Browse over 9,000 car reviews
When chemical engineer and British billionaire Sir James Ratcliffe was denied from buying the rights to the then-discontinued Land Rover Defender, the last thing the car world expected was that he’d be game enough to make his own – but that’s exactly what he did.
Named after his favourite pub in Belgravia, London, the Grenadier began production in 2022 as a modern iteration of the iconic no-frills Defender, with a few creature comforts that really make it a four-wheel-drive enthusiasts dream.
The line-up currently starts at $104,000 for the Grenadier (base) and ranges through to $118,000 for the range-topping Grenadier Quartermaster Fieldmaster ED.
All the information arrives via the centre stack. A speedo in front of the driver would be much better and where are the paddle-shifters? There's no embedded sat-nav, either, so your smart-phone is it.
No, there is not. Obviously, being a small manufacturer, Ineos needs to rationalise as much of the vehicle as possible, and adding a manual transmission version would have cost a lot extra in terms of design, development, engineering and testing.
The good news is that the standard transmission for the Grenadier is the rather good ZF eight-speed automatic that has been used by car-makers all over the world. It's a smooth, clever transmission that seems to suit many vehicles very well. And while the hard-core off-roaders out there will complain about the lack of a clutch-pedal option, the reality of modern automatics is that, for most drivers, they actually work better off-road than a manual ever did, particularly in sand or when tackling steep climbs.
Show more
At a minimum all Grenadier grades feature a centre diff lock, choice of petrol or diesel power, 17-inch allow wheels, a Nappa leather tiller, hose-out interior, and bash plates. Ineos also offers a full rage of interior and exterior options like rock-sliders, roof racks, jerry-can holders, bike carriers and even a gas-bottle mount. If you can bolt it to a car, it's in the Ineos catalogue.
The BMW sourced inline sixes are both ripper power units. They're smooth, refined and delivery their power where it's needed. The eight-speed transmission works brilliantly, too.
Outputs for the 3.0L petrol are 210kW/450Nm and 183kW/550Nm for the 3.0L diesel.
The Grenadier's front seats will accommodate bigger people with generous padding and support. Heated front seats are an option, but there's no ventilated-seats box to tick. Rear seat is also better than many with a logical backrest angle.
The upright sides make the most of the car's footprint, but there are bigger load areas from other makers. The biggest hurdle is a rear seat that hides the battery(s) so doesn't fold level with the cargo bay floor.
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.
Both petrol and diesel versions can get from rest to 100km/h in under 10 seconds. The petrol is about a second faster, but both are limited to 160km/h top speed for safety.
The diesel Grenadier should be able to cover at least 850km at highway speeds before refuelling. The thirstier petrol should be capable of 700km. This is borderline for Aussie outback touring.