Ineos Grenadier review

At first glance, you might think that the new Ineos Grenadier is nothing more than a tribute to the original Land Rover Defender – and we don't blame you.

After all, this large SUV was originally conceived in a pub called the Grenadier, and its very existence pays homage to that legendary off-roader. In fact, for many people, it’s what the Defender should have evolved into.

That’s an ambitious goal for a new car company to start out with, but Ineos is very aware of that fact. As such, the team formed to work on the Grenadier included designers and engineers with the Mercedes G-Class at the top of their CVs. 

It has also sourced the Grenadier's engines from BMW in a bid to ensure plenty of power and (hopefully) reliability. There are two choices: a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol or a 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel.

Every Ineos Grenadier has permanent all-wheel drive, a locking centre differential and the ability to wade in depths up to 800mm. Each trim is aimed at someone slightly different, with the higher trims adding additional comfort or off-road kit. 

It certainly sounds as though the team at Ineos has given the Grenadier all the tools it needs to hit the ground running, but it won’t be plain sailing. On top of the Defender and G-Class, it needs to prove more accomplished than the likes of the Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Discovery and even top-spec versions of the Toyota Land Cruiser.

So, does it really have what it takes to be the pick of the off-road orientated SUVs? We've driven the Grenadier, and that's what we’ll tell you over the next few pages of this review, which covers key areas including performance, practicality, quality and costs.

When you've done your research and have decided which car to buy, make sure you search for the lowest prices using our free What Car? New Car Deals pages. They have lots of the best new large SUV deals.

Regardless of whether you want your Ineos Grenadier to run on petrol or diesel, you’ll find a 3.0-litre turbocharged straight six-cylinder engine under the bonnet.

Both engines offer loads of power and torque across the rev range, but the 282bhp petrol is smoother and more refined, making it better to drive on (rather than off) road. Officially, that version can sprint from 0-62mph in 8.6sec, which is a second slower than the Jeep Wrangler.

The 249bhp twin-turbocharged diesel offers more torque at low-revs – 406lb ft compared with 332lb ft for the petrol – making it easier to take on just about any obstacle. It's the one to go for if you plan to spend a lot of time on unforgiving trails. The 0-62mph sprint of 9.9sec feels slow when you compare it to our favourite Land Rover Defender D250, which does the sprint two seconds faster. 

Both engines are attached to an eight-speed automatic gearbox that changes gears smoothly as you drive along but has a tendency to flick between the two top gears when you’re cruising on a motorway. The gearbox adapts to certain situations well – holding lower gears for longer off road, for example.

Speaking of which, the Grenadier is brilliant off road. In fact, even when faced with a near-vertical icy ascent, it won’t show any signs of struggle. That’s especially true when you opt for the Trialmaster trim or if you add the optional Rough Pack, because they include front and rear locking differentials and beefier BFGoodrich All-terrain KO2 tyres.

Even without those extras, the Grenadier’s coil suspension proves superb. Over sharp rock shelves, it takes the sting away and helps you to maintain control, easily matching the Defender and the Mercedes G-Class for off-road ability.

It's a different story on a Tarmac road. You’ll wish you were in a current Defender with air suspension rather than the more compromised Grenadier. The ride matches that of the G-Class, but there's there’s plenty of lean through faster corners and the suspension is busy even on a smooth road, so you feel every lump and bump you drive over.

The steering is very light and has loads of lock, which is great when you want gentle inputs during off-roading, but means you have to constantly move the wheel to stay on course on public roads.

If you want a high-up large SUV driving position, you'll like the commanding seat height of the Ineos Grenadier. Indeed – as with the Jeep Wrangler – you have to climb your way in using handles and are greeted by a great view of all four corners of the car. 

What isn’t so great is the fact that, while the steering wheel lines up with your body, the pedals are set really far out to the right. That takes some getting used to and can mean you struggle to find the perfect position, even though the seats offer plenty of adjustment. It’s also a shame that there’s no adjustable lumbar support, even as an optional extra.

The seats are comfortable, and most trims come with easy-clean cloth seats and exposed rubber floors. The exception is Fieldmaster trim, which is aimed more at lifestyle customers and gets heated leather seats. All versions have several drainage plugs in the floor so you can hose out the interior and boot. 

There are lots of sturdy buttons and dials, with an overhead panel with controls for the locking differentials and off-road modes, and breakers for the various power outlets. The sheer number of buttons seems a little overwhelming at first, but they are simple to use when you're wearing gloves. 

Every Grenadier has a 12.3in infotainment touchscreen on top of the dashboard, with a physical dial controller. It works well, responding quickly to your inputs, and we much prefer it to the touchscreen-only system in the Wrangler.

There are lots of apps in the infotainment system to help with your adventures, including an off-road specific sat-nav. On top of that, you get ordinary built-in sat-nav and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. 

You don't get the luxurious materials you’ll find in the Mercedes G-Class but the Grenadier's interior is fine. There are, of course, rugged and scratchy materials in places, but you’ll also find soft-touch materials on top of the dashboard, and in other key places. Everything feels well constructed and solidly built.

One of the advantages of the Ineos Grenadier sharing the boxy shape of the Land Rover Defender is that there’s no shortage of space for those sitting up front. In fact, even with the removable skylights, which come with Fieldmaster trim, there’s more than enough head room for six-footers.

There’s loads of leg room in the front, and the wide interior means that even if you and your passenger are broad, you won't be rubbing shoulders.

Front storage isn’t as generous as in the Jeep Wrangler or Toyota Land Cruiser. You get two cupholders, a small cubby in the centre console for your phone, and door pockets that’ll take a large bottle of water. The glovebox is quite small.

As in the front, the boxy shape has its advantages in the rear, with more than enough head room for two six-footers in the outer back seats. They’ll also find generous knee room, with indents in the backs of the front seats and space under the seats for their feet.

Unlike in some rivals, the middle seat isn’t raised, so the centre passenger won’t struggle for head room, but they will have to straddle a large transmission tunnel, due to all the underfloor gearbox gubbins. The entry-level Utility Wagon version doesn't have back seats – there's a large flat-floored space for cargo instead. In fact, you should be able to fit a standard Euro pallet back there.

On Grenadiers that do have back seats, they split and fold down in a 60/40 configuration. Annoyingly, with the rear seats folded down, there’s a slight step up from the boot floor to the seatbacks, making it trickier to slide in long items. 

Talking of the boot, you’ll find 1152 litres of space in the back of the five-seat variant. That's much more than in pretty much any other large SUV rival. In the real world, it means you won’t struggle to fit in a very big weekly shop or all the stuff you need for a weekend of adventuring.

As a cash purchase, the entry-level Ineos Grenadier Utility Wagon will set you back slightly more than the Land Rover Defender Hard Top – its utility focused rival. Not many buyers want a two-seat off-roader, though, and we suspect most people will be more interested in the Belstaff Edition trims – named Trialmaster (aimed at off-road enthusiasts) and Fieldmaster (aimed at lifestyle customers).

In those cases, the price becomes a bit of a sticking point, because both versions will set you back more than the equivalent Defender, and even top-spec variants of the Jeep Wrangler or Toyota Land Cruiser. The Grenadier is expected to lose its value slightly faster than the Defender and much faster than the Land Cruiser. It should hold on to more of its value over three years than the Wrangler, though.

As is the case with all cars of this ilk, the Grenadier isn’t the best option for company car drivers because its high CO2 emissions put it in the highest benefit-in-kind tax band. Fuel economy is not very good, with the petrol officially returning up to 21.4mpg and the diesel 27.4mpg. That is, at least, more than you can expect from the Wrangler.

The trim you should go for depends on how much you want to spend and what you intend to do with your Grenadier. As well as the Utility Wagon, there's a Station Wagon version, which adds rear seats. Both those versions come with LED headlights and auxiliary grille lights, cloth seats, rear parking sensors, a central locking differential and lots of off-road and infotainment goodies.

Trialmaster comes with 17in steel wheels, a ladder to get on the roof, an auxiliary battery under the rear seats, locking front and rear differentials, a rear-view camera, heated windscreen washers and heated wing mirrors. Fieldmaster is the top-spec trim, and adds leather and heated front seats, and carpet floor mats.

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