Ineos Grenadier Review 2024
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Written by Phill Tromans
Quick overview
Pros
- Chunky and resolutely analogue
- Impressive off-road performance
- Strong engines
Cons
- Off-road focus detracts from on-road performance
- Steering is far too slow on-road
- Expensive to buy
Overall verdict on the Ineos Grenadier
“Rarely in the modern age is a car so resolutely focused on a single task. The Ineos Grenadier was conceived at the wake of the old Land Rover Defender and built unashamedly in its honour. It succeeds in being a rough and tough off-roader, both capable and enjoyable to drive on inhospitable terrain. If that’s what you want, or you’re just sold by the aesthetic of it, then great. But that off-road focus makes it pretty terrible to drive on the road, and it’s expensive for what feels very much like a working vehicle. If it’s what you want then go for it, but luxury SUV customers need to know what compromises they’re signing up for.”
![Ineos Grenadier Review 2024: rear](https://preview-assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/3b3d460e-c5ae-0195-6b86-3ac7fb9d52db/277956f2-481f-4ffb-b313-eb25cd6c54dd/Ineos%20Grenadier%20%282%29.jpg?w=1920&q=80&fm=webp&lossless=0)
The Ineos Grenadier is a curiosity in the car world, named after the pub in which it was conceived by the billionaire owner of a chemical company. Designed and built to continue the work of the old Land Rover Defender, it’s a proper 4x4 designed to tackle just about any terrain put in front of it in an analogue, manual kind of way. Rather than a modern, do-anything dials that set the car up for snow or mud, there’s a plethora of low-ratio gears and diff locks for you to play with. It’s old-school, hands-on mud-plugging.
Jim Ratcliffe, the aforementioned billionaire, is not the only one that loves this vision – prospective Grenadier customers have delighted at the prospect of a car that shares little with most similarly priced SUVs. Other than the Jeep Wrangler, its closest rivals in spirit are probably the far more expensive Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the far cheaper Suzuki Jimny.
Several flavours of Grenadier are available – it comes as a two-seat or five-seat “Utility Wagon” aimed more at commercial vehicle customers, or a five-seat Station Wagon, which is the one we’ve tried. You can also order the Quartermaster pick-up truck, which has a load bed grafted onto the back. A zero-emission derivation, called the Fusilier, is also in the works.
Within the Station Wagon model you can pick from the Trialmaster Edition, which has more extreme off-road features and is the car we tested, or the Fieldmaster Edition, which is slightly more luxurious.
Engine choices are straightforward – either a petrol-powered 3.0-litre BMW straight six, or a diesel powered 3.0-litre BMW straight six. Both come with automatic transmissions.
If you like getting in the rough stuff – or you want people to think you do – then the Grenadier should really be on your radar.
Looking for a used car for sale? We've got a wide range of Ineos Grenadier models for sale.
Is the Ineos Grenadier right for you?
The Grenadier will be right up your street if you want a hugely capable off-roader and you want to be involved in the off-roading experience. Various Land Rover models will also excel in challenging terrain, but since the demise of the old Defender the driver has less to do when conquering mud, snow, rocks or what-have-you – much of the cars’ capabilities are computerised and automated. The Grenadier very much isn’t that, it’s about as analogue as you can get in a modern car, and more fun for it.
However – and it’s a very large however – the Ineos Grenadier is not a good car to drive on the road. In fact, we’d go as far to say it’s pretty bad. Our test car, shod in off-road tyres, lacked grip and feel in the corners, and the very slow steering, while useful in navigating muddy paths, is very disconcerting on normal roads. It’s not particularly comfy or luxurious, it drinks fuel and it’s not cheap to buy or run.
If you’ve got a use for its talents, or you just love the image, then you may be tempted to put up with the buts, because it’s genuinely good at the things it’s trying to be good at. If you just want a luxury family SUV, however, then there are far better options.
What’s the best Ineos Grenadier model/engine to choose?
We’ve only tried the petrol engine in the Grenadier, but it’s very well suited to it. BMW’s 3.0-litre, six-cylinder engine has loads of low-down torque that makes it great for off-road driving. We know from other cars that use the 3.0-litre diesel option, also from BMW, is another great bit of engineering, and the extra torque it offers should suit the character of the Grenadier very nicely.
What other cars are similar to the Ineos Grenadier?
Good question. Cars with similar mission statements include the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, the Suzuki Jimny and the Jeep Wrangler. The Mercedes is far more expensive, the Jimny is far cheaper. The Wrangler is closest in price (although still about £15,000 cheaper) and only comes with a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine. All these cars offer a similar flavour of do-it-yourself off-roading, but they’re not really direct rivals to the Grenadier.
Going by price point, the forthcoming new Toyota Land Cruiser will land bang within the Grenadier’s budget range, although it looks like it’ll be a touch more Modern Car in its style and feel than Traditional Mudplugger.
And then, of course, there’s the latest Land Rover Defender, which comes in a broad range of flavours and budgets that span the Grenadier. It’s a very decent car with excellent off-road capabilities, but it’s moved away from the raw, agricultural feel that the Ineos is trying to recapture.
Comfort and design: Ineos Grenadier interior
"Much like the rest of the car, the Grenadier’s interior isn’t really like anything else on the road."
![Ineos Grenadier Review 2024: interior](https://preview-assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/3b3d460e-c5ae-0195-6b86-3ac7fb9d52db/fd244cc0-08d2-43ec-b02e-3dc0e0f79660/Ineos%20Grenadier%20%284%29.jpg?w=1920&q=80&fm=webp&lossless=0)
The seating position is very high, which makes for excellent visibility, and there’s a distinct aviation theme with switches, dials and toggles all over the dashboard and roof and buttons on the steering wheel. Your challenge will be remembering where they all are, but in an age of touchscreens, haptic surfaces and voice control, there’s something very satisfying about flicking and clunking physical controls.
The driving position might take some getting used to, with the pedals quite some way to the right of the centre line and a very chunky footrest on the left.
Quality and finish
Being of an agricultural character, you can forgive the Grenadier some hard plastics, with the focus more on durability more than luxury. The interior has been designed to be dirt proof and splashproof, and there are drainage valves in the floor in case you need to hose the interior out.
Cloth and vinyl seats are standard, while leather is an option, as are carpets for the floor. It all suits the character of the car, but on the other hand it doesn’t feel like the interior of a vehicle that costs north of £75k.
Infotainment: Touchscreen, USB, nav and stereo in the Ineos Grenadier
The Ineos Grenadier uses a revised version BMW’s excellent iDrive infotainment system with a 12.3-inch screen on the top of the dashboard and a rotary dial and button setup between the front seats. If you’ve spent any time in recent BMWs it can seem odd to see the familiar screen and interface nestled into a very different interior, but it’s a great setup to use with lots of impressive features, and probably a better choice from Ineos than trying to fully develop an in-house system.
What’s less successful is the decision to eschew traditional dials or a digital driver display behind the steering wheel. Instead, all the driving information is displayed on the infotainment screen in the centre, in the style of Tesla. While it’s something you may get used to (and our time in the car has been relatively short at this point), we found it distracting to look down and left to check how fast we were going.
Space and practicality: Ineos Grenadier boot space
The Ineos Grenadier is a big car and has lots of space inside for both people and stuff. It’s also a high vehicle, so jumping in and out could be something of an expedition for those less spry. You’ll have to hoik kids up to get them in, or investigate some kind of stepladder possibilities.
The rear seat space is adequate, although it’s not huge considering how big the car is. You should be able to fit three adults in without too much issue, however.
The boot is accessed via rear doors hinged at the side like a van. It’s very large, with up to 1152 litres of space behind the back seats, and access is fantastic thanks to the large aperture, as long as you leave enough space behind the car when parking. The seats fold down but only in a 60/40 split, which raises another eyebrow when cars half this price or less have 40/20/40 splits for extra versatility. Doing so expands the load space to 2035 litres.
If you need extra room, you can order a Grenadier Utility Wagon, a certified commercial vehicle that still seats five but has less rear-seat space in favour of extra boot space – 1255 litres with the seats up and 2088 with them down. There’s also the Quartermaster, which is a Grenadier-based pick-up truck, if you just want a large space on which to chuck stuff.
General storage space is adequate rather than exceptional, with two cupholders up front, reasonable size door pockets and a small glovebox. There’s a small phone-sized cubby hole ahead of the gear levers and a storage box under the centre armrest.
Handling and ride quality: What is the Ineos Grenadier like to drive?
"This is the major discussion point. The Ineos Grenadier is designed to go off-road, and it’s fantastic at it. On-road performance is almost an afterthought, and it shows. To be blunt, it’s not very good."
![Ineos Grenadier Review 2024: interior](https://preview-assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/3b3d460e-c5ae-0195-6b86-3ac7fb9d52db/bf98fb40-1387-483d-8a92-0c250dffbec1/Ineos%20Grenadier%20%283%29.jpg?w=1920&q=80&fm=webp&lossless=0)
In challenging terrain, the Grenadier performs very well. It’s designed for drivers that want to get involved with the process, with a manually selected low-ratio gearbox and standard front, centre and rear differential locks on the Trialmaster model (available as an option on the Fieldmaster). While there are other competent rivals, most notably the latest Land Rover Defender, much of their abilities are relatively digital – the cars are clever enough to do the work for you. The Grenadier wants you to enjoy the work.
The car we drove was fitted with all the off-road kit, including the BF Goodrich off-road tyres. We clambered over some very rugged landscapes and had a whale of a time. The ground clearance and assorted features allow it to make progress that very few rivals could manage. But when it comes to driving on the road it’s a very different story.
The suspension, designed to clamber over rocks and mud, doesn’t seem that bothered about massaging away lumps in the road, although it’s not helped in its tasks by the chunky off-road tyres on our test car, which squidge over the tarmac and lack feel.
The long, old-fashioned steering system, which at 3.85 turns lock-to-lock is brilliant for tight manoeuvring through rocks, feels lifeless and indirect through corners. The Grenadier is a long way from confidence inspiring, and tight corners will have you flailing your arms to turn the front wheels quickly enough. The turning circle is large too, which could make for quite the upper-body workout when parking. Oh, and the brakes feel underpowered.
Is it better than a classic Defender? Yes. Body roll is relatively well contained for a big, tall car. But compared to every other £75,000-plus SUV, it feels antiquated and hard work to drive. You’ll adapt to it with time, but you’ll have to want to.
All this means that for the Grenadier to be right for you, you either want and/or need fantastic off-road performance, or you’re happy to cope with some quite substantial compromises when driving on-road.
What engines and gearboxes are available in the Ineos Grenadier?
Two engine options are available, both 3.0-litre straight-six BMW units with eight-speed automatic gearboxes. The petrol unit has 286PS and 450Nm, while the diesel unit has 249PS and 550Nm. While we’ve only tried the petrol unit, we suspect that either will suit the car very well. Some may want the extra torque of the diesel, but the petrol isn’t far behind on paper, and the well-established BMW gearbox is smooth and unobtrusive.
Refinement and noise levels
There are no refinement worries from the petrol engine. It’s beautifully smooth in its power delivery, and while the diesel engine will have a gruffer edge to it, its torque power delivery should be effortless and refined.
Elsewhere though, the Grenadier focuses more on words like “capability”, “rugged” and “tough” than refined. There are no fancy soft-close doors and on the off-road tyres there’s lots of road noise, to the point where it’s hard to judge wind and general cabin noise. It should be better on the on-road tyres – still a long way from other similarly priced SUVs, but it’s not trying to compete with them in that way.
Safety equipment: How safe is the Ineos Grenadier?
In an age when £75k SUVs are usually packed with safety kit, the Ineos Grenadier is conspicuously light. You get a good complement of airbags, as well as stability control and traction control. There’s also a trailer stability assist system if you plan on towing, but that’s about it – there’s no adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring or anything of that ilk.
For all the analogue feel you get from driving off road there are a few electronic aids, including hill-descent control, an off-road mode and a wading mode, which ensure the various safety systems don’t cut in when they’re not supposed to.
The Grenadier hasn’t been tested by safety organisation EuroNCAP due to its relatively low volume of production.
MPG and fuel costs: What does an Ineos Grenadier cost to run?
"Fuel economy isn’t a huge priority for the Ineos Grenadier. With 3.0-litre engines and four-wheel drive it’s never going to sip fuel, although there is a start/stop system to take the edge off. The official MPG figure for the diesel Grenadier is 26.9, while the petrol manages just 19.6mpg."
![Ineos Grenadier Review 2024: rear](https://preview-assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/3b3d460e-c5ae-0195-6b86-3ac7fb9d52db/d33759a1-d795-4a8e-aad3-b5dd77fcd3cd/Ineos%20Grenadier%20%287%29.jpg?w=1920&q=80&fm=webp&lossless=0)
That’s considerably lower than rivals, and there’s no plug-in hybrid version, unlike with the Land Rover Defender. However, there is an electric version in the works… sort of. Called the Ineos Fusilier, it’s not exactly a Grenadier – it’ll be slightly shorter and lower – but it’ll have a similar vibe. More details are expected later in 2024.
How reliable is an Ineos Grenadier?
As a new vehicle from a new manufacturer, we don’t have any data on how reliable the Ineos Grenadier is likely to be. However, it does come with an impressive five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, which should give at least some reassurance. The BMW engines used are well proven, so there shouldn’t be too many issues with them.
Insurance groups and costs
Insurance won’t be cheap on an Ineos Grenadier – all versions sit in insurance group 50 of 50, which suggests your annual premiums could be punchy.
VED car tax: What is the annual road tax on an Ineos Grenadier?
All versions of the Ineos Grenadier cost considerably more than £40,000, which means they attract the luxury car surcharge on top of the regular flat rate of Vehicle Excise Duty (car tax). As such, you’ll pay £600 a year between the second and sixth year of registration, and then the standard flat rate after that – currently £190 a year.
How much should you be paying for a used Ineos Grenadier?
"While the Grenadier is relatively new to the market, early models have dropped in value considerably, meaning a used model makes quite a bit of sense. As of summer 2024 we’ve found several used examples for less than £50,000 with pretty low mileage."
![Ineos Grenadier Review 2024: front](https://preview-assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/3b3d460e-c5ae-0195-6b86-3ac7fb9d52db/6f77e3d9-1083-4c23-8bf6-eaf8f9478bed/Ineos%20Grenadier%20%285%29.jpg?w=1920&q=80&fm=webp&lossless=0)
Prices for a new Ineos Grenadier Station Wagon start from around £76,000, while commercial variants undercut this slightly. A Grenadier Commercial is just under £52,000 (excluding VAT), while the five-seat Utility Wagon is £65,000. An Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is a smidgen over £66,000.
Trim levels and standard equipment
We’re focusing here on the Station Wagon version of the Ineos Grenadier, as that’s the standard “car” model – there are also commercial variants, including a chassis cab, the Utility Wagon and what’s simply called the Grenadier Commercial, which is essentially a van.
Opt for the Station Wagon and you can choose between the Trialmaster Edition, which is heavily off-road focused, and the Fieldmaster Edition, which is less so. Both, incidentally, are named after Belstaff jackets – the clothing company has been owned by Ineos since 2017.
The Ineos Grenadier Trialmaster Edition rides on 17-inch steel wheels and features a raised air intake – much like a snorkel – up the A-pillar to help with deep water. It also has what Ineos calls an Exterior Utility Belt, which lets you attach a range of accessories to the outside, a related set of interior utility rails. An auxiliary battery can power extra equipment, and there’s a compass and altimeter included.
The Trialmaster also features the Rough Pack, comprising the off-road BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres and the front and rear differential locks. On top of that, you get the Smooth Pack of useful features such as a rear-view camera, front parking sensors and puddle lamps.
The Fieldmaster Edition switches the steelies for 18-inch alloy wheels, with opening “Safari Windows” on the roof, leather upholstery and a premium sound system. You get heated front seats, carpet on the floor and all of the Smooth Pack features mentioned above.
Ask the heycar experts: common questions
What's the difference between an Ineos Grenadier and a Land Rover Defender?
Where is the Ineos Grenadier built?
Who owns Ineos Automotive?
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