By Eoin Cuttle
To the untrained eye, this may seem like just an old Land Rover Defender, but it is in fact the Ineos Grenadier. It's the brainchild of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who back in 2017 decided there was a gap in the market for an “uncompromising 4X4”. And I must admit, his boffins have certainly plugged that gap, and then some.
The Ineos Grenadier is best described as a Nokia 3310 with iPhone technology; it's rugged and built to last, but you can still open up Spotify and listen to your favourite podcast. Available in either five-seat or two-seat commercial, the Grenadier is imported and distributed here by Orangeworks Automotive (service centre in Swords, Dublin ), who offer an impressive warranty package. There's five-years of unlimited mileage on the engine and gearbox; five-years of AA roadside cover; and a 12-year chassis cover.
So is it any good? If you take it at face value, then yes, very. I tested the two-seat, five-door commercial, which is built at the former Mercedes-Benz Hambach plant in France, and is powered by BMW's 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel straight-six engine coupled with an eight-speed automatic gearbox from ZF. This spits out 245hp and 550nm of torque, aiding its 3.5t towing capacity. Fuel consumption for the diesel engine is quoted at 11.5L/100km, and it cruises comfortably at 120km/h on the motorway.
The Grenadier commercial features a full-length flat floor with a robust floor-to-roof cargo barrier behind the two front seats, and can carry a standard 1,200mm x 800mm Euro pallet. The backbone of the Grenadier is a full box-section ladder frame chassis, with heavy-duty solid beam axles, a twospeed transfer case and up to three locking differentials. It sits on 17-inch Bridgestone All-Terrain tyres as standard, with the optional extra of BFGoodrich instead. There's also a full-size spare attached to the rear.
With the same design ethos of the exterior, the focus of the light aircraft inspired cockpit is on practicality and utility. At the same time, you’ll also find all the comfort and tech you’d expect from a modern vehicle. This includes a 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. Physical buttons and knobs dominate throughout, however, along with hard-wearing materials and wipe-down upholstery. Storage space is abundant, and the ride height and visibility from the heated Recaro seats are superb.
The Ineos Grenadier is just over two-metres tall and weighs around 2.7 tonnes. It feels unapologetically over the top and a little bit silly. But who cares? It's great fun and leaves strained necks in its wake. It even has a second 'toot' horn specially designed to be quieter for cyclists and pedestrians. Steering is oriented towards off-road driving, meaning it's quite heavy, but I think this adds to its somewhat rogue personality.
There is a good choice of solid and metallic paint options to choose from. 'Scottish White' is the standard hue, while the €668 (ex.VAT ) 'Eldoret Blue' is the colour that's pictured. Excluding VAT, the Ineos Grenadier commercial currently comes in at €73,995, while the five-seat version will set you back over €110k. If you genuinely need such a machine, then it's probably worth every penny.
