2024 Ineos Grenadier

If you want to take on California's challenging Rubicon Trail or the breathtaking Moab in Utah, some of your top choices include the Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Defender, and Ford Bronco. But there is a new rugged 4x4 in town known as the Ineos Grenadier, a stripped-down, unabashed off-road SUV (referred to as a Station Wagon by Ineos) that may just outlast all the established vehicles we just mentioned. Equipped with a ladder-frame chassis, three locking differentials, and solid axles, it answers the need for a true utilitarian SUV, and its resemblance to Defenders of yore doesn't seem to be an accident. The Grenadier is ready to work, but are Americans ready to embrace a 4x4 from a relatively unknown brand?

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Orders have already begun, and deliveries to the first customers in the USA will start at the end of 2023. It's been over three years since the Ineos Grenadier was revealed and a release date has been pending for some time. The first deliveries to British reservation holders commenced in a rather grand fashion.

The price of the 2024 Ineos Grenadier will start at $71,500. This is the MSRP, so it excludes options and the destination charge. Two other versions - the Trialmaster Edition and Fieldmaster Edition - both start at $79,190 each. The automaker states that the Trialmaster is equipped for the most extreme off-road adventures, while the Fieldmaster is a more luxurious version of the SUV.

For similar money, rivals are plentiful. The Land Rover Defender 110 X-Dynamic SE is an excellent off-roader, but it now has a more upmarket persona that isn't quite as charming as the original Defender - or even the macho Grenadier. The four-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 is pricier, but many other versions of the Wrangler can be had for less than the Grenadier and are fully capable off-roaders. Finally, one can't discount the highly customizable Ford Bronco. Badlands models start around $20k cheaper than the Grenadier.

Looking for all the world like a classic Land Rover Defender, the exterior design of the Ineos Grenadier wouldn't be out of place in most military fleets. It appears to be straight out of the 1980s if you look past modern details like the rings for the LED daytime running lights. It also comes with LED auxiliary high-beam lights and LED taillights.

The 2024 Grenadier sits high off the ground on 17-inch steel wheels wrapped in Bridgestone all-terrain tires, but the Fieldmaster gets standard 18-inch alloys. A full-size spare wheel and spare wheel cover are tacked onto the back of the 30/70 split rear doors. The Grenadier comes with underside protection with skid plates for the front, back, and gas tank to make it as suitable as possible for off-road adventures. There are four towing eyes (two in front and two at the back), side bump strips, roof protection strips, and roof rails.

The most extreme version, the Trialmaster Edition, takes its name from the Belstaff Trialmaster Jacket that appeared in 1948 and was designed to cope with the tough Scottish Six Days Trial. This is the one to get for hardcore off-road fans, as it comes with a raised air intake, an access ladder, and BFGoodrich all-terrain KO2 tires. For an open-air experience in the great outdoors, twin safari windows above the cockpit can be equipped - a traditional, single-piece sunroof or window isn't possible because of the overhead control panel in the cabin, but more on that later.

The smoothed-over and more polished option is the Fieldmaster Edition. It still comes with kit like an access ladder and safari windows, but the alloys look less utilitarian.

The base Grenadier is much like a blank canvas, with many of the options equipped to the upper trims available here. A recovery kit, a removable rear winch, a trailer hitch bike rack, and a roof rack are all available as extras.

There are 10 colors available for the Ineos Grenadier, including Scottish White, the only standard one. For $580, you can opt for Magic Mushroom, Eldoret Blue, Britannia Blue, Sela Green, and Inky Black. The range of metallics will cost $795 each: Sterling Silver, Donny Grey, Queen's Red, and Shale Blue.

The dimensions of the Ineos Grenadier are similar to those of the Defender 110; the Grenadier isn't as long, but it's a bit taller. Length comes in at 191.2 inches, including its spare wheel, whereas the Defender 110's measurement is 197.6 inches. Width with the mirrors is 84.5 inches (76 inches without the mirrors), height is 80.7 inches, and the wheelbase is 115 inches.

The curb weight of the new Ineos Grenadier SUV is 5,875 pounds, with the maximum payload being 1,841 lbs; both figures exclude the driver.

If the Grenadier's off-road prowess hasn't yet convinced you, it comes with impressive off-road specs. The approach/ramp breakover/departure angles are 36.2/28.2/36.1 degrees, respectively, and that's complemented by 10.4 inches of ground clearance. Its wading depth is 31.5 inches. Properly equipped, the Defender betters most of these figures, but that's not to say the Grenadier isn't capable.

Although it looks like it has a rattly diesel or angry V8 under the hood, the engine in the Ineos Grenadier is one of the smoothest six-cylinders in the business, being none other than the 3.0L B58 from BMW. In this application, the turbocharged mill has been tuned to deliver 282 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. The six-pot engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF.

With permanent four-wheel drive, the Grenadier's 0-62 mph time is 8.6 seconds, which is not a critical factor in the rugged 4x4 class. The top speed of 99 mph is little surprise for a vehicle with brick-like aerodynamics.

Built to spend more time in the dirt than on the tarmac, the Grenadier has a ladder-frame chassis, solid beam axles, three locking differentials (a center diff lock is standard, but only the Trialmaster has standard front/rear diff locks, too), and a five-link front/rear suspension with coil springs. For especially tough conditions, drivers can select low range and lock the center differential. When slow rock crawling turns to higher-speed dune-bashing, downhill assist will keep the Grenadier in control.

On normal roads, the Grenadier can tow up to 7,716 lbs or 1,653 lbs with an unbraked trailer. The static roof load maxes out at 925 lbs, the maximum trailer nose weight is 771 lbs, and the available high-performance winch can manage 12,125 lbs.

According to Ineos, the base Grenadier and Grenadier Fieldmaster will return 15/15/15 mpg city/highway/combined, while the hardcore Trialmaster can only manage 14/14/14 mpg. That's about as much fuel as the 282-hp B58 inline-six mill has ever used, but this engine has never powered a vehicle like this.

Its 23.7-gallon gas tank is enough for a range of between 332 and 355 miles. Although it can run on 87 octane gas, 91 octane gas is recommended.

The interior of the five-seater Ineos Grenadier will initially come as a bit of a shock to tech-savvy consumers used to their glossy touchscreens and fully digitalized cabins. The abundance of physical controls, both on the dashboard and above you in the center of the roof, is akin to sitting in the cockpit of a small aircraft. But if it all looks chaotic at first, the layout will overjoy those who prefer tactile controls. Besides that, most functions can be operated while wearing gloves. The off-road controls on an overheard panel don't appear to be the easiest to operate, but since these will mostly be used when the vehicle is stationary, it's not a dealbreaker.

Ineos hasn't completely dispensed with 21st-century gizmos, so you get a 12.3-inch color touchscreen in the center of the dash with access to Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. Bluetooth, USB ports front and rear, and a Pathfinder off-road navigation system are also included. Besides the BMW-sourced engine, the gear shift lever has also been sourced from the German marque, although not much else will make you think you're in a BMW.

The seats in the base Ineos Grenadier are finished in a hard-wearing mix of Recaro cloth and vinyl that can be easily cleaned thanks to their stain, dirt, and water-resistant finish. Leather upholstery and seat heating are available as options on the base model, while the Nappa Leather Driver's Pack is standard; this pack finishes the steering wheel, handbrake grip, and instrument panel grab handle in Nappa leather.

There is a decent amount of space regardless of the row you sit in, and amenities like automatic climate control, second-row air vents, and cupholders keep everyone comfortable. It's not luxurious, though, so adjusting your steering wheel must still be done manually.

Available safety items include intelligent speed assistance, driver drowsiness detection, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and rear park assist.

Cargo space inside the Ineos Grenadier is generous, with 40 cubic feet behind the second row and 71 cubes when the 60/40-split-folding rear seats are folded. The luggage area is accessible through the 30/70-split rear doors.

All models can be equipped with an array of interior and roof storage options, from a tailgate table to a loadspace partition net, cross-bars, roof tie-down rings, a cargo box, a bike carrier, or a kayak mount. Essentially, the Grenadier can be customized to suit your specific outdoor needs, no matter what they are.