Ineos Grenadier drive
An SUV like they used to make them – for better and for worse
In the past, I’ve often found myself on the launch of a new SUV, driv-ing an off-road section and thinking to myself, ‘I reckon a Volkswa-gen Golf would probably get up this.’ Because most of the time when manufacturers say ‘off road’ they really mean a gravel track with a few puddles.
But it’s not puddles today. No, today I’m sitting in the new Ineos Grenadier, looking down a Scottish hillside so steep I’m actually fall-ing forward out of my seat and pushing back against the steering wheel to hold myself upright. The infotainment screen in the car is telling me we’re currently at a 28º incline – steeper than your average black run at a ski resort – and the only thing stopping me from to-bogganing into the forest below is the car’s Downhill Assist system, which is grinding away like we’re being winched down from above. The track is rocky and running with icy water, and I can feel the chunky tyres are slipping as much as they’re rolling, as the car bumps and judders its way down. In the middle of this drama I think, ‘No, a Golf definitely couldn’t do this.’
So the Grenadier is impressive off-road – but then, we already knew that, didn’t we? It feels like the Grenadier has been launched three times already over the last five years, and if you’re a car enthusi-ast you’ll already know the back story: Sir Jim Ratcliffe, petrochemi-cal billionaire, end of the Land Rover Defender, decides to build his own old-school 4x4; Ineos Automotive, ladder chassis, beam axles, BMW engines, engineered by Magna Steyr in Austria; Welsh factory canned, built in France. You’re welcome. Since 2017, the idea that the Grenadier is tough enough to climb Everest or explore Mars has been well communicated through vari-ous off-road prototype stories. But now the moment of truth: the Grenadier is signed off for production, customer deliveries are immi-nent, and finally we’re here to drive it on the road. Forget climbing K2, what it’s like on the A9?
‘Here’, by the way, is Inverness, before dawn. It’s pitch black out-side, bitterly cold, and around each street light is a blizzard-swirl of snow. There’s no better feeling in the world than climbing into an SUV in weather like this. All the first impressions of the Grenadier are good: the way the doors open and close with a satisfying clack; the comfy, supportive Recaro seats; and the unique, aero-inspired dashboard with those roof-mounted switches. It all feels high-quali-ty and full of character.
I’m in the petrol version, powered by a BMW 3.0-litre straight-six that puts out 282bhp and 332lb ft of torque. Ineo
