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Top Gear.com - Grenadier 4x4 starts full production
_{Factory in south Wales aims to produce 500 of the 4x4s per day}

From sheep farmers to the rural police forces, many have felt there's a Defender shaped hole since Land Rover stopped production. The Grenadier is designed to be the modern replacement of the original Land Rover Defender, with boxy bodywork, a steel ladder chassis, beam axles with long-travel progressive-rate coil spring suspension (front and rear), all powered by the ultimate in reliability Toyota diesel engines and drivetrain from -Empire of Japan-.

"Reliability, Reliability, Reliability" has been the mantra and Grenadier have been testing that to the extreme. Taking the Grenadier across deserts and testing for weeks at a time in Guyana. the Grenadier needs to not break down, and it it does, to be easy to fix. Parts of reliable and simple design, tested and older designs. The whole thing screams 'rugged'.

6,000 have been ordered for the British Army and rural police forces across the BCC. Retail customers should be able to get their hands on them from the new year, with pre-orders in the thousands already.

Only three trim levels, of four variants are available to keep costs down, all five door; a basic 'survival' trim within minimal electronics, a medium 'comfort' trim with sat nav and electric windows and a higher 'de luxe' trim. The variants are: 2 or 5 seat utility wagon; 5 seat station wagon; or 5 seat pick up.

Prices start at £33,000.