Lexus UX vs Ineos Grenadier

What's the difference?

The Lexus UX300e Sports Luxury nails the luxury and standard features list! It certainly feels like a premium SUV inside and the updated technology and driving range were sorely needed to keep this competitive, but once you start looking at its rivals, which all offer similar specs and better driving ranges, the price point starts to feel a smidge high. However, the ongoing costs and the complimentary bonuses that Lexus throws in, are great.

The moral of the story here is not to confuse traditional thinking with flawed thinking. Just because an analogue concept has been around in a fast-moving, electronically-driven industry for a while, doesn’t mean it can’t still be relevant in special circumstances. And as an off-roader, the Grenadier is among the very best of them.

Yes, the Ineos suffers to an extent as a road car because of its off-road bias, but owner familiarity will likely be the key to those compromises fading into the background over time.

Meantime, it’s also true that the original design brief of the Grenadier has been diluted a little as market research and safety realities forced an extra layer of complexity on to some of the major systems.

But even the vehicle’s systems that have remained analogue or old-school have forced their own technology into the frame. The live front axle, for instance, forced the use of recirculating ball steering rather than rack-and-pinion, while Ineos also insisted on the more complex (but arguably more reliable) hydraulic power steering rather over a simpler electric set-up.

Look closely and it’s easy to see how keeping a car rugged and serviceable can become a technically involved process. Simplicity, it seems, can easily breed complexity. It was probably Dolly Parton who put it best when she said, "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap".

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals and accommodation provided.

The design hasn’t seen much change and Lexus seems to be encouraging an understated EV design as it looks just like its fuel-based siblings.

I don’t mind that it’s not as futuristic as some of its competitors and that, at first glance, there isn’t anything to set it apart.

The front sports a classic Lexus 'spindle' grille and the external lights are large but the rear side lights jut out rather severely, reminding me too much of its Toyota counterparts.

The rear features a cool LED strip light for the brakes, which elevates its night-time presence.

The sporty-looking 18-inch alloy wheels are a nice touch but the plastic mouldings around the base of the car detract from the premium-level this model sits in. It’s not as slick-looking as it could be.

Having said that, the interior earns back points courtesy of its premium feel with leather-accented trims and Japanese Washi paper influenced accent panels. But there is a lot happening with the dashboard.

It’s a little overwhelming at first because it protrudes well into the cabin and features multiple cutaways, but you get used to it after a while.

There are also little knobs on either side of the instrument panel that look out of place to me and resemble horns.

This is where the Grenadier makes its statement. It’s resolutely old school with engineering designed to survive the roughest off-road conditions rather than pamper or flatter its occupants.

That starts with the basic construction; a ladder chassis onto which is bolted the body. This is how all off-roaders used to be made and while it has limitations in refinement and weight terms, it’s still an effective way to build something with lots of wheel articulation and strength.

Wheel articulation is also the job of the solid axles front and rear. While having independent suspension is great for ride control and comfort, solid axles allow the maximum wheel travel which is what off-roading is all about. Coil springs, rather than leaf springs, are about the only concession to comfort.

The four-wheel drive system is also traditional with a high and low-range gear set that works permanently in four-wheel drive.

A locking centre differential that works in high and low-range is standard and front and rear diff locks are optional. The Grenadier also complies with the old adage that a proper off-roader has a minimum of two gear-sticks, and not a rotary gear-selector knob in sight.

Even the steering system is aimed at off-road prowess with almost four turns lock-to-lock.

Such a slow ratio suits off-road work where large steering inputs are more likely to get you into trouble than out of it.

And while we now live in a world where power steering is almost always electrically-assisted, the Ineos sticks with hydraulic assistance in the name of reliability and durability and restricting electronics only to where they are essential.

The cabin, too, is distinctly retro with analogue gauges wherever possible and large, tactile switchgear.

But it’s also novel in layout terms with most of the information displayed on the 12.3-inch central info-screen and the area directly in front of the driver kept clear to maximise the view ahead.

The roof-mounted switch panel recalls aircraft practice and, with the Fieldmaster’s glass roof panels in place, the view is reminiscent of sitting in a military helicopter. Mounting electrical gear in the roof also keeps it out of the water during deep river crossings.

Much has been written, meanwhile, about the exterior of the Grenadier. Mainly that it looks like a copy of the old Land Rover Defender. 

But Ineos has previously, er, defended this, claiming that when you design a car purely for functionality, its exterior will usually look something like this.

As it is, the body with its exposed door hinges (although the bolts are fake) short front and rear overhangs and even the utility belt (from which accessories can be slung) are all business.

The rough-and-tough angle even extends to details like the tyres’ valve stems which are metal rather than traditional rubber as a means of making them stronger and less likely to be damaged.

This is a thoroughly considered vehicle.

As soon as you slide in, you’re reminded that the UX is a small SUV. Even with the driver's seat at its lowest position I still knock my knees on the steering wheel when getting in and out of the car.

The higher door sills also accentuate the penned in feeling despite there being plenty of head- and legroom in the front row! 

Then comes the back seat, which is super tight on space. I’m 168cm (5'6") and my headroom is fine but the legroom sucks. My knees press into the back of the driver’s seat (set for my driving position).

There’s also not a lot of space underneath the seat for toes, so I wouldn’t recommend the UX to anyone who regularly transports tall passengers. 

Having said that the seats in both rows are very comfortable and the leather trims feel lovely to touch. Both front seats are electric with heat and ventilation functions but only the driver’s side enjoys adjustable lumbar support. 

Storage is good throughout the car, which is not usually the case for the small SUV class. Up front you get a glove box, two cupholders, two drink bottle holders and a middle console that opens from both sides, which is handy and cool.

In the rear you get two cupholders in a fold-down armrest and map pockets but no storage bins in either door unfortunately.

Other amenities in the back are very good for this class with the heated outboard seats, directional air vents, reading lights and two USB-C ports.  

On that note, the upgraded multimedia system is now easier to use while on the go, is responsive to touch and looks great.

Some of the information on the system can be annoying to find but the customisations available on the 7.0-inch digital instrument panel more than make up for it.

There is a coloured head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto and satellite navigation.

All are easy to use and won’t confuse you too much!

The charging options are great with each row getting two USB-C ports but the front also gets a USB-A port, 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad. You’re seriously spoilt for choice.  

The boot space sits at a small 314L, which is 100L less than the previous model but that’s because Lexus has made a little storage nook underneath the floor for the tyre repair kit and cable pouches.

It's a great boot because it sits high and is easy to access, and I have plenty of room for all of the gear needed for a week’s errands. The hands-free powered tailgate is great, too.

This is, of course, the Grenadier’s reason for existing in the first place. With a mantra of 'Everything you need, nothing you don’t' the Ineos attempts to be as competent, capable and practical as possible within the parameters of a car that has to also be useable, day-to-day comfortable, safe and legal.

Like a lot of high-riding vehicles, getting in and out of the relatively small door openings is not as simple as it might be. Sometimes it seems as though the side-steps are your friend, other times they exist only to smear mud all over your legs.

But once you’re in, the almost vertical windscreen and side glass keep the sun at bay and the front seats seem to be designed for big people which is a nice change.

The tilt and reach-adjustable steering column means everyone can get comfy and even though the back seat feels a bit firm in the cushion, the backrest angle is pretty agreeable.

It’s also nice to see that Ineos has used a proper gearstick with linkages for the high-low range shifter rather than a rotary knob to control an electric motor.

The plethora of tie-down points in the luggage compartment is great but we do wonder about the use of some fairly hard plastics around the cabin, and how they’ll look in a couple of years.

The luggage space is adequate but not hugely generous and while the rear seats do fold down, the location of the battery beneath them means they sit up a bit and don’t form a flat floor.

An accessory drawer system for the load space should fix that, however, raising the floor height to match the folded seats.

Maximum load volume behind the first row in the Utility Wagon is 2088 litres dropping to 2035L in the Station Wagon. Load volume in the wagon with the second row upright is 1152 litres.

There’s lot of evidence of careful thought in the way the Grenadier is laid out and equipped, including a roof that can cope with a rooftop tent or a decent load (hence the ladder) and flat front mudguards that form an impromptu work-bench or, if you add the optional checker-plate sections, a look-out post capable of supporting 150kg.

The 30/70 split tailgate has an optional drop-down work-bench when open but the smaller section is a bit narrow for gaining easy access to your luggage without also opening the larger side.

Other quibbles include the driver’s foot-rest which is huge and placed at a truly bizarre angle, and the small reverse camera screen.

Grouping all the instruments in the centre stack might be good for left- and right-hand drive production, but it means you have to take your eyes off the road to read the digital speedo. A head-up display in front of the driver would be much better.

You might want to find a comfy seat for this, because it all gets a it involved as a brand-new model with a broad array of possible configurations. But let’s start from here.

The Ineos is available initially as the Grenadier station wagon, and within that bodyshell, in three distinct specifications.

The first is the base Grenadier trim which is aimed at fleet buyers and misses out on things like extra auxiliary power outlets, the compass and altimeter, some interior tie-downs, front and rear diff locks, the rear access ladder and even the spare-wheel cover.

However, it does get the centre diff lock, choice of petrol or diesel power, 17-inch allow wheels, a Nappa leather tiller, hose-out interior, and bash plates.

On top of that, pretty much everything that’s not included can be optioned into the Base variant, thanks to the built-to-order nature of the production process.

From there, the range splits down two distinct paths. There’s the Trialmaster aimed at the very roughest, toughest terrain and the identically priced Fieldmaster which aims for a slightly more pampering experience for day-to-day comfort and convenience.

On that basis, the Trialmaster sticks with 17-inch allows, but wraps them in Goodrich KO2 all-terrain tyres. This model also gets the utility-belt which allows accessories to be slung off the vehicle’s sides, front and rear electric diff locks, a snorkel, the Ineos tow-pack and a dual battery set-up with the batteries located under the rear seat.

The Fieldmaster, on the other hand, gets 18-inch alloys (with locking nuts for security) leather trim, heated front seats, carpet and a premium sound system.

But again, more or less everything from the diff locks to the K02 tyres can be optioned on to the Fieldmaster and it seems pretty unlikely any two Grenadiers will be identical.

But, as they say on the TV adverts, that’s not all. Because if you don’t need the Grenadier station-wagon’s levels of comfort, there’s a cheaper alternative called the Grenadier Utility Wagon which does away with the rear side windows for solid panels and, interestingly, can be had as a two- or five-seater.

With cargo barriers and a hose-out interior it’s designed to be the workhorse option.

That said, like the station wagon variant, the Utility Wagon comes with the same trim level options and can be optioned right up to any level, including substituting side windows for the solid panels. Yes, it’s complex.

So is the pricing structure once you’ve factored in those options, but as it stands with no accessories or options, the range kicks off with the Utility Wagon base variant two-seater at $109,000 with either the petrol or diesel engine.

The Utility Wagon Trialmaster and Fieldmaster two-seaters are the same $122,000 regardless of which engine you choose.

Move up to the five-seat Station Wagon version and the base model lands at $110,000, leaving the Trialmaster and Fieldmaster at an identical $123,000.

The UX300e has a fully electric powertrain with a 72.8kWh lithium-ion battery that’s located on the front axle.

The power and torque remain unchanged at 150kW and 300Nm but that’s enough to produce a 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.5-seconds. Plenty of oomph for city-slickers and open-roaders to boot.

The update sees the battery increase in capacity by 34 per cent which means the driving range has jumped from 305km to 440km.

That's still a bit lower than some of the UX's competitors but it certainly helps ease range anxiety! And unlike some of its rivals, the UX300e only sports a front-wheel drive drivetrain.

This is probably the one area where the Ineos can claim to be a product of modern thinking. And that’s because the engine choices – a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol or diesel – and the eight-speed automatic transmission are all sourced from BMW and ZF, respectively.

Both engines use four-valve-per-cylinder technology and while the petrol boasts 210kW of power and 450Nm of torque.

The diesel isn’t far behind in the power race with 183kW, but trumps the petrol version for torque with 550Nm. Interestingly, the turbo-diesel engine uses all alloy construction, which, while now common in petrol units, is more of a novelty in the diesel world.

The eight-speed transmission feeds into the two-speed transfer-case where it’s sent to each axle via the permanent all-wheel drive system.

Ineos claims either version will get to 100km/h in under 10 seconds and top speed, in deference to the tyres as much as anything, has been limited to 160km/h.

Approach, departure and ramp-over angles are all among the best in the business and Ineos claims a safe wading depth of 800mm. The optional snorkel air-intake is likely to be a very popular addition among Australian buyers.

My energy consumption sat at an average of 19.5kWh, which is decent considering all of the open-road driving I did.

There are four levels of regenerative braking to help conserve battery percentage but even on the firmest setting, it’s not super noticeable.

When you’re at full charge, multiple notifications and sound alerts pop up on the instrument panel stating ‘Regenerative Braking Limited Press Brake to Decelerate’. It’s quite an intrusive feature but disappears after 20 to 30km.

Despite the bigger battery size, the UX300e can only accept up to 6.6kW on AC charging, whereas, all of its rivals can accept 11kW. On a 240-volt AC charger, expect to see a charge time of nine and a half hours to get to 80 per cent.

Curiously, the UX features two charging ports, on the right-hand-side, there is a Type 2 port and, on the left, a CHAdeMo port, which allows for faster charging.

You'd think it would be easier to simply add the CCS enhancement on the Type 2 port but still, expect to get from 10-80 per cent in 80-minutes on a 50kW fast charger.

The official combined cycle fuel economy figures for the petrol and diesel engines respectively are 12.6 litres per 100km and 10.5 litres per 100km.

Realistically, these will be your highway consumption figures and the relatively hefty and aerodynamically blunt Grenadier will never be a fuel sipper. Hitch up a big caravan and use most of the vehicle’s 3500kg towing capacity and that consumption will blow out massively.

As it is, the 90-litre fuel tank should give the petrol model a cruising range of 715km or so, while the diesel should achieve closer to 850km.

It’s worth noting, too, that the diesel version uses AdBlue, so factor that, as well as the currently higher cost of diesel over petrol, into running costs.

The UX300e comes into its own when you’re zipping around tight city streets. The power is responsive and the steering crisp with excellent cornering capabilities.

It feels well-placed on the road most of the time but can move around when it gets hit by high winds.

While the power is steady, the tyres can lose a little traction if you’re too quick to accelerate from a full stop.

The ride comfort is also very good with the new acoustic glass and extra insulation around the bonnet and wheel wells providing a whisper quiet cabin space.

The suspension is well-cushioned but not floaty and you won’t wince when you hit a bump, but occasionally you get a thump-thump shudder through the frame on certain rough road surfaces.

It’s not a massive size and you’ll be thankful for that when it comes time to park because it is seriously easy to slide into a spot!

The 360-degree view camera system is top-notch providing clear graphics and a cool feature where the car becomes invisible in the video feed, which makes it even easier to see all around you. Coupled with the front and rear parking sensors, you’re set.

The first impression when jumping behind the Grenadier’s wheel is that the vehicle is super easy to place accurately at the front.

That’s because the two front corners are easily visible (thanks to the bluff, bull-nose front) and you sit nice and high.

In fact, the Ineos has the knack of immediately feeling smaller than it is, which is a great confidence booster for somebody new to off-roaders.

The steering also helps make a good first impression with no trace of looseness despite the slow ratio and almost four turns lock-to-lock.

The turning circle is also vast, and all of this makes the Grenadier anything but a car to hustle along a twisty road, but the pay-off is when you’re off-road.

In the bush is where this vehicle hits its straps, of course, and take it as read that this thing will go anywhere any other off-roader with number plates will take you.

The live axles give superb wheel articulation (at the expense of a little body roll on the bitumen) and that slow steering makes for accurate wheel placement in low-range going.

The coil springs only add to the wheel articulation, but there’s a small degree of impact harshness on patchy bitumen as a trade-off. We’d happily live with that.

And when you finally do run out of articulation and the Grenadier starts to spins its wheels on loose surfaces and at mind-blowing angles, you simply grab the lever for the centre differential lock and continue on.

And if that’s not enough (provided you’ve optioned them) the front and rear locking diffs turn the vehicle into the next best thing to a bulldozer.

The Ineos is also the car that proves petrol and diesel technologies are getting closer and closer to each other.

The diesel is smooth, refined and quiet, while the petrol’s twin-scroll turbocharger means it grunts like a diesel used to. Our choice would, then, probably be the diesel if only for its greater fuel economy and range.

The eight-speed transmission does a great job on- and off-road and is calibrated separately for the latter with the ability to second guess what’s going on and hold gears where necessary.

We’d still like to see paddle-shifters, however, as the standard T-bar shifter doesn’t allow for the sort of instinctive ratio swapping sometimes required off road.

The Grenadier is a bit of a mixed bag in safety terms with some important driver aids not available. But you do get aids such as autonomous emergency braking, stability control, hill assist, hill descent and lane departure warning.

But you won’t find blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert or adaptive cruise-control.

The Ineos also lacks the increasingly common centre air-bag and makes do with six bags, including full-length side curtain air-bags.

Driver drowsiness warning and tyre-pressure monitoring are included on all Grenadiers. Crucially, too, the reversing camera is standard on all models.

The vehicle has not been independently crash tested by ANCAP, and the Australian distributor says there are no plans to do so.

The UX comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty but the battery is covered by a 10-year or up to 160,000km warranty, which is better than most in this class.

This also comes with a five-year capped-priced servicing plan where services cost a flat $295, which is good but the servicing intervals are more in line with a fuel-based car at every 12-months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first. It’s typical to see intervals stretched out at every two years for an EV.

Lexus also throws in a few sweeteners for owners with three-year complimentary subscriptions to both ChargeFox and Lexus Connected Services, as well as, installation of an at-home wall charger. It’s not often you see the word ‘complimentary’ coupled with a luxury brand, so that’s a nice touch.

The Grenadier is covered by a factory five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. The chassis and body components are also covered by a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty.

Service intervals are every 12 months or six months in the case of a vehicle being used in harsh conditions.