INEOS Automotive unveils new Grenadier to rival Toyota HiLux, LandCruiser
Controversial new off-roader emerges as a rough-and-ready, rock-solid and reliable four-wheel-drive to tackle some of Australia’s favourite cars.
Rock-solid reliability, go-anywhere usability, powerful engines and action hero styling with a choice of ute or wagon bodies – the INEOS Automotive Grenadier feels tailor-made for Australia.
It’s even named after a pub.
Jim Ratcliffe is Britain’s richest person and the chief executive of chemicals giant INEOS.
Ratcliffe is an enthusiast who doesn’t take no for an answer, so when Land Rover stopped building his favourite four-wheel-drive, he launched plans to build an off-road machine to rival the old Defender.
That decision took place in a pub called the Grenadier, which is how the new car company got its name.
Land Rover is on the cusp of launching an all-new Defender in Australia, one with fresh looks and a modern car-like monocoque construction as opposed to its traditional body-on-frame arrangement.
Grenadier models will be built the old way, with rigid axles teamed to locking front, centre and rear differentials.
There are many design similarities between the Grenadier and previous-generation Defender. The round headlamps, cap-like roof, stepped doors and channelled bonnet of the Grenadier look familiar.
As does its wheel-at-each corner stance, something designer Toby Ecuyer says is inevitable when pursuing steep approach and departure angles vital to off-road adventures.
“The proportions of the car are dictated by the engineering,” Ecuyer says.
“It’s truly a proper workhorse, a proper tool.”
Set to go on sale locally in 2022, the company says its decision to reveal the car long before its debut allows them to test in plain sight, taking in more than one million kilometres of assessment to make sure its reliability betters rivals.
Expect the Grenadier to share its price-point with the new Defender, sitting above dual-cab utes but below full-sized luxury SUVs in a space occupied by high-end Jeep Wrangler variants and Toyota’s 70-Series LandCruiser.
In other words, you’ll need about $80,000 to get one.
The first wagon will be followed by a ute and other variants.
Power comes from a choice of BMW-sourced petrol or diesel in-line six-cylinder engines similar to those found in the 5-Series and X5. Power figures have not been confirmed, but INEOS has locked-in a ZF automatic gearbox – likely the same eight-speed unit preferred by BMW.
Production will be contracted to Magna Steyr, the Austrian powerhouse responsible for assembling a number of vehicles including the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, BMW 5-Series and Toyota Supra.
The car will come with modern safety gear including autonomous emergency braking. INEOS says some variants will feature a house-out interior, the ability to accept a Euro-standard pallet, and exterior electrical outlets for lighting accessories.
Dirk Heilmann, chief executive of the new INEOS Automotive sub-brand, says “there’s no coincidence that you will find similar results” in the world of off-road vehicles, reiterating that the Grenadier is “a ground up, new engineered and designed vehicle”.
Heilmann does not expect any issues from Land Rover, even if the companies do not share a close relationship.
Land Rover lost a British court case in 2019 attempting to protect the old Defender’s design from being copied.
And Ratcliffe told media at the Grenadier’s London launch announcement in 2017 that Australians prefer LandCruisers to Land Rovers because Toyotas are more reliable.
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