INEOS fleshes out its Grenadier

African and US press get a closer look

A completely new 4WD that started life – so the tale goes – as a sketch on a napkin in a British pub. Ineos has revealed more detail on its Grenadier as it shows the vehicle to media in the USA, South Africa and Australia ahead of a proposed mid-year launch.

Remember the heart of the project: it’s the brainchild of British multibillionaire

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of INEOS, a company founded in the fuel/ energy industry that now encompasses 36 separate companies and has 26,000 employees worldwide.

Frustrated at the loss of the old-school Land Rover Defender, and further frustrated when his effort to buy the jigs and formers to build the Defender were rebuffed, Sir Jim formed an offshoot company, Ineos Automotive, and tasked it to build a four wheel drive to fill the niche left when the old Defender was withdrawn.

The aim was to create a 4WD with a ladder chassis and live axles, that would be capable of doing hard work in remote places and would blend that with modern safety, ergonomics and comfort.

The sort of vehicle that would be very handy to a fuel company that needs tough exploration transport.

There has been some interest: in the USA more than 3,000 prospective buyers have paid deposits of USD$600 each to reserve a vehicle from initial production.

Full technical specs will be announced in April, but the drivetrain has been firmed up:a turbocharged BMW straight-six turbo will power the US model. Giving away some top end power in favour of a fatter torque curve more suited to off-road use.

Try 212kW and 424Nm in a drivetrain similar to a BMW X5 using ZF’s silky eight speed auto with automatic actuation for front and rear diff locks and a driver-engaged locker for the centre diff.

There will also be a diesel BMW six, but the US misses out on that because BMW no longer complies that engine for emissions purposes.

The Grenadier rides on a “super-rigid” box ladder frame that’s been zinc-coated and then powder-coated. The company says it is building the vehicle to last two, three or more decades in harsh conditions.

The Grenadier will have all the usual electronics including heated seats, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning and eight air bags. The company is not building in navigation because most buyers will use nav through their phones.

There are solid indications that the Grenadier will be priced right up alongside the new Defender.

But the evocative name? Trace that back to the British pub where those napkin sketches were created, which is also called the Grenadier

It’s well known that some of the best-and worst-ideas are hatched down the pub.

Sir Edmund Hillary is a great example. He climbed Everest after (apparently) plotting the expedition at a pub at the Snowdonia mountain range in Wales.

Then there’s Bloodhound — the 1,000mph rocket car — thought up by British speed kings Richard Noble and Andy Green over a pint.