The Ineos Grenadier has arrived, and we've driven it. Here's what it can do off road
This wasn’t in the script. On the day we were set to drive the new Ineos Grenadier off road in prototype form, heavy rain fell upon the disused construction site chosen for the test. Challenging in the dry, even more so in the rain with deep, slippery mud to churn through, the Grenadier would have its work cut out.
On paper, though, it should be up to the task. The Grenadier takes obvious inspiration from the previous Land Rover Defender, and looks to reinvigorate the concept of the original with modern tech. Like the Defender, it too features a square design, body-on-frame construction and beam axles, but the Grenadier is a ground-up project that shares no parts with the Land Rover. Orders open in April this year, with prices starting from around £48,000 for the commercial variant.
Behind that bluff nose lies a choice of 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engines from BMW - a diesel with 246bhp and 550Nm of torque, or a petrol version producing 281bhp and 450Nm, which we drove. Whichever you choose, drive is sent through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, and there's permanent all-wheel drive with selectable low range for serious off-roading. The centre diff is a mechanically locking item, with optional electronically actuated units on each axle.
All the ingredients to power through the rough stuff, then. But has it worked? Watch this off road test of an early prototype Grenadier to find out.