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Moe-Jave

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That BMW B58 power plant is one of the best engines in the world. Even Toyota opted to use it instead of their own straight 6. It's likely more reliable than an LS, and it's been in so many vehicles now, parts availability is great.
Yes, it has great high specific output and is now ubiquitous (and also sounds really good). Still, I just think it is wrong for this kind of vehicle. The Toyota thing is another story and won't go there at the risk of derailing this thread.

A couple friends were the crew chief / chief engineer of a championship winning team in Formula D and it really opened my eyes to the LS. We have plenty to support the case for all of the mentioned power plants here. This reminds me why I'm actually happy with my gasser Gladiator for my use-case here in the desert. While I've had many forced induction vehicles, I don't prefer it here. I extend the same thinking to the current generation Broncos.

This is a fun topic, and I really would love to see that lineup make it here whatever they choose to do. Reliability isn't just the parts list. There are lots of small batch vehicles that have the right stuff on paper but suffer horrible integration results. I see lots of future heartache.
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JarHeadLV

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Here's my .02 - If the Grenadier was a chick in a frat house, she's so ugly she'd leave with more clothes than she had when she came in!

Seriously, looks like Tesla's version of his truck as a Gladiator- FUGLY
 

JarHeadLV

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I think the Grenadier looks better than the Jeeps, I just wish they weren't $80k for a base with lockers.
I think you need your eyes checked bro - that thing looks like a pieced together truck from multiple trucks- its fugly as hell
 

Moe-Jave

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Fine. :)

Toyota is a great example of a well run auto company, but is clearly not thinking "enthusiast first" (arguably some things have changed in recent years). It reminds me of when their CEO was asked many years about the future of sports cars at Toyota and he said "The Camry"! No kidding.

A benefit of working around the industry for many years is getting to know engineers and managers at the big companies. I know many that work or have worked for Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Ford, and GM (plus countless OEMs and distributors).

Toyota reliability is real, but it is also comes with running old platforms into the ground while others take chances on innovation. I contrast them to Honda -- "a real engineering company" across lots of disciplines including robotic innovation. I can say some of the same things about Honda cars (both good and bad), and currently prefer Honda motorcycles/powersports for their unique combination of function/performance/reliability).

So, their choice of that motor for the "Supra" wasn't any single factor beyond recognizing that car would not have seen the light of day without partnering up with others...so yeah, BMW, Subaru and others enter the scene. The BMW motor is fine for the "Supra" (I'll keep using quotes). I don't hate it, but it is not a real reincarnation.

Toyota is running a successful business that happens to involve cars. They have a long track record of making choices that piss off enthusiasts.

How's that for a start, @Pescatoral Pursuit ? :)
 

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I think you need your eyes checked bro - that thing looks like a pieced together truck from multiple trucks- its fugly as hell
And the Gladiator isn't? It looks like some redneck bolted an old power wagon bed to the back of his Wrangler lol. Obviously Ineos liked that look enough to just bolt a truck bed to the back of the Grenadier.
 

JarHeadLV

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And the Gladiator isn't? It looks like some redneck bolted an old power wagon bed to the back of his Wrangler lol. Obviously Ineos liked that look enough to just bolt a truck bed to the back of the Grenadier.
My apologies, wasn't really trying to offend you. Gladiators look awesome! Especially with lifts, wheels and tires. we can agree to disagree, but I can BET if we took a poll, the Gladiator would be a 5-1 favorite in looks over that abortion of a truck.

If the Gladiator is so ugly, WHY do you have one? if you don't have one, why are you here in this forum? (you have every right to be here, thats not what I'm saying)
 

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My apologies, wasn't really trying to offend you. Gladiators look awesome! Especially with lifts, wheels and tires. we can agree to disagree, but I can BET if we took a poll, the Gladiator would be a 5-1 favorite in looks over that abortion of a truck.

If the Gladiator is so ugly, WHY do you have one? if you don't have one, why are you here in this forum? (you have every right to be here, thats not what I'm saying)
I'm just here because I'm considering buying one to use as a camping/hunting rig. I have an order placed for the Grenadier SUV, but I'm not sure I'll keep it.

Since we are talking about goofy looking vehicles, I'm also considering building out an FC170 or Doka Syncro for the camping/hunting rig.
 

Alan SOBX

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top doesn’t look removable, if that’s the truth, then their in last place before the party even starts
Agreed. There are many options out there but only one that can go naked. Bronco may Compete some with the Wrangler but there are no options for the pick-up truck. Plus, it is so easy to mod a Jeep (and spend all your money). I am retiring in four months. I bought a car AND a hobby. What could be better than that??
 

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troverman

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That BMW B58 power plant is one of the best engines in the world. Even Toyota opted to use it instead of their own straight 6. It's likely more reliable than an LS, and it's been in so many vehicles now, parts availability is great.
Toyota didn't "opt" to use it over their own engines. Toyota simply contracted with BMW to use the Z4 and put a custom body on it. It would have cost a ton of money to make a Toyota engine fit into the BMW chassis and have the Japanese PCM communicate with the German body module, instrument cluster, etc...use the BMW fuel tank and lines, etc, etc. Toyota knew the BMW turbo engine is good and makes great power, so they took the easy approach.

I would greatly dispute that this BMW engine is better than the LS V8 - for one thing, the LS remains a very easy engine to perform even major work on, and gets very good fuel economy despite being a V8 with much larger displacement. Its a simple design that works very well and is generally very robust, yet has compact packaging. It's shorter than the inline 6 BMW engine, and possibly not any wider given the BMW is using a DOHC cylinder head and forced induction off the exhaust manifold.

Frankly, the Toyota reliability has also become a myth - not that Toyotas are bad vehicles, but they are not bulletproof. The service bays are just as full at the Toyota dealer as they are at any other dealer...
 

ShadowsPapa

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I think you need your eyes checked bro - that thing looks like a pieced together truck from multiple trucks- its fugly as hell
Pick-a-part assembly. That was my take. Took the worst looking parts of multiple vehicles.
Is it just me, or can you look at any given part of it and say it closely resembles something else? I see nothing original other than it's truly a puzzle of pieces, not designed from scratch and the ground up.
I'm sure it was designed from scratch, but I see several fathers and mothers in that child.
 

WanderingJ

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I like how the interior panel gives that mechanical feel, with all these switches. Also, reminds me of an airplane. As much as I love my tech, I love when vehicles remind you, you're driving a machine, not a machine driving you. One reason miss my manual.
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