By: Tarek Hawchar
The new Grenadier has the same boxy profile and utilitarian design as the original Defender
Simply put, the Ineos Grenadier is the result of a British billionaire missing his old Land Rover Defender. Ineos is not a car manufacturer, but rather one of the world’s largest chemical producers. In response to Land Rover's decision to discontinue the original Defender, Ineos’ founder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, decided to build a new one. Ratcliffe initially offered to buy the original Defender's design rights and production-line tooling to keep the model alive, but Jaguar Land Rover refused.
After years of legal disputes over the trademark rights of the old Defender's shape, Jaguar Land Rover eventually lost, and the Ineos Grenadier was born! The new off-roader was initially intended to be built in South Wales, but these plans were shelved when the Hambach plant in eastern France became available—the same facility Daimler used to build Smarts for decades. The Grenadier is named after a pub in London where Ratcliffe first envisioned the large SUV.
The Ineos Grenadier comes in three flavors: the Utility Wagon, the crew-cab pick-up Quartermaster, and the five-seat Station Wagon—all powered by BMW-sourced engines. We had the chance to climb behind the wheel of the Station Wagon variant and put it to a proper test, pushing it through rocky, sand, and city driving conditions in Dubai. As we drove the capable off-roader through the rocky terrain of the Wander Camp, the challenge became even more challenging. We found it to be the perfect location and a great testing ground for this large SUV.
Exterior
Style-wise, the Ineos Grenadier and the original Defender share many similarities. The new Grenadier has the same boxy profile and utilitarian design. Up front, there is a longer bonnet, circular LED headlights, and grille-integrated secondary lights. Other exterior highlights include roof bars and load pads integrated into the roof, a spare wheel at the rear, circular LED taillights, a skid plate, and a small roof ladder.
The Trailmaster variant, as its name implies, is designed for the extreme off-road terrain. It adds BF Goodrich all-terrain tires, a raised snorkel air intake, 17-inch steel wheels, an auxiliary battery, and heated washer jets.
In terms of dimensions, the off-road SUV measures 4895 mm long, 1930 mm wide and 2036 mm tall, with a 2922 mm long wheelbase.
Designed to emphasize the Grenadier's toughness, much of the cabin is made of durable, stain-resistant materials
Interior
Designed to emphasize the Grenadier's toughness, much of the cabin is made of durable, stain-resistant materials. This means it can be hosed out, and there are drain holes on the floor as well.
On the dashboard, there is a wide center console with large dials and buttons for things like climate control, seat heating, window heating, and audio system. There is also a 12.3-inch infotainment screen that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an analog clock, a BMW-sourced gear shifter, and numerous other switches on the roof.
The “Smooth Pack” of the Trailmaster variant adds a backup camera, heated exterior mirrors, puddle lamps, powered mirrors, and heated leather seats.
The seats are comfortable, and the driver’s seat offers a high driving position. The cabin is roomy and spacious enough to accommodate up to five average-sized adults. There is plenty of headroom for rear-seat passengers, thanks to the Grenadier's large exterior dimensions. The Grenadier Station Wagon has a cargo space of 1152 liters of seats-up capacity.
On the safety front, the large SUV features an array of safety and driver-focused technologies, including a lane-departure warning system, advanced emergency braking, a driver-drowsiness detection system, and an intelligent speed assist. Front, side, and curtain airbags, stability and traction control, a trailer stability assist, and a tire pressure monitoring system are also available.
With 282 hp and 450 Nm of torque, the BMW-sourced 3.0-liter engine is connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission made by ZF, a two-speed transfer case, and a permanent four-wheel drive system
Engine & Performance
Under the fresh sheet metal, there is a BMW-sourced 3.0-liter, straight-six turbo engine.
With 282 hp and 450 Nm of torque, this engine is connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission made by ZF, a two-speed transfer case, and a permanent four-wheel drive system.
The Grenadier Station Wagon features ladder frame construction, as well as front and rear differential locks. Speaking of steering, the rack and pinion setup has been replaced with a recirculating ball mechanism.
Despite its body-on-frame construction and solid axles, the Ineos Grenadier features five-link coil-over suspension at all four corners, providing excellent body control and damping
On the other hand, the ride quality is excellent. Despite its body-on-frame construction and solid axles, the Ineos Grenadier features five-link coil-over suspension at all four corners, providing excellent body control and damping.
With its 264-millimeter ground clearance and 800-millimeter wading depth, the Grenadier is capable of fording murky streams that would swallow a sports car whole. In terms of towing capabilities, the large SUV can pull a 3500 kg braked trailer or a 750 kg unbraked one.
Our Verdict
One can say that the Ineos Grenadier is a true successor to the old Defender. Like the latter, the Grenadier is designed to go places most cars or even SUVs cannot without falling apart. Its stunning off-road capabilities, boxy design, roomy interior, and BMW-sourced six-cylinder engine make it the best in class!