Ineos Grenadier review

In my Ineos Grenadier review, I talk about what the spiritual Land Rover Defender is like, having driven it on the road and off it.

What happens if you want to go on making a vehicle you love but the original owner will not sell you the rights? You make your own, assuming of course you have deep enough pockets to front the cost. Fortunately, the Ineos owner is a billionaire.

Named after a boozer in London, as you may have heard at least ten times already, the Ineos Grenadier is first and foremost made for off-roading.

With a wading depth of 800mm, decent ground clearance, generous overhangs and diff-locks ahoy, it can go places many vehicles cannot. All while looking like the original Land Rover Defender yet with extra creature comforts and a meathy, emissions-compliant engine.

No replacement for displacement

Whether the petrol or diesel, the displacement is 3.0 litres. Torque is 550Nm at 1,000rpm for the latter and even the former is still in the four-hundreds. Combined with a ZF eight-speed automatic, progress can be brisk despite weighing 2.5 tonnes.

The Grenadier is, of course, made for progress when grip is limited. Not 0-62mph sprints. For this, it does very well. Even with the differentials not fully locked, with ease we cruised up and down steep moguls, through what was basically a small river and across unusually boggy fields.

Admittedly, the off-road course used for the UK Grenadier launch was nowhere near its limit. No wonder, then, the only unruly moments were counter-steering as the rear lost grip but moments of steep hills highlighted effortless torque.

Despite its off-road pedigree, there is little to differentiate it between it and a typical car. Except the four-turn lock-to-lock, which takes a little getting used to. Especially as it does not steer back for you to prevent sharp jerks of the wheel that could huts your hands.

For a similar reason, the accelerator and brake pedals are spongy to ensure vibrations from the terrain do not cause sudden jerks in momentum. Because, after all, when wading through deep water or mud you want maximum control.

Speaking of which, expect just about every typical off-road system available to you including lockable diffs, low range gears and a wading mode to protect the electrics.

Rather unusually for any vehicle, Ineos has included the cycling horn seen in the original prototype. Nodding to the Ineos Grenadier cycling team, this red button provides a less aggressive warning for those on two wheels.

Hit the road

On the road, the Grenadier’s Eibach steel coil suspension softens most undulations without wallowing or being overly firm. Air suspension would have been smoother, but also more complicated to fix.

Even with the extremely cool and 100 per cent essential ‘safari window’ upgrade that adds extra glass above the two front seats, the Grenadier is quiet on the road. Even with beefy tyres and an enjoyably grumbly engine, noise soon trails off as the eight-speed ZF from the BMW 3 Series and Toyota Supra catches up.

It is a comfortable cabin, too, which puts you up nice and high. All but the biggest rival SUVs and off-roaders are well below your eyeline, which makes it feel like a serious bit of kit and likely to win in an argument.

Yet thanks to its boxy nature and good visibility, even on country lanes you can easily nudge-up against hedges and kerbs to avoid oncoming traffic. It really is an easy vehicle to drive with easily controllable modern-day braking.

It is, however, not a simple cabin. Big points must be given for choosing buttons over touchscreen fiddliness. However, on a first drive there was no way I was going to learn what everything did. A forgiveable sin due to all the off-roading essentials overhead, as if in a fighter jet or McLaren Senna.

You can spend a few extra quid and get a nice sound system, leather seats and other luxuries that go against the ‘farm chic’ aesthetic, though pretty much everything else is a chunky plastic and easy to press, twist, replace or repair. You can even have steel wheels.

Extra optionals

Speaking of choices, the Grenadier comes in two main flavours: Rangemaster and Fieldmaster. The former is more road-oriented while the latter cares more leaving tarmac behind Either way, slap on the optional roof tent and anywhere can be home.

A neat touch being the map of the globe you can see from inside the tent if you can make it up the ladder in one piece. Space seems enough for two people providing you know each well.

Other options include roof rails for carrything things other than the cosy but functional roof tent as well as chunkier BF Goodrich tyres, cruise control, 30/70-split rear door and a loading area or an extra three seats.

For those concerned about repairs, a hallmark of the original Defender, Ineos says it includes a booklet for repairing everything. There is, however, no free sheepdog or subscription to Farmer’s Weekly.

Ineos Grenadier review: Should you buy?

Starting at £64,500 at the time of writing, the Ineos Grenadier is quite the purchase even for commercial useage. But then it can play a variety of roles including a pick-up in the form of the Quartermaster version, go just about anywhere and do so while keeping you comfortable.

The fact it looks like the original Defender yet goes a little further in the luxury department may upset purists. Deep down, however, most of us would like to connect to our smartphone and hear ourselves on a motorway.

Honestly, the Grenadier is a little rough in places as you would expect from a utility vehicle (especially if you look at more recent Land Rovers), but it offers a pleasing drive and is rather distinctive in a sea of crossover and SUV sameyness.