2023 Ineos Grenadier Diesel 5 seat Utility Station Wagon
Discussion
I have owned a 1989 LR110CSW, updated with a 200Tdi engine for about 15 years, but it needed another rebuild as the wiring, bodywork was getting tired and the bulkhead needed work. (Old sales photograph). I sold it to an enthusiast who has since painted it heritage green and limestone.
The Grenadier project was just getting started, so I made a reservation on the first day possible, 30/09/2021, put in a formal order on the first day possible. 18/05/2022 and it was delivered 22/04/2023. In the meantime, I looked at the new Defender, explored the 300 Series Land Cruiser grey market and test drove a Suzuki Jimny.
My order was an N1 Utility 5 seat station wagon in Britannia Blue, with Scottish White roof, safari windows, smooth pack, extended electricals, KO2 tyres on standard steel wheels, textile seats and rubber mats. The final cost was £60,480, but to buy the same specification now would be around £66k after the last price rise. According to the DVLA and the insurance companies it is a van, HMRC see it as a car, as it is too heavy to be a "Dual-Purpose Vehicle" and does not have enough payload to be a commercial vehicle. It is not problem for me and the reduced initial RFL will be very useful.
So far, it has been better than expected; you can tell it is live axled, but it's road manners remind me of a better P38 and off-road it is better than my old LR110. There were no faults on delivery, but the dash does show some short lived error states on various sub-systems, but none of them linger for long and I gather there is a software update due towards the end of June to filter them out.
Stand outs for me, it's quiet, (bearing in mind I've been driving a 200Tdi), on a par with my wife's Fiat 500C; it's fast, remembering it weighs 2.7T and it is very comfortable; the Recaro seats remind me of the Vauxhall Nova GTE I owned before my Morgan.
This is, hopefully, the beginning of a long-term ownership; I'm planning 20+ years.
Having done nearly 2,000 miles in the Grenadier, the 1991 LR90 is up for sale; the brief pangs to keep the 90 were very brief. (Although the LR90 is a real Defender, someone specified it with the 2.5D NA engine, presumably the 200Tdi was too sophisticated for them).
The Grenadier project was just getting started, so I made a reservation on the first day possible, 30/09/2021, put in a formal order on the first day possible. 18/05/2022 and it was delivered 22/04/2023. In the meantime, I looked at the new Defender, explored the 300 Series Land Cruiser grey market and test drove a Suzuki Jimny.
My order was an N1 Utility 5 seat station wagon in Britannia Blue, with Scottish White roof, safari windows, smooth pack, extended electricals, KO2 tyres on standard steel wheels, textile seats and rubber mats. The final cost was £60,480, but to buy the same specification now would be around £66k after the last price rise. According to the DVLA and the insurance companies it is a van, HMRC see it as a car, as it is too heavy to be a "Dual-Purpose Vehicle" and does not have enough payload to be a commercial vehicle. It is not problem for me and the reduced initial RFL will be very useful.
So far, it has been better than expected; you can tell it is live axled, but it's road manners remind me of a better P38 and off-road it is better than my old LR110. There were no faults on delivery, but the dash does show some short lived error states on various sub-systems, but none of them linger for long and I gather there is a software update due towards the end of June to filter them out.
Stand outs for me, it's quiet, (bearing in mind I've been driving a 200Tdi), on a par with my wife's Fiat 500C; it's fast, remembering it weighs 2.7T and it is very comfortable; the Recaro seats remind me of the Vauxhall Nova GTE I owned before my Morgan.
This is, hopefully, the beginning of a long-term ownership; I'm planning 20+ years.
Having done nearly 2,000 miles in the Grenadier, the 1991 LR90 is up for sale; the brief pangs to keep the 90 were very brief. (Although the LR90 is a real Defender, someone specified it with the 2.5D NA engine, presumably the 200Tdi was too sophisticated for them).
Edited by jeremy996 on Wednesday 24th May 11:25
Looks great and thanks for posting. Keep us updated please, really interested to hear how you get on.
Spotted 2 matching green ones up here in Aberdeenshire - both quite dirty and being driven by keeper type young guys so guessing an estate has bought a couple.
Spotted 2 matching green ones up here in Aberdeenshire - both quite dirty and being driven by keeper type young guys so guessing an estate has bought a couple.
Edited by Snow and Rocks on Wednesday 24th May 11:30
At just over 5500 miles, the dealer told me the tow ball had finally arrived and there was a Service Bulletin to do on the steering. I told them about the external seals coming unstuck on the front doors and the offside passenger door and the small amount of water that appeared randomly on the driver's rubber mat.
I was given a SsangYong Korando Advantage as a loan car, (I don't want one), and when I returned, the tow ball was on and apparently the seals were on order as they were too distorted to refit. No feedback on the small amount of water on the driver's rubber mat; (I guess it is A/C condensate).
Still no firm news on the promised software update and no failures to proceed from the Grenadier. I am becoming rather fond of it.
The LR90 sold for £7000, so I cannot complain.
I was given a SsangYong Korando Advantage as a loan car, (I don't want one), and when I returned, the tow ball was on and apparently the seals were on order as they were too distorted to refit. No feedback on the small amount of water on the driver's rubber mat; (I guess it is A/C condensate).
Still no firm news on the promised software update and no failures to proceed from the Grenadier. I am becoming rather fond of it.
The LR90 sold for £7000, so I cannot complain.
GreatGranny said:
Recognise the dealer from the photo, just near Belton isn't it?
Yes, Chandlers of Belton. This was the first Grenadier they delivered.Megaflow said:
This is going to be interesting to watch.
£60k on a car that already has electrical issues, a service bulletin for the steering, door seals failing and water in the footwell in 5500 miles.
They are not 'electrical issues' they are software issues; almost every new car will have software changes on a regular basis, some make it more of a pain than others. OTA updates have been known to brick peoples expensive cars on their drives; Ineos has gone down the dealer update path. Again, most new vehicles will have service bulletins, of various seriousness from checking trim is tight to major recalls. Toyota have had some horrors in the last few years, but no manufacturer is immune.£60k on a car that already has electrical issues, a service bulletin for the steering, door seals failing and water in the footwell in 5500 miles.
As for the last two, the door seals are the secondary seals and are glued onto the frames; I'd guess some surface contamination has reduced the adhesion and the drips in the floor mat are probably AC condensation. Minor matters - mine is an early build and I cannot get too excited about trivial issues that don't stop me driving my vehicle as I need to.
In the past I have have had new vehicles with minimal issues and others that have been nothing but a pain, (take a sarcastic bow, VW and BMW); so far, the Grenadier has been better than expected.
Lefty said:
Oh and did you go petrol or diesel?
Diesel. 10,500 miles so far, no more issues. The software update has been done and all the spurious errors have gone. I still have water between the driver door seals as the dealer has not been able to get a full set of seals so far, although they are hopeful for early December.It is the best vehicle I have owned, but it is also the most expensive, (by a factor of 3!) The first service, (early as I have been wading in the last set of floods), was under £400, so I was not unpleasantly surprised. Off to France in three weeks, so we will see how happily it cruises at 130kph.
https://youtu.be/ophjXb0Wbj8
Edited by jeremy996 on Thursday 9th November 00:01
Thanks for the update Jeremy - it's much appreciated.
I'm down in Edinburgh at the end of the month so will try and arrange a test drive then. A red one on steelies has appeared in the village near us, haven't worked out who's driving it yet but will maybe get a closer look at that one too.
I'm down in Edinburgh at the end of the month so will try and arrange a test drive then. A red one on steelies has appeared in the village near us, haven't worked out who's driving it yet but will maybe get a closer look at that one too.
Other answers
I don't find the foot hump an issue - most of the moaners have been well over 6' and wanted a seat position more like a sports car. I'm 6' only and have raised the seat and lengthened the steering column, straightening my left leg out.
No issues with the safari windows; they have been great when parked and we wanted a breeze through the vehicle on a hot day. You can even stick your head out the top to take photos.
I did not vote for Brexit - my wife and son are both eligible for Italian passports.
I don't find the foot hump an issue - most of the moaners have been well over 6' and wanted a seat position more like a sports car. I'm 6' only and have raised the seat and lengthened the steering column, straightening my left leg out.
No issues with the safari windows; they have been great when parked and we wanted a breeze through the vehicle on a hot day. You can even stick your head out the top to take photos.
I did not vote for Brexit - my wife and son are both eligible for Italian passports.
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