First Drive: 2024 Ineos Grenadier

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We have a new champ in town. Yup, you are looking at the latest champ for… interior switchgear. Oh, were you expecting me to declare it the new off-roading champ without a direct competitor? It’s good and all, but we’ll get to that decision when the 2024 Ineos Grenadier actually lands in Canada and can duke it out with its natural competitors in our market.

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But I don’t need to jump between the Grenadier and the Land Rover Defender, Jeep Wrangler, or Ford Bronco to declare the Ineos the coolest interior of the century so far, and not just for off-roaders (honourable mention to the steampunk Pagani Huayra that is a true masterpiece, but also priced like one, so it’s hard to think of it as a real car for real people). As cool as some EVs’ super-wide screens and crystal accents may be, this one rockets right to the top of my list of coolest interiors. Granted, it’s an interior that seems like it is from a different decade or century altogether, but I could spend hours just idly staring up at the overhead panel and daydreaming about being a helicopter or space shuttle pilot.

There was little time for idle daydreaming on Ineos’ Grenadier Expedition, which saw us exploring the Scottish Highlands in this new truck, but before we jump to that, you may be asking what’s an Ineos, and why did they name their truck after an infantry class?

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The Ineos Automotive Origin story

What do you do if you are a billionaire car enthusiast and the car you most adore is suddenly discontinued?

Well, in the case of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, you start your own car company and build what you think is a better Land Rover Defender. Now, some of you might be asking: wait, that’s not a Land Rover Defender?

The original Land Rover Defender was discontinued for North America in 1997, and ended production globally in 2016. This is not a Land Rover Defender, but the Ineos Grenadier bears a remarkable resemblance to the vehicle that inspired it. No, not the newfangled Defender launched in 2020 with a modern platform that meets global crash-testing standards and powertrains that meet emissions requirements, but the workhorse Defender that began life as the Land Rover 110 and 90 in 1983, and carried on largely unchanged for over three decades. The Land Rover Defender is an icon with a cult following, and although it is no longer in production in that beloved form, it turns out that deep enough pockets can bring a vehicle back from the dead.

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Some may find the Grenadier’s backstory charming; others may find it a little cringe to hyperbolize the origin story around an entitled billionaire. Still, there is no question that while countless harebrained business ideas have been born on bar napkins after a few pints, not many reach this stage. This napkin idea is now rolling off the assembly line of a French manufacturing plant acquired from Mercedes-Benz, and was introduced to global media on a drive that Ineos has dubbed Grenadier Expedition 1.0.

While we are inundated on a daily basis with press releases and promises about vapourware electric vehicles and supercars aiming to be the next disruptors of the car industry, the Ineos Grenadier has been simmering away with an essentially unlimited funding source and a much more realistic goal: “Develop a 4×4 that will be an uncompromising, no-frills, no-fuss vehicle that provides the best-in-class off-road capability, durability, and utility.” Well, the Grenadier is not just a mission statement anymore. After five years of design, engineering, and testing (1.8 million kilometres in 15 countries and every imaginable climate and terrain), Ineos has a real truck and took us through some real off-roading to prove just that.

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The destination and on-road driving impressions

The Ineos Grenadier Expedition 1.0 started at the very northern tip of Scotland in John O’ Groats, winding along the northern British coast, then traversing the Scottish wilderness before ending the first leg in Inverness. We met the convoy in Inverness and our leg carried us through the heart of the Scottish Highlands, exploring the movie-famous Ardverikie Estate (we’ll get to a list of its film credits later), stopping over at Kingshouse Hotel, then heading south and eventually cruising along the coast of Loch Lomond, ending our drive at the village of Luss on the Luss Estate, homeland of Clan Colquhoun for more than 600 years. Later waves continued the drive through Scotland and England before terminating at the Grenadier Pub where the legend began.

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While the setting was the location for some of our favourite movies (Skyfall!!!), there were no epic battles or riveting chase scenes. There were, however, some pretty gruesome conditions on the trail, with a mix of puddles and ice interspersed with boulders, muddy ruts, and sandy beach, packing varied climates and conditions into two days that passed all too quickly.

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One thing that didn’t pass quickly enough was the culture-shock of driving in the U.K., on the left side of the road from the right side of the truck. This was even more challenging in Northern Scotland, where many of the ‘B’ roads are narrow with lanes barely wide enough for the average car; when passing a transport truck or tour bus, it was wildly disorienting to see something so close on my right.

This also brings me to the first of our driving impressions: the Grenadier’s steering and visibility. The Ineos Grenadier’s steering is calibrated for intense off-road readiness, and thus feels poorly suited to average roads with a tendency for the vehicle to wander. The recirculating-ball steering feels somewhat elastic and vague, with a side serving of wobble owing to its tall stature and off-road-oriented suspension. I tended to overcorrect, and it required hyper attention, meaning that the fogged-up windows and tiny rearview got less attention than they deserved. Thankfully, no tour buses nor Caledonian stone walls were harmed in our time behind the wheel, although we did explore the occasional shoulder in order to ensure it remained manageable in that situation. When arriving at our destination, the legally mandated backup camera was there to help avoid crushing unsuspecting hedges.

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Despite those minor quibbles, the Grenadier is remains respectable on the road. The newly engineered ladder frame is incredibly stiff, the suspension boasting excellent travel for off-road scenarios, but well-damped reactions on public roads that meant the vehicle was not jittery or bucking around even on rough roads and potholes. Throw in an excellent set of front seats (Recaros, by the way) and the drive resulted in far less fatigue than expected, making it a well-rounded vehicle that you can drive to and through the trails.

The BMW-sourced powertrain is as good as BMW’s reputation, the 3.0-litre straight-six (B58 for you engine-code nerds) making 282 hp at 4,750 rpm and 332 lb-ft of torque from 1,750 to 4,000. It feels faster and more powerful than its official 8.6 second sprint to 100 km/h, but then again, going fast is decidedly not the point of this rig, which is wisely limited to 160 km/h.

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Off-road driving

Both driving days on our Expedition featured significant time on- and off the road to test the efficacy of the Grenadier’s myriad off-road features and hardy platform. The picturesque Ardverikie Estate has been used in quintessentially Scottish countryside scenes for a variety of film and television productions, including Outlander, The Crown, and No Time to Die, but we were more interested in the mud than the beautiful backdrop. The first off-roading area, a converted golf course on the estate, featured some steep, slippery, rutted slopes that we used to get familiar with the process of locking the transfer case into 4-Low and locking and unlocking the front- and rear diffs. Both axles must be unlocked for the hill-descent control to function since that relies on individual wheel braking. We made a few attempts up the steepest hill, first without the diffs locked, then with them locked.

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A few unlocked vehicles made it up with a good head of steam, while others got stuck. With all three diffs engaged, however, the Grenadier dug its claws down into the earth and crawled steadily up the tracks, even starting mid-slope from a standstill.

Later that afternoon, we found ourselves on the largest freshwater beach in Britain (Laggan Beach, at the southern end of Loch Laggan), where we proceeded to tear back and forth across the sandy beach. I’m not sure whether this was genuinely meant to prove its prerunning chops and high-speed damping on rough terrain, or if it was just to entertain the overgrown children of the automotive media. Other waves used this location to test the Grenadier’s maximum wading depth of 800 mm (31.5 inches), but some sections were iced over so our wading was saved for the next day.

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Day two started with a brief diversion to the scene of James Bond‘s cathartic moment in Skyfall against the backdrop of an archetypal Scottish Highland valley for a demonstration of the Grenadier’s GPS satellite-breadcrumb navigation tool. Then it was a blur of more tight, winding roads, and with just a bit more time behind the wheel, I adapted to the steering and responsiveness of the Grenadier, appreciated the ZF eight-speed transmission’s ability to smoothly drop a couple of gears, and came to appreciate the SUV’s mild road manners.

Our second day’s off-roading trail was the highlight of the route, with a series of steep, rocky trails up and down the side of a mountain just outside Luss. This trail required all of the various off-roading tricks in the Grenadier’s bag. We took full advantage of the 35.5-degree approach, 36.1-degree departure, and 28.2-degree breakover angles; its 264 mm (10.4″) of ground clearance; that 800-mm (31.5″) wading depth; and every component of the chassis got a serious workout.

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The heart and soul of the Grenadier is a full box-section ladder frame chassis, its steel up to 3.5 mm thick and first treated to a cathodic dip coating, then powder-coated (in three distinct colours, no less), and backed up by a 12-year warranty because Ineos is so confident in its long-term durability — even with the harsh lifestyle it is expected to endure.

The item that old-school enthusiasts might be most excited about are the traditional solid-beam axles, not sourced from the familiar Dana brand, but instead from Carraro (4:1 differential ratio to the wheels), a brand specializing in heavy-duty tractor components for customers including John Deere. I guess you could say that if Saab was born from jets, Ineos is born from tractors…

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Complementing the Carraro axles are a five-link suspension setup, plus longitudinal links either side of the axle and a Panhard rod and progressive-rate Eibach coil springs. The resulting specs are nine degrees of front-axle articulation, 12 degrees at the rear, and 585 mm of suspension travel in order to maximize tire contact with the road (check), mud (check), rock (check), sand (check), ice (check), or any other surface the Grenadier is asked to traverse. Aside from the durability and hardiness required to survive, Ineos says that the entire suspension is engineered to remain low-maintenance so that the owner can take some repairs back into their own hands without needing to hook up to a supercomputer. Thankfully, while the trail worked out every component from maximum articulation to diff-locked crawling grip, the durability promise was fulfilled and we did not have to prove that it was easy to make trailside repairs in the freezing rain or deal with a puncture (fun fact: the Grenadier’s tire valves are steel rather than rubber, so that they won’t tear away if the tires start spinning in very slippery conditions).

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Your off-road experience in the Ineos Grenadier would start by activating (looks up press release) Off-Road Mode, which disables parking sensors, seatbelt reminders, and start/stop to eliminate distracting beeps and boops and help the driver focus solely on the not-road. The next step on your hardcore off-roading experience is to manually engage the Grenadier’s two-speed transfer case, a unit designed in-house by Ineos and built by Tremec which provides full-time four-wheel drive for daily driving and mild low-traction situations, and locks in a 2.5:1 low ratio for crawling. But wait, there’s more! Since a locking differential is mere child’s play, the Ineos Grenadier also features front and rear electronically activated mechanical locking differentials sourced from differential expert Eaton (yes, I know this is sounding a bit like a who’s-who of the parts industry, and this was clearly highlighted in order to show why each supplier was chosen and their expertise in their fields).

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The front and rear diff locks (optional on Fieldmaster models, standard on Trialmaster trim) can only be activated once the centre differential is locked in 4-Low, and they disengage automatically at higher speeds in order to protect the drivetrain. Another specialty mode is Wading, which keeps an eye on engine temperatures and gives the engine fan a break when safe to do so. The real wading-enabler is the air intake positioned above the front wheel arch, or the snorkel on Trialmaster models.

Finally, all of the delicate bits are protected by standard skid plates that we beat the crap out of on the way up and down our trail. This trail was slick, twisty, and rocky, so the Grenadiers’ BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2s would get trapped in little rock pockets and spin until the lockers focused the feed of torque away from the waste of the spinning tire and yanked us out of those traps.

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The true limitation of the Grenadier is its ground clearance, which is why we were scraping those skid plates for all they were worth. Although 10.4 inches is a healthy amount, the new Land Rover Defender can be jacked up to 11.5 inches with its air suspension, and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon towers over them with up to 12.9 inches.

When is the Ineos Grenadier coming to Canada?

Ineos representatives say that they have already secured over 1,000 Canadian reservations, and that Canadian pricing and a configurator will be launched in Q2 2023 with an eye to Q3 deliveries. That sounds like more of a fingers crossed target, as Ineos only just started delivering cars in the U.K. and Europe late last year, and the production facility in Hambach, France is grappling with the same supply-chain issues as the rest of the industry.

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Compared with just over 5,000 reservations in the U.S., it appears that Canada has a proportionally larger appetite for this traditional British off-roader. Ineos plans to open stores in Toronto and Vancouver imminently, with later plans to open a store in Calgary. The Grenadier is not the only vehicle on Ineos Automotive’s horizon either, with a pickup variant in the works to compete with the Jeep Gladiator, plus a hydrogen prototype planned for testing and a smaller electric-powered SUV in partnership with Magna under consideration for 2026.

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While Canadian pricing and specific packaging has not been announced, we will not be getting the basic Utility Wagon that carries an eye-catching £49,000 (~CAD$80,000) sticker. We drove a variety of the £59,000 Trialmaster and Fieldmaster models that I would expect to be the main sellers in our market, but assuming an approximate conversion at CAD$90K against the base Land Rover Defender 110’s $69K price here in Canada, Ineos has a significant delta to bridge. Then again, with a 47-page accessory catalogue offering everything from roof racks to rock sliders and awnings to winches, customers are likely to sail right past $100K when outfitting Grenadiers for overlanding or their adventures of choice. And with that in mind, the Grenadier was also designed with even more customizations in mind thanks to heavy-duty roof rails and ‘utility belts’ (with minimum 35 kg capacity) along the, um, beltline and in the trunk that many of the accessories can attach to. The Grenadier is further pre-wired with switchgear for external powered goodies like aftermarket winches and LED light bars.

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Although utilitarian at heart, the Ineos Grenadier still delivers adequate quality in all of the interior materials. It may not carry itself with the luxuries of some of Land Rover’s offerings, but it should prove sufficient to keep those Canadians shelling out $80K+ from cringing at any major touchpoints. Plus, it’s got that one-of-a-kind interior that will make owners feel special whether they are traversing the Canadian Shield or just popping over to Yorkville for some shopping. 

If you simply told me about Jim Ratcliffe’s plans to build a rugged, traditional, utilitarian SUV to fill the void left by the reinvented and modernized Land Rover Defender, I would have had a good chuckle and not thought about it again for years. However, thanks to Ineos Group’s deep pockets and some incredible patience, Ineos Automotive has launched a convincing product for a small but globally widespread niche, and has done the engineering- and testing homework to deliver on the needs of hardcore off-roaders.

If the Grenadier can impress the enthusiasts and gain the cachet of a unique, authentic tool for adventure, then the brand will start to gain attention among those with the time and money for such pursuits, and should help the company to grow and thrive.

This truck feels as solid as the rocks we beat up all over Northern Scotland, and it will provide Canadian off-roaders with another legitimate off-road SUV in the middle ground between Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco‘s populist appeal and the new Land Rover Defender‘s luxury-adjacent reputation.