Grenadier rental review

[GoHawks63]

Thanks for the review. I've seen many of these up close and thought they were nice looking inside and out.

I personally wouldn't be worried about the BMW engine and transmission, assuming it has the twin scroll straight six. I traded in a 2012 X5 for the Bronco. It had the engine I mentioned. It had just over 110K miles on it and quite honestly, it was one of the most reliable vehicles I've owned. Much more reliable than a 2010 F150 we owned and got rid of with comparable miles. Biggest repair was the AC compressor crapping out when it had 105K miles. That engine is smooth.

As for the steering, it's most likely attributed to the recirculating ball setup which is supposed to be more durable than a rack and pinion setup.

As has been pointed out by others, I guess it's supposed to bring you back to what a purpose built off-roader was, but for 83K, you can get comparable off-road chops with a much more features.

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[GoHawks63]

That changes for the 4Runner (and 'new' LandCruiser 250) if you get their hybrid versions. The battery in the back takes up maybe 4-5 inches of load space. My bud just picked up a new LC, was showing it to me (I thought it was very nice but of course prefer a Bronco which is why I bought one!) but I was surprised as to how much space that battery takes up.

Agree. I owned two Land Cruisers (1998 and 2004). I loved them. Bought the 2004 brand new and it had 160K miles when we got rid of it and all it ever asked of me was oil changes, brakes and tires. I still regret giving it up.

So, when Toyota brought it back, I was excited, but after seeing one, it just didn't do anything for me, so then I waited for the 4Runner. Nice looking rig, but in order to get it optioned the way I wanted, I had to get the hybrid (which I didn't want). Along with the loss of cargo space because of the battery.

So, I went with the Bronco. It currently has 14K trouble free miles. Yes, I have had three recalls on it, one fixed with an OTA update and the other two will be addressed at my next oil change. However, I have not experienced any of the issues that the recalls are supposed to address.

Having said all that, I have no illusions that my WildTrak will come even close to the reliability that my Land Cruisers provided.

 

[crenca]

As for the steering, it's most likely attributed to the recirculating ball setup which is supposed to be more durable than a rack and pinion setup.

I don't believe a production vehicle with a solid front axle has ever used any design other then a recirculating ball...AI says that while rack and pinion is theoretically possible for a solid axle, it is impractical in a production vehical.

Getting a rack and pinion steering system is a (probably "the") main motivation for IFS on the modern off road vehicle.

 

[5GENIDN]

I don't believe a production vehicle with a solid front axle has ever used any design other then a recirculating ball...AI says that while rack and pinion is theoretically possible for a solid axle, it is impractical in a production vehical.

Getting a rack and pinion steering system is a (probably "the") main motivation for IFS on the modern off road vehicle.

I would agree that the Rack and Pinion is the Broncos greatest strength and it's most glaring weakness.

But there are options to strengthen it....

 

[heavyD]

Thanks for the review. I've seen many of these up close and thought they were nice looking inside and out.

I personally wouldn't be worried about the BMW engine and transmission, assuming it has the twin scroll straight six. I traded in a 2012 X5 for the Bronco. It had the engine I mentioned. It had just over 110K miles on it and quite honestly, it was one of the most reliable vehicles I've owned. Much more reliable than a 2010 F150 we owned and got rid of with comparable miles. Biggest repair was the AC compressor crapping out when it had 105K miles. That engine is smooth.

As for the steering, it's most likely attributed to the recirculating ball setup which is supposed to be more durable than a rack and pinion setup.

As has been pointed out by others, I guess it's supposed to bring you back to what a purpose built off-roader was, but for 83K, you can get comparable off-road chops with a much more features.

B58 will likely go down as peak ICE and one of the greatest engines ever mass produced. It combined with the ZF8 has been a total workhorse for the BMW lineup and brought their reliability way up over the last decade.

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