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Ten Second Review

The spirit of the old Land Rover Defender returns in this car, the Ineos Grenadier. Refreshingly, it's very much an old-school SUV prioritising trails over tarmac. If those are your priorities too, you'll probably love it.

Background

There was nothing quite like the old, original Land Rover Defender. But there is now. In the form of this car, the Ineos Grenadier. In the metal, you might mistake it for that old Land Rover (discontinued in 2016) but it is very much its own car, brainchild of Lancastrian chemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who thought there was a niche in the market for a big SUV that put off roading first and tarmac transport second. Contrary to visual expectations, there's been no help from Jaguar Land Rover in creating the finished product (quite the opposite), so Ratcliffe and his team had to put together the various elements of design, engineering and production like a complex jigsaw; 4x4 system from Austrian specialist Magna, the axles from Carraro of Italy and Gestamp of Germany for the chassis frame. The engines and transmission are borrowed from BMW. And it's all screwed together in the old Daimler factory in Hambach, Eastern France, which used to produce little smart cars. Only the name draws on any vestige of Britishness, 'The Grenadier' being a Ratcliffe-owned Belgravia pub.

Driving Experience

There are two engine choices, both 3.0-litre straight six cylinder units sourced from BMW, so both come mated to the Bavarian maker's usual transmission choice for these powerplants, an 8-speed ZF auto gearbox. Choose between the twin turbo 245bhp diesel or the single turbo 281bhp petrol that improves the irrelevant 0-62mph sprint time by 1.3s to 8.6s, en route to a top speed (which you'd never really want to approach) of 99mph. The performance stats that matter here of course are quite different ones; ground clearance of 264mm, a wading depth of 800mm, an approach angle of 35.5-degrees, a breakover angle of 28.2-degrees and a departure angle of 36.1-degrees. Towing capacity is up to 3.5-tonnes and the vehicle can winch up to 5.5-tonnes. You might get near some of these stats with a properly kitted-out new Land Rover Defender or non-AMG Mercedes G-Class, but you might end up damaging the vehicle trying. The engineering here is pretty familiar stuff for old-school off roaders; ladder-framed chassis, solid axles, permanent four-wheel drive, a locking centre differential and a 2-speed transfer case that gives a set of crawler gears for really gnarly tracks. Plus there's Hill descent control and vast wheel articulation. Surprisingly though, specialist off-road tyres and locking front and rear differentials cost extra. You won't be expecting too much from the tarmac driving experience (and you shouldn't) but it's OK as long as you accept what you're getting here from a car that's got its off road priorities right. If you really must use your Grenadier for the school run, the much more refined petrol version's a better bet.

Design and Build

Land Rover refused Ineos permission to reproduce the design of the old Defender but almost in defiance, there are an awful lot of visual cues to that old SUV here: clamshell bonnet, flat windscreen, spare wheel on the tailgate, chunky door handles - tick, tick, tick, tick. What's underneath will be familiar to lovers of old Landies too, the ladder-frame separate chassis, here reinforced with flitch plates and side members up to 6-inches deep. Get up close and it's more obvious that the Grenadier has its own visual persona; and unlike the old Defender, there won't be a shorter short wheelbase version. For all the claims of 'rugged simplicity' when it comes to cabin design, it's hard not to be disappointed by all the robust wipe-clean plastics and vinyl surfaces you get inside, given the amount of money Ineos wants here. You can splash out on extra-cost leather coverings, but that does seem rather to defeat the point of this utilitarian design. Which has a few early glitches that Ineos really needs to sort out. The wipers are poorly designed, leaving the top half of the screen dirty, the doors take a bit of a slam to shut and the rear view out is awful. You climb up into the driver's seat and get faced with an ugly steering wheel and lots of chunky controls, one of which is a re-skinned BMW iDrive capstan that operates a re-skinned BMW iDrive centre screen. More buttons reside on the aircraft-style overhead control panel built into the roof. Little touches include a curious 'toot' button on the wheel, which operates a low volume 'parp' on the horn to let cyclists know you're there. The rear seat is quite comfortable and has just enough space for a couple of six-footers to sit behind front seat folk of equal height. There's no opportunity to add third row seating. And luggage capacity is 1,152-litres with the rear seats in place and 2,035-litres (79-litres more than a Defender 110) with them 60:40 split-folded.

Market and Model

The Grenadier Station Wagon model we're primarily looking at here was from launch offered in two versions: the 'Trailmaster Edition' and the 'Fieldmaster Edition'. Both were priced from launch at £76,000. For commercial users, Ineos also offers a van version, the 'Utility Wagon', available with either two or five seats and priced from around £65,000. There's also a 'Quartermaster' pick-up version priced from around £66,000. Sticking with the Station Wagon, the 'Trailmaster' version is intended for serious off roaders and comes with 17-inch steel wheels, a raised air intake, an access ladder, interior utility rails, an auxiliary battery 400W power take-off and a compass with altimeter. It also gets a 'Rough Pack', which gives you differential locks front and rear and BFGoodrich all-terrain KO2 tyres. Luxury stuff includes a 'Smooth Pack', which gives you a rear view camera, parking sensors, power heated mirrors, heated washer jets, and puddle lamps. The alternative 'Fieldmaster' version most will prefer is a bit more luxury-orientated, with 18-inch alloy wheels featuring locking wheel nuts, leather trim, a premium sound system, heated front seats and carpet floor mats. It also gets the contents of the 'Smooth Pack'.

Cost of Ownership

You won't be expecting a Grenadier to be particularly affordable to run; even in diesel form, it isn't. The diesel is rated at up to 27.4mpg on the combined cycle but you'll probably be averaging more like 20mpg in real life. The petrol model is rated at up to 21.4mpg - think more like 17mpg in real-world conditions, though thanks to the huge 90-litre fuel tank, even that petrol version should give you a drive range of over 350 miles. The CO2 returns are sobering, up to 299g/km for the petrol and up to 268g/km for the diesel. All of this means that you're looking at a VED road tax payment of £2,365 for the first year, then £520 for the next five years, then £165 per annum thereafter. We've come across online manuals that encourage owners to work on the car themselves, but we're not sure how this would fit with the brand's five year, unlimited mileage warranty. The BMW engine and transmission packages are well proven and should prove to be reliable. And experts reckon that the robust suspension is less likely to fail than the more complex system of the current Defender, which has a monocoque construction making its sills more vulnerable to really testing tracks.

Summary

If ever a car could get away with being a little rough around the edges, it's this one. Buyers won't expect clinical perfection in terms of design and cabin fittings - and you don't get that with a Grenadier. What they will expect - and what you do get here - is simply astonishing off road prowess. Whether a modern day (or old) Defender, Land Cruiser or non-AMG G-Class could beat (or even match) this Ineos off piste is a matter of great debate. What's certain is that you'd feel more confident about attempting the worst terrain in a Grenadier, both in terms of getting through it. And of getting through it without significant damage. Be that as it may, it is a little disappointing given the amount of money behind this project and the amount customers are being asked to pay for it that the end result isn't a little more polished. But Ineos has plenty of time to get the finer details right. What we have here and now is a great start. And a great off-roading SUV.