INEOS GRENADIER IS A TRUE UTILITARIAN RESURRECTION
The demise of the last Defender spawns the 4x4 we’ve always wanted
We’re not the kind of folks that buy knock-offs, there’s no point. One glance at us and anyone can clearly see we are not Rolex people. But there is one knock-off coming that we would buy. Although the word knock-off sounds a little harsh. Let’s call it a tribute.
In 2015, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) ended production of the Land Rover Defender. We couldn’t afford one, either new or used, so while many lamented its demise, we shrugged it off. We walked past a 1997 Defender 110 recently, which was ‘on sale’ for a cool $57,000. From a performance standpoint, that’s a lot of money for 83 hp and 133 lb-ft of torque.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe felt differently. The British petro-chemical billionaire tried to buy the rights and tooling from JLR but they declined his offer. While taking the sting out of JLR’s refusal with a few mates in the Grenadier pub, they talked about what they wanted in a new off-roader – an affordable, utilitarian, easy to repair and maintain vehicle – does this discussion sound familiar?
With the essentials clearly mapped out on napkin, Ratcliffe started to plan, and the result of this hops-fired brainstorm was recently unveiled in the UK. It resembles a Defender so much that JLR attempted to block its development in court, and lost. The design is a completely new 4x4 from the ground up.
The company is called Ineos and the truck is the ‘Grenadier’, named after the UK pub where the idea fermented. We believe the name has a deeper meaning than this, as a grenadier was originally a specialized soldier in the mid-17th century who lobbed grenades. Chosen from the largest and strongest men, these physically powerful soldiers led assaults against the enemy. This origin of the new 4x4’s name makes more sense.
Although the body style is similar to the Defender, the team has taken design and performance cues from many iconic 4x4’s including the Jeep Wrangler, Nissan Patrol, and Toyota Land Cruiser, and incorporated modern materials and design features. The boxy body, round headlights and upright windshield are old-school, but the LED headlights, composite bumpers and racks are not.
The engineers have adhered to a form-follows-function philosophy, everything you need and nothing you don’t. Essentials like all-terrain tires, tow hooks, and skid plates are apparent. As well as good approach and departure angles, which are a result of the effective ride height, short bumpers, and wheels close to the ends of the body. We like the tie-down points on the roof and that the exterior door hinges suggest they could be removable.
Out back, the spare tire is mounted on the large passenger side barndoor, and a ladder is mounted on the smaller left door so you can access the roof. Dual exhausts are visible and are tucked in tight under the body, sandwich
ing the rear skid plate so they don’t get crushed while off-roading.
This is a solid boxed ladder frame, body-on-frame SUV. Ineos promises high articulation and durability with progressive coil-sprung solid live axles front and rear, and are also designing the Grenadier to tow, since its intended purpose is also for farm use. It will initially be offered with 3.0L turbocharged inline sixes from BMW, in diesel and gas. While BMW is supplying the power, the engineers of Magna Steyr in Austria, a division of Magna International based right here in Canada, are designing the suspension system.
Ineos hasn’t revealed any images of the interior but has said that it will be more comfortable than the original utilitarian vehicles of its lineage. That won’t be hard to achieve.
In addition to the SUV, they’ve designed a double cab pick-up truck that looks absolutely stellar. The bed looks to be too short to be of use in a typically North American fashion, but by maintaining the short wheelbase it should be a massively capable off-roader.
No horsepower, torque, payload or towing estimates have been released, and neither have approach, departure, breakover angles, or exact dimensions.
Ineos was targeting to log 1.8 million harsh kilometres on production test models in the spring of 2021, with production models expected to roll into driveways at the end of 2021. This could be the tough, functional, utilitarian off-roader Canadians have been looking for. Initially, it will only be available in the UK in right-hand drive models. Given the size of the
European and North American markets, a lefthand drive model is sure to land on our shores, with an impact like the grenadiers of old.
Retail pricing hasn’t been announced either, but rumour has it the Grenadier will be in the neighbourhood of $40,000 CAD. At that price, if the promises are delivered, we would buy this knock-off.