Few vehicles have generated as much controversy or as many column inches in recent years as the Ineos Grenadier.Â
Whether it’s the idea being formed in a London pub, the various legal battles with Jaguar Land Rover, or the fact this British 4×4 is built in France, the Grenadier was creating headlines before it even turned a wheel.
Since completed Grenadiers have started to leave the production line, the mud-slinging hasn’t stopped. Its styling, interior quality, road manners and prices have all been discussed and dissected. Ineos certainly faces an uphill struggle to win over the Land Rover faithful.
Pulling the pin
So, when I arrived at Deepdale Off Road Driving Centre in County Durham for a belated birthday 4×4 experience, then found an Ineos Grenadier parked outside, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. Yet although we were minutes from Barnard Castle, there was no need to test my vision – it really was a Grenadier.
Graeme Gill, owner and instructor at Deepdale, was one of the first to put down a deposit for a Grenadier. The off-road centre had previously used classic Land Rover Defenders, but needed a new option for a hard-working 4×4.
With a traditional ladder frame chassis and solid axles, plus those Defender-inspired dimensions that led to a courtroom fight with JLR, the Grenadier was a strong contender for the job.
Strong enough for it to be carrying us across the 15 acres of Deepdale’s snow-covered off-road course, in fact, dodging pheasants and frozen ponds along the way.
A real tough mudder
I’ve previously written about my love-hate relationship with the original Land Rover Defender, following my experiences of learning to drive in one. I’m now firmly in the pro-Defender camp, and understand the appeal it holds for enthusiasts.
There is no denying the Grenadier’s similarities to the vehicle Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted to emulate. Off-road, its slow steering requires plenty of concentration on what the front wheels are doing – just like in a Defender. But the smooth-shifting ZF automatic gearbox is light years ahead of the stick-stirring needed in a classic Land Rover, even if the BMW-supplied shifter can be fiddly.
Hill descent control was never available in the original Defender either, but is standard on the Grenadier. Even in the worst combinations of mud and slush, it never missed a beat, smoothly guiding the Ineos down steep, slippery slopes.
And the Grenadier was just as effortless going back up those hills, thanks to its BMW-supplied 3.0-litre 249hp diesel engine – along with Graeme’s tutoring and encouragement.
A true 4×4, not an SUV
The centre console may seem like a riot of buttons, but the Grenadier’s cabin makes more sense when you start prodding and poking. Having a dedicated switch to engage Offroad mode and disconnect all the driving assistance systems is a neat feature. Locking the centre diff is still done by a pleasingly old-school lever, though.
Being built with such a solid focus on real off-road use has naturally created a 4×4 less suited to life on tarmac. However, a brief road test made it clear the Grenadier is hardly a menace to society. A lack of self-centring for the steering takes some mental recalibration, along with some arm twirling, but it soon becomes second-nature.
The torque from the BMW diesel makes it more than capable of getting up to speed when joining dual carriageways, and the brakes felt surefooted, even on the chunky BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres. There is enough sound deadening to have a conversation with your passenger at motorway speeds, too.
All part of the charm
Is the Ineos Grenadier perfect? No. Like the original Defender, there is some built-in ‘character’ to address. The driver’s footwell is cramped, there is still not a great deal of elbow room, and it weighs a hefty 2,700kg.
Factor in the substantial price tag – even the cheapest versions now start at almost £65,000 – and it’s easy to see why the Grenadier has taken so much flak.
Clearly, the Grenadier will never replace the iconic status of the classic Land Rover Defender. It can’t hope to replicate the decades of enthusiasm behind the vehicle that inspired it, but the Grenadier does emulate the spirit and abilities of the original.
Buyers expecting the Grenadier to be just another luxury SUV are likely to be surprised. But for those who want a dedicated 4×4 for driving off-road, the Ineos is hard to beat.
Call me a convert, then. Although if money were no object, I would still be straight on the phone to Twisted Automotive for a restomod Defender T110 TVS…
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