INEOS Grenadier

SCSL

Well-known member
Apr 27, 2005
4,144
152
My initial reaction was probably too harsh. Yeah, I don't like what they did with the hood and the lights. But overall it's a great effort and I'm very happy they built it. I think price point is (obviously) going to be a critical factor in how it sells. The challenge is building something cool that is still affordable enough that people will want to buy it specifically to build it and take it off road.... yet, that is visually appealing enough that people will want to buy it for the same reason they bought Hummers and buy Gladiators. That's admittedly a tall order. I still think LR should have just made a fucking Defender and marketed that shit out of it. But what do I know...
 

_ExpeditionMan

Well-known member
Dec 11, 2017
295
34
Texas
My initial reaction was probably too harsh. Yeah, I don't like what they did with the hood and the lights. But overall it's a great effort and I'm very happy they built it. I think price point is (obviously) going to be a critical factor in how it sells. The challenge is building something cool that is still affordable enough that people will want to buy it specifically to build it and take it off road.... yet, that is visually appealing enough that people will want to buy it for the same reason they bought Hummers and buy Gladiators. That's admittedly a tall order. I still think LR should have just made a fucking Defender and marketed that shit out of it. But what do I know...

This is proof that LR could have modernized the defender in a manner that did not make it a unibody IFS/IRS rich poser suburbanite magnet. The company just does not care about the utilitarian, capable, and durable segment like it once did. But what should we expect considering it has changed hands once or twice every decade. Heck, if they had modernized it 15 years ago itd still be on the road today. Instead they let it die on the vine, gave up their market space to Toyota (and to a lesser extent nissan), and then pointed to the consumer and said "well you arent buying them!"

The wrangler is evidence that "life style" vehicles with at least the impression of capability still sell. I also blame car journalists for the ever trite criticism of solid axles while shouting about RPMSSSSS. I'm just hoping this comes through as promised and am so happy they didnt comprise it with IFS.
 
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best4x4

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2015
595
72
Beaumont, TX
After the LR3/RRS came out in 05 I knew LR was no longer like the 87-04 days. The 94 party I went to at the LR Dealership in San Antonio, TX was still one of the coolest LR parties I've ever been too! The D90 & the D1 had both come to the USA that year and LR threw a very good party to introduce them to LR owners. They had a beautiful Series 1 LR on display, they had D90's without roofs, tires on the hoods, and sticker prices of 25K. Then they had the 94 D1 sitting there in a base model and the more upgraded model with La Ruta Maya video's playing, and I actually walked away with an actual event patch. They also had the 94 RRC in SWB and LWB on display, but the D90 was the big deal. Those to me where the best4x4xfar days no doubt.

LR could have certainly stuck with the Defender boxy design and just upgraded the interior a bit, and added a few more safety features, but like mentioned above once LR changed hands from Ford to Tata the best4x4xfar days were long long long long gone.

I saw a new D5 in town today, and from the front I was like it's not that bad, then I saw the side view and I started to gag, but when I saw the rear end I puked up big old chunky PUKE. That rearend on the D5 is rubbish!!! I'll take my D1/D2's and heck even my LR3 over a D5 anyday! Thing just looks like an bloated whale....
 

_ExpeditionMan

Well-known member
Dec 11, 2017
295
34
Texas
Could not agree with you more. The LR3 and the freelander were heralded as the future of the brand and a massive departure from what made them special.
 

best4x4

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2015
595
72
Beaumont, TX
God the original Freelander what a joke that thing was (thank you BMW...). It's been a very very very long time since I've actually seen one of those things moving along under it's own power!
 

SCSL

Well-known member
Apr 27, 2005
4,144
152
God the original Freelander what a joke that thing was (thank you BMW...). It's been a very very very long time since I've actually seen one of those things moving along under it's own power!
Wasn’t LR buying them up for awhile just to scrap them and remove them from existence?
 

Eliot

Well-known member
Feb 4, 2008
736
47
Bozeman, MT
There was a small storm in the British press.

Ineos may end up building these in France. Mercedes is selling a new SUV plant they built near the German border. The deal would be a bargain for Ineos.

Ineos would get something like a turn key operation, and at a discount. It would also allow them to move into production more quickly. It also dispenses with the inconvenience of having two separate factories.
 

SCSL

Well-known member
Apr 27, 2005
4,144
152
There was a small storm in the British press.

Ineos may end up building these in France.

why in the hell would anyone not French want to manufacture something in France? Isn’t their workweek mandated at 20 hours or something? And they were protesting that until Covid. Besides, unlike the UK, I don’t think there are enough Poles in France to actually get anything done.

Anyway, they should build them in the UK so we can experience the same quality British craftsmanship that we’ve come to expect.
 

Eliot

Well-known member
Feb 4, 2008
736
47
Bozeman, MT
why in the hell would anyone not French want to manufacture something in France? Isn’t their workweek mandated at 20 hours or something? And they were protesting that until Covid. Besides, unlike the UK, I don’t think there are enough Poles in France to actually get anything done.

Anyway, they should build them in the UK so we can experience the same quality British craftsmanship that we’ve come to expect.

Normal French people pay heavy taxes, and are quite poor as a consequence. It's also hard to get a job, because employers simply don't want to take a risk on someone who will be hard to fire, due to the restrictive labor laws.

The cost of living also increased with the move to the Euro, which has made things worse.

The quality of life is reasonably high, long lunches are still normal, but you have to be very careful about what you spend.

But it is a dysfunctional country, which lives in the past.

I assume the decline in the quality of French vehicles, specifically, is driven by the increasing poverty that normal people experience. The country once made cool cars, like the Citroën DS, now, all they sell are stripped down economy models, because that's all French people can afford.
 

Eliot

Well-known member
Feb 4, 2008
736
47
Bozeman, MT
Good. I gave up on the Defender the moment I talked to the dealer.

Whoever they build cars for, it's not us.

I do like the idea of the Grenadier a lot. I'm torn between getting an LR4 now, or holding onto my LR3, and seeing what the Grenadier looks like when it comes to the US.
 

Lake_Bueller

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2004
2,105
59
56
Beloit, WI
I almost choke saying this...but I'm thinking about selling my G4 and my winter driver (04 D2). The replacement would be a Tacomo TRD Pro for now. If the Grenadier was a sure deal in the US within the next 18 months, I could be pursuaded to change my mind on the Taco.