VICKI: This time on Fifth Gear...
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
..we head for the hills in a pair of hardcore off-roaders,
the brand-new INEOS Grenadier
and Land Rover's New Defender.
I doubt that you would get any sheep slung in the back there.
JASON: I see if Porsche's fastest-ever road car...
(CHUCKLES) ..can keep pace with its out-and-out racer.
Oh, it's just wicked!
RORY: And we enlist a few friends to help us test
the all-new seven-seat Dacia Jogger.
Can I just say it's a bit noisy in the back?
It's like a horrible reverb-y rumble.
But enough about your voice. (LAUGHS)Yeah, yeah.
Right, then. Let's kick off with an important question.
So, the all-time best four-by-four?
Ooh, I would say Jeep and Land Cruiser.
Yeah.Defender, obviously.Yep.
New Defender, although it's a bit kind of overly refined, I think.
It's a shame they didn't keep making the old ones.
Well, they would've done, actually, because Sir Jim Ratcliffe,
if he'd got his way, he wanted to keep building them, didn't he?
Did they not try to buy all the tooling, and Land Rover said no?
Yeah, exactly.Right? And then he went to build his own,
like you do, and that, my friends, gave birth to the INEOS Grenadier.
It certainly looks like the old Defender.
Emperor's new clothes, though, maybe?
So, we've got the latest Land Rover Defender.
And to go up against it, we've got the new INEOS Grenadier.
But if we're gonna find out which is the best four-by-four by far,
we're gonna need the services of Fifth Gear's off-roading maestro.
We need someone agricultural.
We need Jimmy de Ville!
Not only is Jimmy the proud owner
of an original Land Rover Defender...
Ooh.That was nice, that was good.
..but his engineering nerdery and general off-roading expertise
is exactly what's required to assess these two machines.
Eh-up! How we doing, all right? Good. Right, come on.
Let's get going. You get in the back.Jimmy can take the backseat for now,
because first, we'll be testing road manners.
These cars might be genuine mud pluggers,
but they'll still spend most of their lives on the tarmac,
so it's important they're refined and have enough get up and go.
Welcome to the Defender.
This one is the Ingenium X petrol turbo.
Looks nice, though, doesn't it? Mm-hm. Oh, yeah.
So, any electrical assist? Oh, thank you for asking, Jimmy.
Yes, there's MHEV! Mild...
(LAUGHS) Mild hybrid electric vehicle.
So, there is a bit of electrical oomph,
but it can't run on electric alone.
Nevertheless, the 48-volt battery and three-litre, six-cylinder engine
combine to produce 400 horsepower,
enough to propel this 2.4-tonne monster
to 60 in just 5.8 seconds.
Ooh!
It's pretty pokey.Where does this sit in the price range?
Ah.Please tell me not six figures.
You are correct, Jimmy, £99,600.
That includes £9,000 worth of optional extras.
That's Range Rover territory, though.Times have changed,
and I doubt that you'd get any sheep slung in the back there.
Unless you can baa, Jimmy. (MIMICS SHEEP BLEATING)
Ay! The steering column, it's electrically adjustable
and the seat is fully lovely and electrically adjustable.
I'm sitting here with all of the mod cons.
It's actually a really lovely thing, isn't it?
It is. It is a really nice place to be.
Despite being hefty, the Defender rides impeccably
on these bouncy British B roads, thanks to roll control
and electronic air suspension.
Velvety ride.Yes, just the way it goes over the bumps,
there's none of this kind of wobbling around
which you used to get on old Defenders. Doesn't wallow, does it?
The steering's nice, accurate. I might even describe this as fun.
Can I confess something? Confessions, ahoy.
I wanted not to like this. And I do!
Yes!See, I'm lusting after it, if I'm really honest.
Oh, lusting?Lusting?Whoo! I really like it.
On to the Grenadier, which, well, resembles an old-school Defender.
The grille has been given a makeover,
and there's lots of purposeful-looking hooks and mouldings,
but from 50 yards, huh, it's pure Land Rover.
It's when you hop inside that the differences jump out.
What? Where's my dash?
That, there.There's just a whole load of light indicators.
Yeah.Once I'd got over that, we hit the road.
Ahead of us is a BMW three-litre diesel engine,
turbo charged, giving 248 horsepower.
But if you don't like the sound of that, there is a three-litre petrol.OK.
But while the power plant is bang up-to-date,
it's still 150 horsepower down on the Defender,
and the Grenadier weighs 300kg more.
Nought to 60 happens in just under ten seconds.Ooh, dear.
(ENGINE REVS)
That wasn't mind-blowing, was it? No.
But straight-line performance was never
on INEOS's wish list for the Grenadier.
Their aim was to recreate that no-nonsense, stripped-back
off-road workhorse that made the original Defender such a hit.
But is the price tag equally bare-boned?
So, it costs £76,000,
plus three grand of options on this particular model.
So, this is nearly £80,000?
Mm. I mean, it is a lot of money. Driving position good?
Comfortable, and, yeah, I'm OK. But I'm not luxuriating in comfort.
No.I am luxuriating in this.
I know.This -It's very aircraft-y, isn't it?
That's amazing!Yeah.
This is, for me, a visual triumph.
What are a few highlights up there?
A lot of auxiliary switches, we can have spotlights, all sorts of extra power.
We've also got differential locks,
there's a lot of manual override, which I like,
because my big concern with the Defender is,
computer says no, where I feel here,
we're gonna have that kind of farmer-ish control.
We can do what we want. And all these buttons here,
you can use them with gloves on.
So it does strike me that the primary use of this
is proper off-road, isn't it?
More so...More so. ..overtly than the Land Rover.
But let's keep it real.
The Grenadier will spend most of its life on tarmac.
Has it got the right stuff?
So, in keeping with its no-frills approach,
there is no air suspension.
It's just on traditional coil springs.
And I think that it rides exactly as I would expect it to be.
While it's quite comfortable and nothing bangs or crashes,
it doesn't ride as smoothly as the Land Rover,
and the steering also needs a mention.
When I turn...Uh-huh? ..the car will eventually turn.
INEOS has adopted a steering design
that avoids kickback through the wheel when off-road,
but on tarmac, the car tends to wander.
You are constantly adjusting. Which, I can imagine,
becomes a little bit tiresome on a motorway.
Our road drives are complete,
and as far as this test goes, there's one clear winner.
So, the bottom line, then, the Land Rover has got
the best refinement and on-road manners.
Oh, and get up and go.Yeah. By a country acre or two.
Join us later when our off-road challenge
shifts from B-road cruising to off-road grafting.
Go on, then!Oh, well, there we go.
Ooh, you dancer.It's liking it. (VICKI LAUGHS)
RORY: Plus, Porsche have created their most extreme road car yet.
This thing is just absolutely amazing.
Jason sees if it can hold its own against their full-fat GT3 race car.
Oh, it's just wicked! What a car!
What do you think is the most focussed road car
that Porsche do right now? GT3?
Mm. I mean, it used to be, but now there's the GT3 RS.
Yeah.Inspired by the sensational GT3 Cup race car.
Yep.Yeah, do you know what, though?
The road car performance, it's so good now,
it must be getting quite close to the race cars, surely.
Well, I imagine in a head-to-head, I think it'd be astonishingly close.
Er, hello, Porsche. Hi, we'd like to borrow some cars, please.
And the lovely people at Stuttgart
sent this shiny new white GT3 RS road car.
(ENGINE ROARING) Listen to that!
And while they were at it, they threw in
an equally white GT3 Cup race car.
Oh, it's just wicked. What a car!
(ENGINE ROARING)
Both cars look the same, and slung out back,
their four-litre engines produce very similar numbers.
But the race car, well, it must be quicker, right?
Well, there's only one way to find out.
We'll start with the GT3 Cup.
Right! This is a full-blown race car,
hence why I've got helmet, racer, you know, roll cage in here.
Don't wanna be really bashing me noggin on that!
The first thing you notice
is just how sharp and visceral this thing is!
With over 70 years of motorsport pedigree,
Porsche know a thing or two about building racing cars.
The body is made of carbon fibre and the interior
is full-on race car, stripped back to basics.
Everything which doesn't make this thing go faster,
i.e. seats, carpets, sound-deadening material,
basically everything is thrown in the bin.
And ultimately, that means they've managed to shave off
200kg of weight, compared to the RS.
It's got tons of rear grip.
Oh, it's just wicked. What a car!
(ENGINE ROARING)
So, how fast will the GT3 Cup be around the circuit?
Well, let's just see, shall we?
(ENGINE ROARING)
If you're wondering why I'm not my usual chatty self...
(LAUGHS) ..well, at these speeds,
one slip, and the car would spit me off in a heartbeat.
I've driven thousands of laps around this circuit,
but I've never had to focus so hard on hitting my braking points.
Right!
The GT3 Cup clocks in at one minute, 8.2 seconds.
That's the quickest time that any Fifth Gear car
has posted around the Anglesey Circuit. Wow.
It's something else. What a lovely race car.
So, how close to that incredible time
can the roadgoing GT3 RS get?
(ENGINE ROARING)
That is rapid.
Porsche reckon that this car is the nearest thing
you're gonna get to a road-legal race car.
Hundred and forty mile an hour here. Christ Almighty!
This thing is just absolutely amazing.
So impressive.
I mean, it's just so beautifully neutral.
And do you know what? I've had lots of Porsches,
and the thing which...
..is so amazing about all of 'em is the steering.
And that beautifully balanced steering
is complemented by the aerodynamics and downforce.
That massive rear wing is active.
On the straights, it flattens to create less drag,
but when you lift off, it dips to improve downforce and grip.
The whole aero package, including the rear wing,
produces a monstrous 860kg of downforce.
(ENGINE ROARING)
That's like popping a Kia Picanto on the roof.
More than three quarters of a tonne.
Quite breathtaking.
I've fallen in love with the car.
(CHUCKLES) I mean, I'm having just the most glorious fun.
All that fun doesn't come cheap, though.
The base price is £192,600.
And this model we're testing will set you back a cool 235 grand.
That's more than the GT3 Cup.
But can the road car match the race car's pace?
Well, there's only one way to find out, and that's time for a hot lap.
Right. Here we go.
And...start the watch.
At the first checkpoint, the race car has a lead of about a second.
(ENGINE ROARING)
Get in, JP. By the second checkpoint,
the road car, it's starting to lag behind.
Tidy, tidy.
(ENGINE ROARING)
The roadgoing GT3 RS sets a time of one minute, 12.64 seconds,
still making it one of the fastest road cars
to ever take a lap at Anglesey.
The race car's lighter weight and track-focussed suspension
meant it was 4.4 seconds ahead.
But frankly, for a road car to get even that close,
well, it's just sensational.
VICKI: Now it's time to hit the test track
and get a quick first look and drive of a new car.
It's the Fifth Gear team test!
Today, the team tested the Dacia Jogger.
Dacia has proved popular with us Brits.
The Romanian brand has sold more than 250,000 cars
since it launched in the UK a decade ago.
The Jogger's combination of rugged SUV styling,
MPB seven-seat versatility,
and a bargain price tag
sees it stand in a class all of its own.
What do we think of this thing, then?
I love the two-tone, the browns against the green. I like that.
Really nice kind of copper effect, isn't it?
Yeah.Yeah, that is tasty, isn't it?
It's actually... It looks nice, eh?
I think it's really good-looking car,
especially in this colour,
with the copper accents, the black wheels.
They're a bit on the small side, but it all hangs together quite nicely.
Let's have a look in the boot.
Not gonna be much room, is there? I don't think.No.
Hundred and sixty litres in there with seven seats.
It's about the size of a city - Hundred -
Yeah, about the size of a city car, which is not ideal
when you've got seven people, plus maybe football gear,
schoolbags, all sorts.
Take out the third row of seats,
and the Dacia's boot space increases to a far more acceptable 565 litres.
But this car's big selling point is the number of people it can carry.
Well, cos there's only three of us, and it's a seven-seater,
I've actually organised some friends for us.
(GASPS) Lovely!So, allow me to introduce you, Jason,
to your new bestie.
What's his name?Tyrone.Tyrone?
Tyrone. Yes. And, erm...
..Vicki, this is, erm, er, Heather.
No, it's a bloke.Heather with a hairy chest?(LAUGHTER)
Sadly, I only have three inflatable friends.
But even with just the six of us,
we have to make use of all three rows of seats...
Go on, Tyrone, in you get.
..which Dacia claim can accommodate a six-foot-tall adult.
Get your seatbelt on, then. Belt. Where is my belt?
Is it not down there? I think it's above your head.
That's Jason's belt. No, he and Tyrone are belted up.
There's only two seats. You're buckled up already?
Is that right?(GASPS) Oh, that feels wrong.
Wow.That's the seatbelt for the middle?
Yeah.Oh.In the boot? Unbelievable, isn't it?
Ooh, that's not great, is it?
I struggled with the seatbelt for the first time in my life.
So, can I just point out, this is a motoring expert,
a fully-grown woman, who's done this a million times
struggling to put a seatbelt on? This is how bad this design is.
(LAUGHS) This is, this is ridiculous!
Do you know what? I think I've just been super thick.
You didn't put your head through it?
Instead of going that way, you went that way.
(ALL LAUGH)
Well, I have to say, look, this is really, really close to my face.
So, in any shunt, this is gonna go tight, cos Vicki's going forward.
I've gone forward like that. I'm gonna cut my face off on that.
Safety in general is not the Jogger's strong point.
It got a lowly one-star Euro NCAP rating.
Actually, when you look bit deeper,
what you find is that it's only got one star
because it doesn't come with the extra electronic safety aids
that stop the car from veering out of lane accidentally.
So, it's still worth considering, despite that poor score.
Jason, how much room is there in the back for you and Tyrone?
It's all right. It's all right. Room?
Yeah, there'd be plenty of room for kids.
You've got a nice big window next to you.
And it opens, which I think, to be honest, you'd need.
Yeah?You need a bit of fresh air. I could do maybe an hour in here.
Yeah, we'll see Jason, because next, we took the Jogger out
for a run on the twisty alpine circuit.
Can I just say it's a bit noisy in the back?
Is it?Cor, Christ!What noise are you getting? Wind? Tyre?
Just road noise, and funnily enough, I can hear the exhaust.
It's like a horrible reverb-y rumble.
But enough about your voice. (LAUGHS)Yeah, yeah.
It's not very quick. A one-litre engine in a car this big,
I know it only weighs 1,200kg.
Nought to 62 takes 11.2 seconds.
But more importantly for a budget family car,
the fuel economy is a frugal 48.7 miles per gallon.
However, there was something about the Jogger
that was upsetting my passengers.
What about the body control? I feel like we're getting
quite a lot of roll in the corners.
Yeah.I feel, erm, bilious.
Do you?Yeah.Oh.
Jason, you can be sick in Tyrone's lap.
That's gonna be a bad image.
I never feel sick in cars, but I did feel sick in that.
How are things up front, then, Rory?
Well, the steering, I've noticed, is on the slow side.
You know when you drive a lorry and you gotta really turn the wheel?
It's a bit like that.
Yeah, I'm feeling sick now.Yeah.
There's a lot of body movement, not a lot of control. (LAUGHS)
Is there any... Can I open any windows in here?
Are you genuinely feeling sick?
I can probably do another half a lap.
It is what you might call a very roly-poly car.
And if you've got kids that come for a ride with you,
I pretty much guarantee, if you're on a twisty road,
someone is going to feel sick.
My kids felt sick.
Rory, Daddy, I really need to pull over,
cos I'm feeling sick now, please. Are we there yet?
I'll tell you, I've never felt like this in a car in my life.
I know that might sound a bit extreme.Oh, wow.
I like the fact that it's cheap, it's got seven seats,
I like the way it looks. But in saying that,
it's not a good place to be in the back.
So, because it's just not a nice place to be inside, it gets a four.
The Euro NCAP rating of one isn't great,
so I'm actually going to give it a score of six.
Dacia Jogger, I like the fact that it looks good,
I like the fact it can carry seven people,
I like the fact that it's cheap.
But I am going to give it 5.5 out of ten. It could be better.
So, despite its seven-seat practicality,
the Dacia Jogger's roly-poly ride
means that it received a disappointing team test score
of 15.5 out of 30.
Coming up in part three, we enter phase two
of our Defender versus Grenadier all-terrain challenge
to see which four-by-four can tow like a pro.
JIMMY: Here I go!No, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!
And I uncover a pair of pre-loved pocket rockets.
Not quite so hot hatches from the '80s and noughties
that have all of the dash, but for a lot less cash
than their GTI rivals.
(GASPS) Have I mentioned the sport button?
So, this guy says to me, 'You know about cars.
Which ones are the most fun to drive? Is it supercars?'
Supercars, all agreed, they're amazing,
but I wouldn't say they're fun. No, exactly.
Literally, I am concentrating so hard whenever I'm driving one,
just nervous that I'll stack the thing.(ALL LAUGH)
So, what did you say? I just said hot hatches.
Oh, excellent answer. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But I don't think they need to be that hot, actually.
The weather might be filthy cold today,
but I'm feeling quite cosy.
Why? Because I've got this pair for company.
A couple of warm hatches.
Let me introduce you to the Peugeot 205 XS
and the Fiat Panda 100HP.
Now, you might be thinking warm isn't exactly hot,
but I'm here to tell you that performance isn't everything.
Yes, it really is possible to have lots of fun with cars
that are mildly souped-up rather than highly tuned.
And because they're from back in the day
when cars were much simpler, they are also cheaper to buy,
maintain, and insure.
I'll start with the older of the two.
The 205 launched in 1983, and immediately found fond favour,
thanks to its pert looks and clever packaging,
in particular, a compact rear suspension
that maximised cabin space.
And because these were the days before safety regs
demanded door pillars like tree trunks,
everything inside is very airy.
The XS model came around in 1986,
and the four-cylinder 1,360cc engine
has just 80, eight-zero, horsepower, which seems comical today.
However, while a modern hatch can weight 1,500kg and more,
the Peugeot 205 was around 700 kilos lighter.
Consequently, a top speed of 110 miles an hour is possible,
and 62 miles an hour comes up in just over ten seconds,
which is pretty decent for a small car
that's nearly four decades old.
So, what did the XS cost?
Well, back then, it was a smidge under £10,000.
Today, a well-maintained, rust-free example like this one
will cost about 5,000, which is not a fortune.
So, what makes it so much fun to drive?
Well, it's all about commitment.
This car doesn't have big tyres with big traction
or a big engine to pull you along.
You absolutely have to live on your wits with this.
You have to stir it a bit to make it work,
you have to understand what's coming ahead
and how you can get the best out of the next corner
whilst not slowing down too much.
And thankfully, the lovely little
front-wheel drive chassis lets you do this.
The engine revs freely, the gearbox is good,
and honestly, it is no wonder that Peugeot sold five million 205s
in its 16-year production run.
So, what must you look out for if you fancy a bit of XS?
It might surprise you to know that 205s are pretty resilient to rust.
However, the window seals can be leaky,
and if, for example, some water gets into the back windows,
then drops down into metal which hasn't been properly protected,
well, then that is when the rot sets in.
So, check the rear wheel arches and seals,
or a bill for around 1,500 quid could be coming your way.
Over time, the rear suspension can seize.
Nasty noises from the rear
and a saggy-looking bottom are your clues.
Your bank balance will sag along with it to the tune of £1,500.
Steer clear of these pitfalls and you'll enjoy miles
of low-cost motoring in one of the prettiest hatches ever.
But now, feast your eyes on this.
The Fiat Panda has always been seen
as a utilitarian A-to-B kind of car.
No-one imagined it could become sporty,
except Fiat.
When the 100HP was launched in 2006,
Evo Magazine said that it offered the most fun per pound
than anything on the market.
The price of that fun, well, just a fiver short of £10,000.
So, allowing for inflation,
the Fiat was much cheaper than the Peugeot.
But does it feel it? Not from where I'm sitting.
Ahead of me is a 1.4, 16-valve engine
that was thoroughly modern for its day.
It revs to 7,000rpm, and the result
is a nought to 62 time in nine and a half seconds.
And there's more.
There are disc brakes all round,
and the suspension is stiffer and lower
to give it a sportier feel.
It also came with 15-inch alloy wheels, tinted windows,
and a few mildly aggressive body parts,
plus sports seats, and even air con.
The simple fact is, this little workhorse was treated
to so much more than a go-faster paint job.
(GASPS) Have I mentioned the sport button?
Pressing this wakes up the electric steering
and sharpens the throttle response.
Quite something 18 years ago,
especially on such a budget-friendly car.
But is the Panda 100HP really as much fun
as the headlines suggested?
For such a boxy, awkward-looking car,
it does handle pretty well.
It turns when I want it to turn. There is a bit of body roll,
and the steering isn't quite as sharp as it is in the 205,
but it is fun, and I can totally see why Evo Magazine rated it so highly.
And the best news? Currently, the Panda can be bought
for less than half its original price. Yes, five grand!
Nevertheless, there are some areas to look out for
if you're in the mood to buy.
The car is very sensitive to suspension geometry,
so make sure the wheels are aligned correctly,
or else the Panda will be eating tyres faster than bamboo.
The shock absorbers can start to leak due to corrosion.
Excessive bouncing over bumps is a sign
that you will have a £400 bump in your bank account.
And finally...
the power steering motor can fail, so to check it,
turn the engine on, make sure you're in normal, not sport mode,
and if the steering wheel is much heavier than this,
then you could be looking at a £600 bill.
Right, then. If I had £5,000 in my back pocket
and I was looking to buy an agile, sporty hatchback
from back in the day, which would I choose?
Both cars really are so eager to please and are definitely fun.
But which one do I prefer, the Panda or the Pug?
(BREATHING DEEPLY) I have to go with the iconic Pug.
JASON: Welcome back to our four-by-four challenge
between the Land Rover Defender and the INEOS Grenadier.
We started by taking the cars out on the road,
and although the Grenadier had a reasonable ride and quirky interior,
its steering was a bit wayward.
You are constantly adjusting.
And the engine, underpowered.
In short, it simply couldn't match
the pace and refinement of the Land Rover.
For round one, the Defender takes it.By acres.
However, our next test should be more in the Grenadier's wheelhouse,
because we're heading off-road.
The question is, can it keep up with the Defender
when the going gets really tough?
After all, Land Rover have been making
rugged four-by-fours since 1948.
To find out, we're going to hitch our cars to a trailer
that weighs 1.5 tonnes and aim them at a steep, wet hill.
Slippery grass is about as demanding as it gets for maintaining traction.
Our resident off-road expert, Jimmy, will take the wheel for this test,
and once again, the Landy will set the benchmark.
But first, there's another tricky towing task.
Hitching up.
Now, this car comes with a £1,400 towbar package,
which should make working with the trailer absolutely seamless.
Watch and be impressed. He's not got a tow hook.
Right. Ooh, he managed to turn it on.
I get this nice little picture with a red dot. That red dot should be
exactly where my tow bar's gonna be.
Here I go! Then back this up,
just aiming the yellow line to the hitch.
No tow hook.No tow bar, pal.
Jim Jims? Yeah, no, you're good!
Don't worry.No, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!
Watch, watch, watch. Park, deploy.
Ooh!No, shut up.(CHUCKLES)
A couple more quick tasks, and he's done.
Well done.Right, shall we?
At this point, Jimmy could go
into numerous off-road menus,
select various locking differentials,
adjusting where and how the power is delivered.
But honestly, he doesn't need to bother.
What I'm gonna use is terrain response to auto,
so it's gonna decide what it needs to do.
Shall we see how idiot-proof it is? Yeah, yeah.(LAUGHS)
Now, towing a trailer like that is all about torque.
This petrol engine has 550 newtons, which is impressive.
But is it gonna be enough for this?
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Oh, it's liking it. It's liking it.
Oh, yes, it's kicking in.
It's doing things, it's doing things now.
It's - Go on, then! Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Feel it moving the torque? Yeah, it is working around. It is working hard.
Oh, well, there we go. Ooh, you dancer.
(LAUGHS)
Bravo.I wasn't changing my throttle then at all.
It was doing that? It was doing that.Wow.
Yeah, it was looking for grip. So, it was working really hard.
That's impressive, isn't it?
Having breezed up the hill, it's now time to tackle
one of driving's greatest challenges,
reversing with a trailer.
But the Defender has yet another trick up its sleeve.
By telling it what kind of trailer it's pulling,
it can utilise its advanced towing assist system.
It can actually reverse it for you.
Wow.No hands on wheel.
Press start. OK, pictures come up.
So, now I start moving my little trailer.
Oh, stop it!Oh, that's so good.
To where I want to go.Genius!
So, when I think I'm about pointing at the space,
I literally lift my foot up.
The car simply uses its side and rear cameras
to calculate where the bay is
and how much steering input to apply.
Oh, my gosh, that's mental.
It just seems like a lot of faff. Am I being controversial?
You wanna see lot of faff, we're gonna swap over now,
then you can see how much faff we're gonna have.
Yeah. Good point. Yeah.Good point.
As you might expect by now, there's nothing state-of-the-art
when it comes to towing with the Grenadier.
However, I have got a reversing camera,
which I'm hoping will be useful. Let's see.
Ooh, pretty lights!
Eyes on the prize, I can see my tow hitch.
It's a good shot, actually.
Come on! Bit more, bit more! Stop!
Oh, that's really good. Could be pretty close.
Are we there? No, just a little bit more, little bit more.
Can you do a whisker?Yep. That's the one.
Very good, Jimmy. Do you want me to hold that?
Yeah, could you hold that?Yeah.
So you hold that up while I wind this down.
I've gotta be honest -She's on.
On the Defender, that was nice, just pressing a button.Yep.
I'm gonna get in. Cold out here, innit?
That's all on. Lovely.Ooh.
On paper, the Grenadier has plenty of pulling power.
Now, the same as the Defender, this also has
550 newton metres of torque, so we're level pegging.
But unlike the Defender, the driver has to control all that torque.
So, any change in throttle pitch is me.
This is the crunch point, the slipperiest bit up the hill.
Yeah. It's going.Yep.
Do you know what? That feels proper four-by-four now.
The Grenadier climbs the hill just as easily as the Defender.
But what will it be like to reverse?
More importantly, what will Jimmy be like?
You know how you were horrible about that computer earlier, JP?
Yeah.Yeah, you've got me now.(LAUGHS)
Oh, God.You're brilliant at this.
I'm actually sweet. Yeah, you're peachy, mate.
Oh, Jimmy, like a pro. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Straight in.
Mate, check you out.
We don't need computers, we just need an expert.
So, both cars completed the mission. But can we pick a winner?
Driving up the hill, neck and neck. Agreed.Yeah.
Putting it in the bay, old-school mirrors,
actually learning your craft, Grenadier.
But you could not use the system in the Land Rover,
should you so wish, and you could back it in yourself.
You could.Good point. Good point. And that leaves hitching up,
which is where the Defender delivers the winning blow.
The whole reversing it and getting the trailer hitched...Beautiful.
..is a game-changer. Game-changer.
So for me, the Defender wins this test.
Don't you think?I agree.
Still to come... Three, two, one, go.
..our four-by-four showdown reaches its dramatic climax
as the Land Rover Defender and INEOS Grenadier go toe-to-toe...
(LAUGHS)
..around a high-speed obstacle course.
(COWS MOOING)
Welcome back to our on-road, off-road challenge
between the Land Rover Defender and the INEOS Grenadier,
the car built by an oil company
from the ashes of the original Land Rover.
So far, the Defender has proved more refined on the road,
and it's just won the towing test,
thanks to its clever hitching system.
Oh, stop it.Oh, that's so good.
But although it's already two-nil to the Landy,
the Grenadier's no-nonsense attitude shouldn't be dismissed,
so we're keen to see how it copes with our next challenge.
And also, I've not had a chance to drive yet,
which, well, it's just not right, is it?
Now we're gonna find out how nimble these cars are
by subjecting them to an auto test.
This is a race against the clock around a series of obstacles,
tough enough on tarmac, but to up the ante,
we're taking them to their natural habitat, a sodden field.
If a heavy four-by-four can turn, stop, and reverse well out here,
then it really will have well and truly earned its stripes.
As usual, the Landy goes first,
and Vicki's gonna keep an eye on the stopwatch.
Monsieur Plato?Yeah?
So, the course is hoon down this slalom,
go to the black bale at the bottom, go around that twice,
reverse into the "garage" that we set up with the bales,
and then hoof it straight down the same gates
that we've gone into the course.
Rock and roll.What setting are you gonna have?
I've given it some thought, lots of different settings.
I could go for something like general, don't fancy a bit of that.
Grass, gravel, and snow. Yes, for this.
Ah, no, well, you see, you think that, but sand's caught my eye,
cos it's really mushy there. So, I'm gonna go sand.OK.
And I'm gonna take off the traction control.
I'm staying quiet cos I'm probably gonna have sick all over my face.
Yeah.Do you know what he had for lunch?
No.Chilli con carne.Ooh.
Right, are you ready?
Three, two, one, go.
Ooh, she goes.
No car likes changing direction repeatedly,
let alone one that's nearly two metres tall.
What happens if I hit into a bale? Would we be OK?
Right, time for the 720 roundabout.
Twice around the roundabout. Twice, twice.
I want a handbrake, I wanna get on the wand.
An old-school handbrake, or wand, as I call it,
would help slide the back wheels out,
letting the car rotate quicker.
(LAUGHS)But the Defender,
like most modern new cars, just has an on-off button.
Do you know what? It's so muddy!
For a big car, the Defender has a fairly quick steering rack
at just 2.7 turns lock-to-lock.
On a tight course like this, less wheel twirling could pay dividends.
Into the parking space. The clock is ticking.
All the way, all the way in. Ooh.Oh, you got that nice.
Go, go, go, go, go, go. Hotfoot it
straight through the gates that we came in on.
Whee! (LAUGHS)
And...stop the clock!
That was all right, wasn't it? That was good.
So, it's onto the Grenadier.
The course has been churned up by the Defender,
but that shouldn't throw a full-on off-roader like this.
So, in terms of settings, I've got no computers here, really.No.
So I think I'm just gonna lock my centre diff.
Yeah, so you're in high range.
I've turned all the traction and ESC off.And stick it in drive.
I'm gonna put me seat heaters on.
Do you want yours? I'm fine, thank you.
Only heat from me is gonna be coming from my sweaty palms.
OK.Right, I'll count you down, big boy. Whoo!
Are we ready?OK.
Three, two, one, go!
I was hoping the Grenadier would make a promising start,
but my first impressions weren't great.
It's not anywhere near as responsive on the throttle.
The steering might be designed for off-road use,
but it seems not this kind of off-road use.
But with the roundabout upon us...
Ooh, I've got a handbrake. Handbrake, handbrake.Handbrake!
..perhaps my wand would conjure up some magic.
No, that doesn't work.No. That doesn't work.
And to make matters worse, the Grenadier's turning circle
is half a metre wider than the Defender's.
Have I done enough circles yet? Yeah, that's your two.
Into the car parking space.
Now, the Land Rover went into reverse beautifully.
Got in actually all right.
And hoof it home.Come on!
The challenge is over.
But which four-by-four was fastest?
I'll tell you what, it's gonna be close again. I can feel it.
Go on, three earth pounds says - I go with the Defender,
should've taken it by a country mile.That's the faster car.
Yes, got to be, surely.
OK, give me what gap you think there might be.
Three seconds.Two seconds.
The car that did it in the quickest time...Uh-huh?Is?
..the Defender!Yes! Had to be. By just over four seconds.
By over four seconds?Four seconds? Yeah.Quite a bit, isn't it?
But although it's three-nil to the Defender,
the Grenadier gave a very decent account of itself.
I mean, bravo, jolly well done here.
Seventy-five years' less development time.
This is a decent bit of kit. It's a very good bit of kit.Yeah.
The Land Rover's decades of off-road pedigree
meant that it was just too sophisticated, ingenious...
Ooh!No, shut up!
..and agile for the INEOS.
So, shall we pull up by the winner,
and I'll take the winner home? (LAUGHS)
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