2024 Ineos Grenadier new car review
The rough and rugged four-wheel drive has been built to replicate old school, no-nonsense machines and it will challenge some of the best in the business.
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There’s no sat-nav, you can’t option electric seats and it’s one of the few new cars to get steel wheels and hose-out vinyl floors.
But that ruggedness and built-for-purpose simplicity is the appeal of the Ineos Grenadier, a car unapologetically targeted at getting down and dirty across some of the country’s most unforgiving terrain.
The Grenadier is a hard core off-roader designed to plug a hole left when the Land Rover Defender went upmarket and other off-roaders simply fizzled out.
It is produced by UK-based petrochemicals giant Ineos, better known for its one-third ownership of the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team.
Engineered in the UK, and built in France using German engines and French transmissions, the multicultural wagon was conceived in a London pub by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe to channel the capability and durability of the original Defender.
But the Grenadier adds more tech and trinkets to make big adventures or work trips that little bit more comfortable.
Key to that are BMW engines.
The Grenadier comes with a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo, powered either by petrol or diesel. It’s hooked up to an eight-speed ZF transmission shared with many luxury cars.
Ineos convinced the government the Grenadier should be classified as a work vehicle – effectively a light truck, which means it sidesteps some safety requirements and doesn’t pay luxury car tax.
But customers will pay prestige car prices for the Grenadier.
The entry model costs about $119,000 drive-away. Add another $13,000 for the Trialmaster (with extra off-road equipment) or Fieldmaster (with leather and luxury).
Even then, you’re still slotting a key in the ignition, pulling on a manual handbrake and wrestling with a stubby gear lever to lock the centre differential or select low range.
The doors have double-sealed rubbers to keep water out and they close with a satisfying clang, although they also demand some muscle to ensure they latch properly.
The Grenadier rides on a ladder frame architecture similar to what underpins a ute or Toyota LandCruiser.
The rugged 70-Series LandCruiser is its biggest competitor.
Many of the early buyers seem to love that rawness and authenticity, which demands a basic understanding of off-road systems to maximise its potential.
The traction control system isn’t as smart as some, for example, so those locking diffs will be needed for traversing loose terrain. Activating them can be finicky, although the results when activated are impressive.
The Grenadier is ferociously capable, its live axle suspension conquering rocks and obstacles.
That suspension is also supple enough to make for comfortable touring, albeit with a heavy-footed feel that is a reminder of the weight.
It has also been designed for punishment, with tough underbody protection and solid recovery points on each corner if you get stuck.
The 210kW/450Nm petrol engine does a great job of shifting circa-2.7-tonnes of nuggety off-roader and there’s a gravelly growl as it revs.
But the 183kW/550Nm diesel is better suited, muscling up with more low-rev pull and a more palatable 10.5 litres per 100km fuel consumption number (down from 12.6L/100km for the petrol models).
But there are compromises.
The Grenadier has woolly steering that requires plenty of twirls. Its off-road focused tyres – including available all-terrain BF Goodrich units – relish rocks and dirt and fend off punctures beautifully, but they lack precision on bitumen.
It also leans in bends and lacks the refinement and polish of a LandCruiser or Land Rover.
The driver’s left foot also fights for space with a panel shielding the exhaust system beneath the floor.
But the interior is functional and rugged, two things not all modern off-roaders manage particularly well.
There’s something reassuring about its handbrake lever, or physical controls used in lieu of hidden menus in a digital display.
Sure, the Grenadier has a 12.3-inch infotainment screen that incorporates its instrument cluster and various menus, including some handy ones that show the operation of the 4WD system with temperature readouts, tyre pressure displays and so-on.
But it still has dials and buttons that make adjusting the ventilation or sound systems easy while bounding along rocky trails.
The aircraft-style overhead panel is a nice touch, making additional off-road hardware easy to access and providing separate switches for accessories (the wiring is built into the car, reducing the need to turn to the aftermarket to run additional cables).
All of which adds up to a car like no other.
It’s loaded with character – which in some instances is a polite way of digesting some of its (occasionally loveable) flaws – and unashamedly focuses on serious off-road capability, often at the expense of on-road sophistication.
With so few choices at that end of the market the Grenadier has already carved itself something of a cult following, one that looks set to spread its adventurous spirit to all corners of the country.
VERDICT 3.5/5
Raw and rugged but loaded with character and off-road substance, albeit with on-road compromises.
INEOS GRENADIER TRIALMASTER DIESEL
Price: From about $130,000 drive-away
Warranty/servicing: 5 yrs/unlimited km, NA
Safety: 6 airbags, reversing camera
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo diesel, 183kW/550Nm
Thirst: 10.5L/100km
Spare: Full size
Boot: 1152L
Originally published as 2024 Ineos Grenadier new car review
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