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The oft-controversial Ineos Grenadier is now in Ireland, but whatās it like to live with on our roads (and off them)?
Billionaires usually get what billionaires want, and Jim Ratcliffe wanted, more than almost anything, to keep the old Land Rover Defender in production. So much so that when the original Defender finally reached the end of its production life, Ratcliffe tried to buy the rights to make the car and keep it in production.
Not very surprisingly, Land Rover rebuffed this move, but being a billionaire means that you can find other ways of getting what you want, and so Ratcliffe decided to make his own car company, named Ineos ā just like the vast chemical company from which he made his billions.
The project hit controversy almost immediately. Ratcliffe, a vocal proponent of Brexit, reversed initial plans to build this new 4x4 ā named Grenadier after the pub in which the idea was cooked up ā in the UK and instead bought the old Smart factory in Hambach, France. That, on top of employing Austria-based Magna Steyr to engineer the car in the first place. And getting BMW to supply engines, and Germanyās ZF to send over some automatic gearboxes. Indeed, for a supposedly Brexit-y vehicle, the Grenadier is actually festooned with European flags. There is a little German flag on the front wheelarch as a salute to BMWās input, and the option of French tricolours to mark its production site.
But we are getting bogged down, and that is avowedly not what the Grenadier is supposed to do. With Land Rover taking its new (and current) Defender upmarket and giving it a far more refined sheen, Ineos wanted to create a new vehicle, with new technology, but very much in the unstoppable-off-road format of the old Defender. Unsurprisingly, the two cars bear visual kinship, although there is as much of the old Mercedes G-Wagen in the Grenadierās chunky, square shape.
It is a car which hits you immediately with its practicality. Front and rear bumpers are made in multiple sections, so if you bash one bit off a tree or a farm gate, it is not an expensive job to get it replaced. The doors have attachment rails for anything from extra fuel cans to a fold-out table, and can carry 60kg thanks to reinforced hinges.
There are pre-installed points for an air intake snorkel and a rear-mounted ladder. The rear doors, split 70:30, open up completely to allow unfettered access to the load space. Ineos wanted to make the Grenadier a tool as much as a car, and in that it has succeeded. In our Utility Wagon two-seat commercial test car, there was more than 2,000-litres of loadspace, and the ability to carry almost 800kg of load.
Inside, there is a digital screen, but just the one ā a combined instrument panel and infotainment screen in the centre of the dashboard. Itās a shame that there is no driverās display behind the wheel, but the main screen is fairly simple to use and can show a myriad of information, from steering angle to tyre temperature.
Better still are the physical switches. The Grenadierās dashboard, and the roof above the front seats, are covered with big, tactile switches that look as if they were taken from an Apollo command module. They are all spectacularly easy to find and use, even with gloves on, and the clunk-click of the overhead roof-mounted switches in particular feels like a form of ASMR therapy when you are on a long drive.
And, you can do a long drive. With smooth, if sometimes noisy, power from a 249hp BMW 3.0-litre straight-six diesel engine (a petrol version is also available, and Ineos is dabbling with hydrogen power too) the Grenadier is immediately far more refined and usable than an old Land Rover Defender. Its driving position, in spite of being offset to the right, is still vastly more comfortable than any pre-2020 Defender, and even though the massive BF Goodrich off-road tyres of our test car thrummed and hummed their way along the motorway, long hauls were painless (aside from the 13.0-litres per 100km fuel economy).
The steering is the hardest part to get your head around. There is no self-centring, so any lock you put on, you also have to wind off. It is not so bad most of the time, and the Grenadier is a tidy enough car to drive with a relatively well-controlled ride quality, but quick exits from 90-degree junctions will result in a flurry of arms and elbows.
Of course, the point is that the steering is easier to manage off-road, which is the Grenadierās natural home. We visited Orangeworks, Irelandās only Grenadier dealer, at its home nestled within 110-acres of woodlands on the Carton House estate. No shiny showroom for the Grenadier, and no tyre-kicking passersby. If youāre really interested, Orangeworks will send you the directions to find their location (good luck doing so without) and will make sure youāve been thoroughly appraised of the Grenadierās off-road prowess before you head home.
With enough ride height to traverse a hefty mountain range, three locking differentials, and high-and-low ratio gears, the Grenadier made mincemeat of the off-road course at Orangeworks HQ. We were hardly likely to be let loose on tracks with which the car could not cope, but with the temperature heading for -5 degrees, and a treacherous mixture of ice and occasional meltwater on the course, it is still hugely impressive how the Grenadier coped with the conditions. It is far more an off-road than on-road car, and most assuredly not an SUV in the modern, softly-softly mould.
You can buy it as a two or five-seat commercial, a five-seat passenger model, or in the coming weeks as a āQuartermasterā pickup. Should you, though?
That is a difficult question to answer. In replacing the old Land Rover Defender, Ineos has hit its target pretty well, and the Grenadier feels and drives like an old Defender, but with refinement and technology of which that old car could never have dreamed. However, Land Roverās new Defender, while perhaps not quite so off-road capable as the Grenadier, is a far more comfortable and refined machine on tarmac. Equally, Toyota has a new Land Cruiser incoming fast, which may give the Grenadier an uncomfortable time. Although, the Grenadier is pretty well unique in the Irish market right now for offering a commercial model with full seats for five.
Itās not cheap, with VAT-inclusive prices starting at ā¬88,499, but as a utilitarian, useful, usable tool it is rather impressive. It is not for you if you just want something that looks good on the school run, or for carrying extended family around. The Grenadier is a hard-working tool and needs to be owned, driven, and used as such.
Power: 3.0-litre straight-six diesel putting out 249hp and 550Nm of torque through an eight-speed automatic gearbox powering all four wheels. 0-100km/h: 9.8 seconds. Emissions (motor tax): 286g/km (ā¬333 commercial tax). Fuel consumption: 10.9l/100km (WLTP). Price: ā¬88,499 (inc. VAT) as tested (Grenadier starts at ā¬88,499).
An awful yoke.
More like a Defender of 1993 Emerdale style than a new Defender.
Iām surprised Land Rover arenāt suing for copyright on design.
Iām in the market for a second hand 7 seater AWD, budget is ā¬20k, my options appear to be;
Outlander
X Trail
Santa Fe
All of the above would be 2016 models with circa 100k miles on the clock, any steer on what to go for and what to look out for?? Cheers
How much do you think this would cost?
Is it an i10 or Tuscon?
I30
Near 800
ffs
It must be horrible to drive if it needs all that
Itās the finest
Is awd / 4wd a must?
dunno if you can buy them individually.
hereās a handy link
Looking for Office Depot Sticky Note Cube 76 x 76 mm Assorted Neon 400 Sheets? Look no further!
I need something high & rugged if that makes sense, I live in a rural setting and the road out to the main road is a poor loose gravel surface full of potholes and prone to flooding. Iām constantly in the garage with our current 5008 replacing shocks/suspension/joints etc etcā¦ Iād also use a 4wd to access some off road camping/fishing spots with the kids that are close by to me. So unless it makes a big difference, I think AWD would probably be needed?? Thanks.
Dacia Duster
I need a 7 seater
Dacia Jogger
Looking at something similar ourselvesā¦ our mechanic has us diverted well away from the Santa Feā¦ apparently he has seen a lot of issues with them. Know nothing about the other two.
Cheers, suppose to be very heavy on juice aswell, Iām leaning towards the outlander atm