Word of caution for these old-school 4WDs

Nostalgia can be a wonderful thing and may bring on a deep-seated hankering, if you will, for paisley shirts, disco balls, and, later, grunge music.

This bitter-sweet sentimental longing can also be a terribly misleading mindset that leads to disappointment because nothing is ever actually as great as you remember it.

The same applies to vehicles. What you recall to be such an awesome car is actually ordinary at best and mediocre at worst.

But there’s a big market for nostalgia in the car realm and a chosen few new-ish vehicles, such as the Ineos Grenadier, Suzuki Jimny and Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, all hark back to a bygone era, with their unabashed retro styling conjuring strong images of a supposedly better time.

However, you’d best exercise caution if buying into any nostalgia-based product because it’s often not everything you’d imagined it to be — sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. 

Read on.

While not technically an ‘old’ 4WD, the Ineos Grenadier and its ute stablemate the Quartermaster are part of a new wave of old-school-style 4WDs that mix a chunky traditional-style appearance with plenty of substance, namely in the form of a ladder frame chassis, live axles front and rear, permanent four-wheel drive, and the option of front, centre and rear locking differentials.

It’s powered by either a BMW 3.0L turbo petrol, straight-six engine or BMW 3.0L twin-turbo diesel, straight-six engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Grenadier shares the upright squared-off look of the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, Land Rover Defender and Suzuki Jimny, but it’s exactly that simple straight-forward appeal to our sense of yesteryear that draws us in, whether we’re viewing the past through rose-coloured glasses or not. 

The Grenadier's design is a clear homage to the Land Rover Defenders of old — and it’s arguably the Defender Landie lovers actually wanted the new-gen Defender to be.

The Grenadier’s looks also encompass strong nods to the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, the Land Rover Discovery and even a sly tip of the hat to the Suzuki Jimny and Mitsubishi Pajero. 

But that appearance can be polarising so prepare yourself for numerous admiring glances but steel yourself for just as many disapproving glares.

The cabin continues that no-nonsense work-and-play theme by way of a nicely laid-out interior with retro styling, myriad quirky touches and comfortable seats.

But beyond its charming exterior and spartan but welcoming interior, this new, old-school (in spirit, at least) off-roader is also surprisingly pleasant to drive on sealed surfaces — for such a heavy, blocky 4WD anyway. It’s planted, somewhat comfortable (on heavy-duty coil-spring suspension), and refined (again, for a 4WD).

There are trade-offs, though.

It’s not dynamic (no surprise for a long and heavy solid-axle four-wheel-drive). If you haven't spent a lot of time or any time in vehicles like this, such as the Toyota LandCruiser 70 series or of that ilk – big heavy old-school 4WDs – then many of the Grenadier’s driving characteristics will likely rattle you.

It’s not particularly quick off the mark either, unless you stomp your right foot to the floor. Again, no surprise for a big 4WD.

Steering is slow, and there is a lot of play to it, especially off-centre. It feels floaty and it takes a lot of effort and constant micro-corrections when you're driving to keep it on track, whether that’s on a sealed surface or on a dirt track.

These are big, heavy vehicles so they take considered driving to steer around – it has a turning circle ranging from 13.5 metres to 14.5 metres, depending on whether you’re driving the wagon or ute – but that's not to say those dimensions and those characteristics ruin it on- or off-road because they don't. These vehicles simply require more thought when you're driving it.

That steering and concentrated driving style can be exhausting for some people. Keep that in mind.

I can forgive the Grenadier for those characteristics because I reckon four-wheel driving should be a fully immersive experience, you should always be directly involved in the process and in the Grenadier you really are.

And, of course, it’s handy off-road.

The Grenadier has a dual-range transfer case, electronic traction control, and up to three diff locks (front, centre and rear as standard in Trialmaster and are able to be optioned up in other variants), and it's an effective mix of traditional mechanicals and driver-assist tech. The 3.0-litre petrol or diesel engines and eight-speed automatic transmission work well in on-road situations and it's also a cleverly smooth pairing for off-roading.

But I think a lot of people, swept up in a nostalgia fever dream, buy vehicles like the Grenadier without realising what they’re getting into.

As I’ve warned people about the ute version of the Grenadier, the Quartermaster, it’s a very capable four-wheel-drive ute and there's a lot to like about it, but the issue with a vehicle like this is that people may come into it not understanding exactly how it rides, how it drives and how involved you actually have to be. 

And also they don’t acknowledge the fact that there are lots of compromises to make, indeed some sacrifices.

You're not getting as much driver-assist technology as you get in other contemporary vehicles, and it doesn't drive as precisely or perhaps as comfortably as some other modern 4WDs.

Driving the Grenadier is an all-encompassing experience, good and bad. And if you get in one of these vehicles, you have to be ready for the bumps and the discomfort and the effort it requires, but all of those things add to the appeal of these vehicles, rather than detract from it.

In being faithful to the spirit of old-school 4WDing, Ineos has shown its willingness to forgo those very things that people have come to arbitrarily expect. As a result it may attract not only urban explorers and dirt-track explorers, but also those who have little experience of how 4WDs ride and handle on bitumen, how they perform daily-driving duties and how to actually drive a 4WD off-road. I reckon some will get a rude shock.