INEOS GRENADIER INEOSGRENADIER

As I’m sure a lot of you will have noticed, in mid January I was one of a handful of lucky UK motoring writers to be invited on the global media launch for the Ineos Grenadier, and for the last 3 weeks, assuming you’re reading this on the 8th February when the embargo was lifted, I’ve been itching to share my experience.

So, first things first, and here’s a contradiction - there is absolutely nothing revolutionary about the Grenadier. It has a sturdy ladder frame chassis, a choice of two 3.0 litre 6-cylinder BMW engines, petrol and diesel, and a ZF 8-speed auto gearbox. It’s endowed with coil springs all ‘round, solid axles with optional front and rear locking diffs.

See, nothing special.

However, dig a bit deeper and things become a little more intriguing. The chassis for example is up to 3.5mm thick, and is protected against corrosion by a full E-Coat treatment (cathodic dip coating, an electro-chemical coating process). It also has an internal cavity wax application, and an exterior powder coat that’s backed by INEOS Automotive’s class-leading 12 year antiperforation warranty. The body is even fully galvanised!

Some would argue that permanent 4WD, beam axles and coil springs are ancient technology, whilst others, me included, would argue that Jim’s got it right as this set up is not only strong but it’s easier to repair than your average pickup using IFS.

It’s the same when you look at every other part of the Grenadier; engines, suspension and accessories, the Grenadier is built for purpose, as they say. And what’s the purpose?

Anyhow, let’s get on with the drive.

Snow was already on the ground on arrival at Inverness airport, Matt the PR guy had previously sent an email out telling us that temperatures in the Scottish highlands had plummeted to -10, so dress appropriately.

Armed with my ‘big coat’ and thermal long johns, the day started with a driver's briefing to discuss the day’s itinerary and other safety details, we were then paired up and allocated a Grenadier. Ours was the BMW B57 diesel Trailmaster resplendent in ‘Magic Mushroom’, or beige.

Leaving Inverness and heading towards Kinloch Laggan I decided to jump in the passenger seat, and as Gareth, my co-driver and I made our way along the A86 the snow began to fall quite heavily.

As a front seat passenger for an hour or so my initial impressions were that the ride, seating, space and overall ambience was really quite good. The seat was comfy and supportive, leg room ample, as was elbow space, and I could sit back, relax and enjoy being chauffeured. For context, I’m 6ft 2in tall and the best part of 18 stone, or 114kg if you’re young.

1½ hours later we arrived at the Eco Pod at the Ardverikie Estate for our first coffee break. It was a good opportunity to have a wander around the other vehicles in the convoy whilst checking out their specs. I also got the chance to have a peak at the winches that are hidden neatly behind those protruding front bumpers.

Speaking of accessories, the Grenadier is the only 4x4 available in the UK, that I’m aware of, that has a 270º ‘Batwing’ awning available as an accessory.

After a brew it was my turn to jump behind the wheel as we all followed Ian southwards to Dava Moor, a bleak expanse of open moorland covering more than 100,000 acres.

Finding the correct driving position was easier as the seats and steering wheel have plenty of adjustment.

The track itself was just that, easy enough not to warrant engaging either low-box or any of its 3 difflock, just ‘Off-Road mode’.

Hang on, Off-Road Mode?

Yup, engaging the Grenadier’s Off-Road mode via a switch on the roof panel softens the throttle response, keeps it in gear for longer and switches off parking sensors, door chimes, seatbelt reminders as well as the engine’s start/stop facility to minimise distraction and lets you focus on the terrain ahead.

Our destination was a place called the Golf Course, an area where we could engage low-box and test the Grenadier’s off-road credentials.

With snow still falling this compact off-road course had hills aplenty, great to test traction, but a bit rubbish for photos, as your can see, or not…

Engaging low-box and centre diff is pleasingly hands-on using a proper gear lever - keeping things simple and mechanical.

In normal conditions I’d say that the myriad of tracks wouldn’t cause too much difficulty, but after about an hour of around a dozen Grenadiers continually driving around, the tracks became quite icy and slippery, but with the rear locker engaged traction was always there, somehow.

As the ruts became deeper I was curious on how the Grenadiers would cope as it has drawn a little criticism from folk for the apparent lack of ground clearance, but it was fine, no grounding whatsoever. When you compare it to a new coilsprung Defender 110, the ramp over angle on the latter is 24.2º, whereas on the Grenadier it’s 28.2º. Also, the approach angle on the Defender is a mere 31.5º, the Grenadier is greater at 35.5º.

Ground clearance/ride height?

Glad you asked, the coil sprung Defender's is 226mm versus the Grenadier’s 264mm. Though the departure angle is in the Defender’s favour at 37.5º, compared to 36.1º. In fairness, when you take pricing into account the Grenadier is on par with the air-sprung Defender, which is far superior.

After much merriment it was back the Eco Hut for dinner, then the second part of the day which was probably the most popular, and that was wading through Loch Laggan, which is one of the UK’s largest fresh water lakes.

As we all queued on the shore, Ian came over the radio to explain what he wanted us to do, and that was basically to follow his lead.

Engaging low-box, centre diff-lock and both off-road mode and wade mode, one by one we entered the cold and murky water. Incidentally, wading mode disengages the radiator fan so it doesn't get damaged when entering deep water - a neat idea.

The Grenadier has a safe wading depth of 800mm, which is plenty enough. It was a tad choppy out, and despite water momentarily lapping over the bonnet, checking out the photos later show that the water level was just touching the bottom of the doors, roughly 300mm lower than it can handle.

Once we ventured a little further out to the deeper section there was a slight feeling of floating, but again traction was always there - and no, it didn’t leak, not even after the fourth ‘dunking’!

Once we’d finished messing about in the water we headed further south onto a myriad of tracks that varied from gnarly to straight forward towards the snowcapped Cairngorms.

As the track stretched out in front of us it gave me the opportunity to speed up a little and test the Grenadier’s suspension. The track had quite a few pot-holes and undulations, and even at around 20-25mph, the heavy duty progressive rate coil springs (made by suspension specialists, Eibach), smoothed them out and never once felt unstable.

By now was nearing 4pm, the sun was setting and the track that skirted along the banks of Lochan na h-Earba offered some of the most dramatic and beautiful views I’ve ever witnessed.

The snow capped peaks and lochs set against the dramatic sky were mesmerising.

But we hadn’t finished yet, another wading section across the causeway on Lochan na h-Earba proved easy, it wasn’t as deep as before, but still over the bumper and yet the Grenadier pushed through. It was deep enough in parts to see the perfectly formed bow wave in front of the bonnet. On the subject of visibility, owners of ‘classic’ Defender will feel right at home as from the drivers seat you can clearly see both wings.

From the causeway we followed the well maintained track that would eventually take us to the A86 at the start of the river Spean. With light fading we took to the road and headed Fort William. This was my first chance to stretch the diesel on-road, but within minutes the snow began to fall quite heavily, so the going was slower than I’d like.

As we joined the A82 the snow eased and we made better progress, and that’s when I noticed that I had to make small adjustment to the steering to keep it in a straight line. Also, whilst negotiating tight junctions and roundabouts, the steering lacked any self-centreing. My first thoughts were had we damaged the geometry somehow on the rough sections, as to be fair we were giving it a hefty work out. We’d find out tomorrow when we swapped cars.

Crossing Loch Leven we climbed the A82 up pass Glencoe, with the snow capped, yet barely visible Three Sisters of Glencoe on our right. I worked the diesel hard on this last stint, easing off on the steep bits, then planting my foot to the floor. It was a bit vocal, obviously, but acceleration was there, maybe not in vast quantities, though it synced impressively well with the 8-speed ZF ‘box.

Another note I made was that the illumination, both in cabin and outside was spot on. The overhead control panel was subtly lit, as was the centre console.

After an overnight stop at the Kingshouse Hotel, we swapped vehicles, and today’s Grenadier was the petrol, Fieldmaster.

Fitted with incredibly fast acting, and warm heated seats, we headed south continuing on the A82 on the fast, sweeping roads that took us around Loch Fyne, and finally to Loch Lomond and the village of Luss.

As you would expect, the M54 3.0ltr petrol is smooth and powerful, and consequently a bit more fun to drive than the diesel.

Around the sweeping bends the Grenadier remained upright, of course there is some lean, especially when you’re not as smooth as you could be, but in fairness that’s expected.

Slightly disappointing, the steering remained the same as the diesel, it felt as though I was constantly making slight corrections. I then remembered the last few times I drove the Jeep Wrangler, it too required slight adjustments, and of course it shares the same coils all ‘round and solid axle set-up. Maybe I’ve got used to carlike steering on modern SUVs and IFS pickups.

Our next off-road challenge was the Pipeline track that offered some spectacular views over Loch Long. This particular track gave us some quite rough sections, from icy steep climbs to large steps and holes to negotiate. The latter were easily driven, it was the icy climbs that I thought would cause problems. The challenge was that on the drivers side of the track was sheet ice, and on the passenger’s loose stone. I needn’t of worried, a steady throttle and strategic wheel placement meant that all I needed was low-box and a locked centre diff.

Our afternoon foray was the most technical of the launch and meant clambering up a very loose rocky incline with plenty of twists and turns. Up to this point ground clearance was never a problem, as with careful wheel placement any sort of grounding was avoided. However, with rocks the size of footballs it was inevitable that we would find the Grenadier’s limits. Being fair, even a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon would have grounded-out here.

This type of technical ‘off-roading’ is what I enjoy the most, being clever in where you place the vehicle and yet having the confidence that your vehicle is ready for the challenge. The Grenadier was not only ready for the challenge, but it put a huge smile on my face as we crept up the gnarly track using every inch of its suspension articulation. I was impressed.

Upon reaching the top we stopped for a chat and photos, and of course what goes up must come down, so with Hill Descent engaged, along with low-box, it was Gareth’s turn to take to the helm, and I was jealous.

Named the Ski Run, this tight and unnervingly steep track was sodden and strewn with large rocks, water runs and tree roots, all prime to make any 4x4 into a toboggan, but the Grenadier remained as sure footed as ever.

With Gareth driving, or should I say steering, and Adam (one of the instructors in the passenger seat), I was sitting in the back. I have to say that rear seat passengers also have it good. It’s remarkably spacious, and just like up front, there’s plenty of head, elbow and leg room for, erm, larger than normal passengers.

And that was it, two days of on and off-road testing was over, and now I’ve had three weeks to mull over my thoughts about the Grenadier, so let’s begin with my dislikes first.

Maybe dislikes is the wrong word, let’s use niggles or slight annoyances. I’ve mentioned this already, the steering, whilst definitely not vague, the recirculating ball steering layout featuring hydraulic assistance does require the slightest of adjustment whilst on the road. To be fair, it’s the same in the Jeep Wrangler and every other beam axle 4x4 I’ve driven of late, it’s just the nature of that type of steering geometry. I need to live with one for a week or so, as depending on the road and length of journey it could become quite tiresome. In addition to that it’s the lack of self-centreing whilst emerging from a junction or roundabout that caught me out a few times.

Next on the list are the two info screens. Although the centre screen is good and unobtrusive, it houses the speedo at the top right hand corner (it’s mirrored for left hand drives). Personally it’s a bit too small and out of my line of vision.

There is a smaller panel in front of the steering that houses warning lights like 4x4, diff-locks etc, and always shows that the auto lights are on. This has no benefit and I reckon the warning lights should be moved to the centre screen and replaced with the speedometer in front of the driver.

This is just my two’penneth as other folk on the launch didn’t seem overly bothered by it.

What else niggled me?

Although you have two huge door mirrors, rear vision is limited due to the split rear doors and spare tyre, though you do get a rear camera for reversing. And that’s it. Actually, frugal isn’t a word I would use to describe its fuel consumption either, but it’s a big ‘ole thing. Expect the petrol to return between 18-19mpg, and the diesel between 23-27mpg.

Likes?

There are a lot of likes. I like that everything has been over engineered, I like the clearly labelled and well-spaced buttons and chunky dials on both the central dash and the aircraft-inspired overhead control panel. I like that it has permanent four-wheel drive, front and rear diff locks and a two-speed transfer case built by industry transmission leader Tremec.

The suspension gives a comfortable ride both on and off-road and it doesn’t matter whether you’re crossing a continent, on the daily commute, or scraping the diffs on a gnarly green lane, the combination offers high levels of refinement as wheel-buckling potholes are dismissed with a mere shrug.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the fact that the body is fully galvanised and the chassis has a 12-year anti-perforation warranty is outstanding, but it’s the small things, too. Like the Grenadier’s tyres valve are steel rather than rubber, ensuring they won’t get torn off in coarse mud or deep undergrowth.

Another tick is that instead of the standard black powder coat finish on the chassis, customers can opt to have have finished in

‘HALO’ red or ‘Rhino’ grey powder coat. ‘HALO Red’ celebrates their development partnership with global humanitarian landmine clearance charity, and ‘Rhino Grey’ celebrates INEOS Automotive’s support for The Rhino Orphanage in South Africa. For each HALO Red or Rhino Grey chassis sold, INEOS Automotive will donate €150 to the respective organisations.

Overall the Grenadier is an incredibly capable 4x4 that’s been well thought out and executed, and with that alone I suspect it’ll be a success.

With that in mind, would I buy one?

I’ve posed this question to myself many times since the launch, I even wrote far too many paragraphs on comparing the Grenadier to the latest Defender, Land Cruiser, Wrangler Rubicon and even an Ibex - despite never driving one, and my answer has always been the same - yes.

Okay, there are a few things I’m not keen on, but overall I appreciate that it’s been built to last, and that alone gives me confidence - but you won’t see one on the pages of The Mud Life anytime soon, you’ll have to wait until secondhand prices drop significantly before they’re in my price range!

Models and Prices for 2023

2-seat Utility £55,000 - petrol & diesel

5-seat Station Wagon £58,000 - petrol & diesel

As above Trailmaster £69,000 - petrol & diesel

As above Fieldmaster £69,000 - petrol & diesel