First contact with the ineos grenadier.

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Not an SUV, but an off-road vehicle

In 2016 Land Rover discontinued the classic Defender. The fans of the cult off-roader can now breathe a sigh of relief: Ineos brings the Grenadier.

The Grenadier makes it clear at first glance that it is not a city SUV, but a real off-road vehicle.

According to the Wikipedia entry, the Land Rover Defender is one of the “classics of automotive history. More than two million pieces were produced between 1948 and 2016. It was always slightly modified and adapted to the zeitgeist where necessary, but basically the Defender remained true to itself: a no-frills off-roader, built for the rough. This is exactly why the British classic has built up a large fan base around the world – which is not only happy with the successor that Land Rover presented in 2019. The new Defender is an extremely successful vehicle. On the road, it is clearly superior to its predecessor – and it also gets at least as far in difficult terrain. But with independent wheel suspension, a self-supporting body and complex electronics, it has become much more interchangeable – the original character is much more skilfully quoted than really lived on. For off-road fans who depend on a rustic off-road vehicle for work or leisure, the “old” remains the only real thing. The new edition of the Land Rover Defender made sense for the manufacturer, because many new customer groups were opened up – and also opened up a new business area: building a car for all those who want to drive a vehicle in the style of the original Defender. One of them is obviously Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of Ineos Holding Limited and one of the richest men in Great Britain. Although the billionaire’s group of companies is active in the chemical industry, Ratcliffe seems to have a soft spot for cars – and especially off-roaders. In his regular pub “The Grenadier” he is said to have decided to build his own off-road vehicle – and thus already had a suitable name. Finally, the development of the Ineos Grenadier started in 2017.

First contact with the Ineos Grenadier.-grenadier

Ineos even passes on repair instructions to customers for self-help in the field.

Well-known partners were brought on board for the project. Magna International is involved as an engineering partner. The Austrian group manufactures, among other things, the G-Class for Mercedes, the i-Pace for Jaguar and the Z4 for BMW. Ineos buys the engines from BMW, the associated transmission comes from the supplier ZF, which also supplies manufacturers such as Jaguar/Land Rover, BMW and the VW Group. Ineos designed the design itself. Chief designer Toby Ecuyer based the exterior on the classic model. Boats and airplanes were the inspiration for the interior, which can be recognized by the robust toggle switches on the dashboard and in the roof lining. Large touchscreens and fine buttons were deliberately avoided. The Grenadier should also be easy to operate with thick work gloves. That is why Ineos has also developed its own transfer case for the off-road reduction. It can be operated via a mechanical shifter instead of electronic buttons. In general, the electronics in the vehicle have been reduced to a necessary and sensible minimum. ESP and the mandatory assistance systems such as a lane departure warning or an emergency brake assistant are on board, and a reversing camera is also available; other functions are deliberately not available. However, a touchscreen is enthroned on the dashboard, which can be used to control navigation, smartphone integration and some off-road displays. In addition, the monitor, which can also be operated via a rotary knob, also serves as a speedometer. Directly in front of the driver there is only a small display for the prescribed warning lights, otherwise there is a clear view of the road from the comfortable Recaro seats with good lateral support. The interior is very spacious overall – in the cargo version, which can be registered as a commercial vehicle, even a Euro pallet fits in the trunk with a two-piece rear door. Here, too, the Grenadier comes close to the classic Defender – albeit with decisive improvements. This also applies to the chassis, because rigid axles are still installed on the classic ladder frame, but with coil springs instead of leaf springs, which makes the car look much more civilized, especially on the road. In combination with the powerful and smooth BMW engines, the Grenadier looks quite suitable for everyday use on the first few meters from the passenger seat – even if that was not the sole goal. “I think we’ve stayed true to our original goal of building an “honest” off-roader,” said Jim Ratcliffe.

First contact with the Ineos Grenadier.-ineos

Cockpit with analogue switches – and central touch screen.

The Grenadier can already be pre-ordered for 450 euros; It should then be delivered from autumn 2022. By then, they want to have found suitable sales partners for Switzerland. In Germany, the Grenadier starts at just under 60,000 euros; the price for Switzerland has not yet been determined.

Engine: 3.0 R6 petrol or diesel

Power: 285 hp/249 hp

Torque: 450Nm/550Nm

Drive: auto 8-speed, 4×4

L×W×H: 4927×1930×2033mm

ground clearance: 264mm

Wading depth: 800mm

towing capacity: 3500kg

Market launch: Fall 2022

Price: about 70,000 francs

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