Field Trial
We take to the Australian bush in the Grenadier Fieldmaster and Trialmaster
Feels like deja vu, I know — it was little under a year ago I was in the Scottish Highlands to drive the Ineos Grenadier for the first time. So why another “first drive”?
Well, this time it is in the rural outskirts of Melbourne at the local — well, more local at least — media launch of the Grenadier and a chance to drive it in more familiar conditions.
Spoiler alert: no surprises, it is just as insanely capable there.
I mean, literally no surprises, as the Grenadier is one seriously capable off-road machine from a sheer mechanical point of view, consisting of some of the best equipment money can buy; heavy duty Carraro beam axles and Eibach five-link coil suspension with anti-roll bars, a ZF eightspeed automatic transmission channelling the power through an Ineos-designed, Tremec-built two-speed transfer case, Dana Spicer CV joints and prop shafts, Eaton locking differentials, Brembo brakes and Bosch electronics. Got all that?
Selecting low range is done with a traditional lever next to the gear shifter. Moving it down in either direction selects low range, while moving it left and right from there switches between locking and unlocking the centre diff.
Speaking of locking differentials, the Grenadier is pretty formidable with the centre diff it comes with as standard locked and becomes basically unstoppable when you start adding the front and rear options.
The Grenadier is available in three model variants — the base vehicle, the Trialmaster and the Fieldmaster. But the latter two are actually more curated options packs buyers can select to make their Grenadier more road/luxury oriented (Fieldmaster) or even more off-road capable (Trialmaster).
Apart from personalising the Grenadier, the biggest choice you have to make is whether you want the 183kW/550Nm diesel or
210kW/450Nm petrol version of the excellent BMW-supplied
3.0-litre straight-six turbo engine. While I would normally just say “diesel, of course”, when it comes to a serious off-road vehicle, the choice isn’t quite so clear-cut here. Ineos has tuned the BMW powerplant to suit its purposes, so while the petrol six is a highrevving sporty delight in BMWs, in the Grenadier it is a low-down torque monster.
On the other hand, the diesel is a smooth and powerful unit that is significantly more “petrol like” than your traditional rattly off-road oil burner. It’s up to you.
Constructed on a box-section ladder-frame chassis made from
3.5mm high tensile steel, the Grenadier boasts 264mm of ground clearance and an 800mm wading depth, along with approach, breakover and departure angles of 36.2 degrees,
28.2 degrees and 36.1 degrees respectively.
This all adds up to a package that is truly exceptional in the rough stuff. But with a twist — it is also rather good on the road as well.
That’s right, the Grenadier is a proper ladder-chassis hardcore off-roader that has excellent onroad manners; with a comfortable ride and well-sorted handling.
The refinement and composure Ineos has engineered into something so dedicated to sheer off-road ability is truly impressive. Settled and confident at speed, it has minimal body roll when chucked into a corner, despite its pliant off-road suspension.
The most obvious compromise the Grenadier makes to its offroad ability when on the road is the steering — while nicely accurate and precise, it lacks much in the way of the expected self-centring you get in a more road-oriented vehicle.
On the inside, the Grenadier is as magnificently utilitarian and belligerently old-school as it is on the outside, with a simple, minimalist layout, big, chunky controls and a fantastic aircraftinspired overhead array of switches and buttons with plenty of extra space for the optional pre-wired accessory system for all those extras you are definitely going to throw at it.
And there are many, many of those.
The Grenadier is available in either Station Wagon (the standard five-seater), Utility Wagon (a two-seat version with the rear seats removed, a cargo divider and blanked-off side windows) and, soon, Quartermaster pickup variants.
The Grenadier starts at $120,000 for the Station Wagon or Quartermaster (the stripped-out Utility Wagon is $1000 less) and delving deep into the extensive options list can easily get it over the $140k mark, but it will get you a highly-equipped, insanely capable off-roader with original Land Rover Defender vibes for new mid-spec Land Rover Defender money.
Admittedly, the Grenadier is very much a niche vehicle, but for anyone neck deep in the mud of that niche, it is an extremely appealing one offering a combination of serious off-road ability and convincing on-road comfort that is rarely seen.