+ MOTORING JANUARY: Ineos Grenadier Station Wagon 3.0 Petrol

George Loveridge Driving Around for Travel News Update

To kick off the new year, this issue of TNU’s motoring section features a very new off-road vehicle. The Ineos Grenadier has been designed to be the best 4x4 vehicle that money can buy. Well, is it?

If you have ever used a fancy public convenience, then you have probably seen Ineos hand soap.

Ineos, founded by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is essentially a chemical works company. However, its CEO and creator decided that he wanted to build the best 4x4 on sale, built with the best components, and manufactured with minimal compromises. And that is exactly what he has done. You could be forgiven for thinking that these Grenadiers are a hybrid of the Mercedes G-Wagon and Land Rover Defender – because they have similar styling attributes. However, these are in a class of their own.

The backbone of the Grenadier is a full box-section ladder frame chassis. Simple, strong and stable, it is designed to withstand daily punishment in all conditions. Its steel section is up to 3.5mm thick for outstanding rigidity and stiffness. Moreover, the Grenadier’s heavy-duty solid beam axles are strong, straightforward, and built to last. They were developed in partnership with Carraro, an expert in heavy-duty tractor axles.

Straight away then, you can tell that Ineos is not messing about mechanically with these vehicles.

It has, chosen to go for a tried and tested power plant, you get the choice of either a B58 BMW petrol engine or a B57 BMW diesel engine – both of which are straight sixes and turbocharged. Equally, they’re coupled to an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox with permanent four-wheel-drive.

The example as tested is the 3.0 petrol. It is really a sports car engine in a big, heavy body, but it works really well. Furthermore, it makes a great sound. Torque and power are sent to the front and rear axles via an Ineos-designed two-speed transfer case built by industry transmission leader Tremec. The manually-operated two-speed transfer case features a built-in centre differential which is lockable in both high and low range. And that is only scratching the surface of some of the off-road capabilities.

Yeah, all of the off-road tech is great. But what are these like on the road?

Initially, you notice that the Grenadier has a steering box, rather than a traditional steering column. Therefore, it is not self-centring which is something that at first appears alarming, but one can easily get used to it.

For such a heavy car, it rides exceptionally well on the road thanks to progressive dampeners. Just within a few hundred yards of driving, these feel great to drive.

The seats are manually adjustable, as is pretty much everything. Ideally, less electrical components to fail when you are out doing adventure things in your Grenadier.

You sit high up behind a large bonnet, but thanks to the precise hydraulic steering you get to feel exactly where the car is.

Everything on the inside is as rugged as it looks on the outside. All is functional; grab handles, ergonomically designed switch gear that can be utilised with a pair of winter gloves – that sort of thing. It is no old farm truck either, there is just one central screen which shows your engine and road speed, and it will even accommodate wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Additionally, you will find heated seats, USB and USB-C charging ports. 

Sounds pretty good so far, right? Well, should you want to order one you had better pay attention. There are a plethora of variations of the Grenadier. Basically, there is the Utility Wagon, Station Wagon and Quarter Master which is a pickup version. Each of which comes with a mountain of options and title variations. What we have got here is the 5-seat Station Wagon, Trialmaster edition which is your usual pedestrian spec. But, it will still go off-road just as well as the others.

The George Loveridge Verdict  

Overall, I really like what Ineos is doing with these Grenadiers. They look very cool, and having sampled one on and off-road, I can confirm that they are extremely capable. Pretty costly though, but if you are in the market for a near enough bespoke off-road vehicle, it would be a sensible investment. Oh, and watch out for narrow and elderly bridges. This is over 2-metres wide and tips the scales at 3.5 tonnes!

TNU Comment

The future for Ineos looks very exciting indeed. For 2026 they hope to have an all-electric vehicle, but it will not be an electrified Grenadier as the weight of the batteries would remove the Grenadier’s 1-tonne payload.

Moreover, Ineos are the only car manufacturer that produces hydrogen as a by-product of their chemical works. Therefore, they’re working on harnessing that hydrogen to invest in both hydrogen fuel stations and vehicles that will run off their fuel source.

Price as tested: £72,500

Lead in price: £65,000

Average fuel consumption: 18MPG
Range (fuel): 300  
Engine size: 3000cc
0-60: 8.8 Seconds  

Performance 6
Handling 7
Transmission 8
Noise 4
Economy 2
Ride and Comfort 7
Accommodation 10
Styling 8
Brakes 7
Finish 10

TOTAL =69%

https://ineosgrenadier.com

Index/Home page
 

READERS' COMMENT

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 200 words maximum

Roy Bickley, USA/CT

Overall it sounds excellent. A very good option, considering the competition. I am ready to order, unfortunately adding in the cost of a home in the UK does a a rather large premium.