December.
The Route:
So you've decided to drive 3000 miles across the country in a brand new vehicle from a brand new manufacturer that has 18 dealerships?
Are you insane?
Maybe.
The general route, especially for the first thousand miles or so is to go in the direction of a Ineos dealership, and try to limit distances between them to 500 miles. This works out pretty well, leaving out of Elliot Bay and heading down to Boise Idaho (496 miles). After that, I'll continue on towards Salt Lake City (339 miles), and then on towards Denver (519 miles), and then finally the thousand mile slog - from Denver to Chicago. This is probably the highest risk portion of the trip, as there is not a single dealership in between.
After that - Chicago to home in Fairfax, VA to collect the family and then a quick trip into DC - completing the Washington to Washington route.
Perhaps I'll get to call on the world famous flying spanners? Who knows.
Along the way I'll be crashing at hotels and friends houses - so hopefully there will be regular updates to this thread. I'll try and take pictures as well as a drone along, we'll see how that works out.
I live just outside of Washington, DC and when I booked my pre-order with Ineos, I had no idea when orders would be fulfilled, but I knew that this was a vehicle I wanted to have a chance to drive across the country.
Having watched the development of this vehicle from near the beginning (when did it begin?), I placed my reservation at 8:58 PM eastern on Sept 29 (confirmation # 0005263753). So fairly early as far as such things go. I've owned a ROW Defender 90, Nissan Xterra, Jeep Cherokee XJ, Pathfinder, etc. Currently, a NAS Defender 110 and a Discovery V TD6. A few years ago, I did a portion of the Trans American Trail ( TN to La Veta CO) in my Xterra.
When it comes to the Grenadier, I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm getting into - and when I selected my dealer, I had a few criteria:
- As far away from home as possible
- An area of the country I had never driven
- An area renowned for its natural beauty
The Vehicle:
I submitted my pre-order on May 31 of this year (Pre order #0005544604). I opted for a Magic Mushroom Trialmaster with Safari windows, leather seating and the carpeted interior. We had no idea at that time what the story was going to be regarding dealer installed options, so I ordered none (regretting the lack of floor mats). I figure if there is anything I really want from the accessories catalogue, I can order them later from my dealer. At the time I ordered - I had only driven it off road at one of the Ineos driving experiences. Since then, I did have the opportunity to test drive one in Philadelphia with the dealership there. It was everything I expected, a great drive.
Since then:
Looking back through my e-mails, it appears I heard from the folks @ Elliot Bay Ineos around September 30th, and on Nov 17, they sent me my VIN (006478). We've been in regular contact, and I tracked its delivery on the Morning Chant to Tacoma like many of you did. Communication has been back and forth over the time since then, and they were able to confirm they have my grenadier there at the dealer.
I recieved a call last night from the good folks at the Elliot Bay dealership in Seattle, and they have my Grenadier on hand. There is a small issue with the transfer case not shifting into low, and they are working with Ineos to resolve it. In the mean time, I'm planning my flights out there and am shooting to land in Seattle +/- the 26th of December.
The Route:
So you've decided to drive 3000 miles across the country in a brand new vehicle from a brand new manufacturer that has 18 dealerships?
Are you insane?
Maybe.
The general route, especially for the first thousand miles or so is to go in the direction of a Ineos dealership, and try to limit distances between them to 500 miles. This works out pretty well, leaving out of Elliot Bay and heading down to Boise Idaho (496 miles). After that, I'll continue on towards Salt Lake City (339 miles), and then on towards Denver (519 miles), and then finally the thousand mile slog - from Denver to Chicago. This is probably the highest risk portion of the trip, as there is not a single dealership in between.
After that - Chicago to home in Fairfax, VA to collect the family and then a quick trip into DC - completing the Washington to Washington route.
Perhaps I'll get to call on the world famous flying spanners? Who knows.
Along the way I'll be crashing at hotels and friends houses - so hopefully there will be regular updates to this thread. I'll try and take pictures as well as a drone along, we'll see how that works out.
