Don’t underestimate this new off-road SUV when facing snow, mud, and slippery rocks—or if you just want to flex.
As the new vehicle manufacturing arm of the petrochemical company founded by British billionaire Jim Ratcliff, Ineos Automotive has everything to prove. The Grenadier is the brand’s first-ever consumer product and wears a design that evokes off-road stalwarts. Its round headlights, boxy body, and flat fenders recall the original Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, indicating the Grenadier should boast comparable performance to those spiritual predecessors. After a long lead-up with multiple previews and a prototype drive, we finally put the production version of the 2024 Ineos Grenadier through its paces to see if the new SUV is ready to compete with some of the industry’s most beloved nameplates.
Curious about the origins of the Ineos Grenadier? Check out our deep dive here.
Getting Familiar With The Grenadier
We traveled to frigid Inverness, Scotland, to sample the Grenadier in the types of environments it was designed to conquer. To begin our journey through the Highlands, Ineos first got us situated in a U.K.-spec Grenadier Trialmaster powered by a 246-hp BMW B57 3.0-liter twin-turbo diesel. The oil-burning Ineos and its 406 lb-ft of torque won’t come to the U.S., but the off-road-focused Trialmaster trim will be a standard offering in this market. It includes appropriate features such as front and rear differential locks, underside protection, and a raised air intake. Rolling on 17-inch steel wheels and wearing stylish Magic Mushroom tan-gray paint, our test rig certainly looked every bit the off-roader Ineos said it would be.
As our caravan rolled across the Scottish countryside, we appreciated the Grenadier’s superbly comfortable Recaro seats, which are standard with the Trialmaster version. We later discovered these chairs boast great lateral support for both road trips and uneven trails.
The interior feels upscale with its high-quality leathers and metals, but it stops short of the G-Wagen’s opulence. This interior puts function above all else while providing a more ergonomic space than the likes of a Jeep Wrangler. The cabin is well-insulated from exterior noise, even when riding on all-terrain tires—and even with available “safari” ceiling windows. We did note the defroster struggled to defog the sides of the windshield and side windows, which frustrated us as we trudged through poor road conditions.
Ride quality, on the other hand, is excellent. Even though the Ineos Grenadier is a traditional body-on-frame SUV with solid axles, its five-link coil-over setup at all four corners provides great body control and suspension damping. Ineos stressed the fact it skipped over an air-ride setup in the hopes of achieving long-term reliability—and in doing so we bet it saved on development cost, too.
Ineos then let us explore the Grenadier’s low-traction abilities on a decommissioned golf course. The previous evening’s precipitation created an icy, snowy, and muddy route with varying grip levels. We engaged the vehicle’s off-road mode, which disables the parking sensors and cameras via a button located within the overhead control panel. Because this setting disables features that render the Grenadier illegal for street use, activating it requires a one-second button hold followed by a second button push for confirmation.
Approaching a large slope, we used the hill descent control to manage the Grenadier’s weight down a grade of about 25 degrees. The surface was covered in ice and mud, but at a set speed of 3 mph, the off-road SUV shuttled itself down with no braking inputs necessary. All we had to do was hold the wheel straight. Compared to other hill descent systems we’ve experienced, the Ineos managed a remarkably drama-free execution with almost no jostling, jolting, or jerking on the way down.
We wrapped up our first day in the Grenadier with more trail driving, trekking through narrows alongside Scotland’s stunning lochs. At low speeds, the gutsy 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six BMW engine takes a back seat to enjoying the scenery. Under hard acceleration, however, it exhibits a growling character and effortlessly pulled our rig up to highway speeds.
As darkness arrived, we found the Ineos Grenadier’s standard LED headlights leave much to be desired. To see a reasonable distance ahead, we toggled the high-beams manually, as Ineos doesn’t offer an auto-dimming feature. We didn’t know until later that we could have fired up the much brighter set of auxiliary lights, which would have been a big help.
Off-Road Capabilities And On-Road Composure
On our second day, Ineos shuttled us to the famous spot near Glencoe where James Bond and his boss, M, are depicted with 007’s Aston Martin DB5 in the film Skyfall. Our guide used the opportunity to give us a tutorial on the 2024 Ineos Grenadier’s onboard navigation system. Ineos didn’t opt for built-in map-based GPS navigation, but it allows the driver to drop waypoints at selectable intervals. You can retrace this breadcrumb-style system when you’re ready to turn back. The information is stored on a USB drive, and Grenadier owners can share their routes after plotting their GPS points.
While this is a novel and adventure-friendly approach to off-road navigation, the system doesn’t clear one of the virtual breadcrumbs unless the Grenadier is driven quite precisely over the waypoint. If you miss a coordinate and don’t want to turn back, the user interface requires you to clear the missed location manually, which is as inelegant in theory as it is in practice. Fortunately, navigation via Apple CarPlay can be used in lieu of the Grenadier’s native GPS program.
After taking in the valley’s dramatic sights, we got behind the wheel of a model equipped with a more powerful BMW engine and the luxury-focused Fieldmaster trim, which differentiates itself from the Trialmaster with full leather seating and fewer standard off-road features. We were grateful for its heated seats on another chilly Scottish morning, though the absence of a heated steering wheel was a glaring omission.
Slithering back onto the highway, we were better able to appreciate the Grenadier’s precise steering, which felt especially direct for a recirculating-ball setup on an off-road vehicle. Winding our way to the next staging point, the off-road SUV felt engaging. BMW’s B58 turbo six-cylinder feels right at home under the hood of the Ineos, its smooth delivery of 282 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque made seamless with the help of a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.
We capped off our excursion with a steep, technical off-road trail that took us high over Loch Lomond. The path was soaked by rain, and we faced muddy ruts and slick rocks. We engaged the mechanical center-differential locker and were able to navigate most surfaces in four-high gear. When we reached a steeper part of the grade, we shifted into four-low, fired up the electronically activated rear locker and then front locker, and set about a challenging rock crawl. Ineos’ off-road mode adjusts throttle response and shift points for this type of driving, a welcome trait as we held the gas pedal in place and smoothly ascended the mountain. When it came to larger rock ledges, the Grenadier and its knobby BF Goodrich KO2 tires had no issues mounting and clearing the obstacles.
It was a similar story on the way back down. We prepared by disabling the lockers, a process that requires a tight turn or a big burnout to get the sensors to register drastically different wheel speeds to fully disengage. Ineos acknowledges these measures aren’t ideal or even possible in many off-roading scenarios—it says it will remedy the issue before the Grenadier arrives on our shores.
With the lockers finally disengaged and the 12.3-inch touchscreen display indicating a healthy 25-degree pitch, we once again used the hill descent control to maintain a steady 3-mph pace. As before, there was no slippage, bucking, or creaking. The Grenadier simply chugged down hundreds of feet until the ground leveled out.
As we worked our way through a more technical trail winding through the hillside, the Ineos Grenadier coped admirably with the lack of traction. A portion of the route lovingly called the Rat Run gave us an opportunity to get a wheel up. This was the moment when Ineos’ creation impressed the most with its body and chassis rigidity: We didn’t hear a single squeak or creak. This largely represents the level of refinement and ingot-like solidity we experienced throughout our experience.
A Home Run?
For the hardcore off-roader or the Rodeo Drive shopper, the 2024 Ineos Grenadier has the right stuff to flex on the trail or street. Its pricing seems to be where it needs to be, too; Ineos indicated both the Trialmaster and Fieldmaster trims will start around $70,000. That places the Grenadier just above the Land Rover Defender lineup and well short of the Mercedes-Benz G550.
Ineos now needs to work out the kinks we observed before the Grenadier comes to the U.S. The U.K.-market versions we drove only had parking sensors and a backup camera, whereas competing off-road SUVs have full suites of active safety tech. Ineos promised the U.S. version will also receive features required for federalization, including automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, and drowsy driver detection. We’d also like to see a native navigation system, lockers that are easier to disable, and better windshield defrosters.
Regardless, after two days exploring Scotland, we believe the company shouldn’t be underestimated. The 2024 Ineos Grenadier’s retro looks and modern performance are a tantalizing proposition for overlanding enthusiasts and car collectors alike. For those of them who are looking to add a new old-school off-road rig to their garages, they’ll have another option when the Grenadier goes on sale here in the fall.
