Ineos Grenadier
Defender-lookalike is South Africa bound
Remember the exclusively South African built BMW M52-powered Land Rover Defender 2.8i? Well, if you do and have always desired one, have a look at the fully revealed Grenadier, the forthcoming, no-nonsense 4×4 vehicle for the world from British automotive start-up company Ineos.
Built from the ground up on an allnew platform, the Grenadier has been purposely designed to meet the demands of those wanting a rugged, highly capable, comfortable, go-anywhere working vehicle. It promises to bring back the Defender-like off-road prowess adventurers appreciate but will feature modern technology – including BMW engine power.
Bavarian power
The Defender-lookalike (it was revealed, somewhat cheekily, only days before the new Defender and many still believe this is what the new Land Rover version should have looked like …) will be powered by the Bavarian B58 three-litre straight-six turbo engine used in the X5, delivering 250 kw and 500 Nm of torque, compared to the 142 kw of the normally aspirated M52 used in the Defender nearly a quarter of a century ago.
While the erstwhile Landie model was only available with a petrol-driven Bavarian mill, the new Grenadier will also receive diesel power from BMW in the form of the B57 three-litre engine, delivering 195 kw in single turbo form, or 235 kw and up to 680 Nm of torque, coupled with twin turbochargers.
With production of the live-axle Defender discontinued late in 2016 and the latest Mercedes-benz G-wagon now based on an integrated structure, it leaves the Jeep Wrangler, Land Cruiser 70, Suzuki Jimny, BAIC B40 Plus (if it still makes it here), the locally produced Brandt BRV, and Grenadier as the only utilities based on ladder-frame chassis.
Initially available as a five-door wagon and a four-door, long-wheel-base pickup, more versions, including a single-cab pick-up, are envisaged for the future. The Grenadier is definitely slated for introduction to South Africa, probably by early 2022.
Background
How did the Grenadier come into existence? Well, Jim Ratcliffe, founder of Ineos, a global British chemicals company with 183 manufacturing facilities in 26 countries around the world, is a big Land Rover Defender fan. So, when Jaguar Land Rover announced its plans to discontinue the original Defender, Ratcliffe tried to buy the rights and equipment to keep it in production.
However, JLR was not interested, so Ratcliffe decided to do it himself. It was in a pub in London back in 2017 where the plan to create this uncompromising vehicle was finalised and the name Grenadier was chosen. Ratcliffe then established Ineos Automotive to build the Grenadier.
With an engineering blueprint to produce “a capable, durable, and reliable 4×4 built to handle the world’s harshest environments”, Ineos secured the services of 4×4 experts Magna Steyr to develop the prototypes. The BMW engines will be mated to ZF auto transmissions with transfer case and the axles will be sourced from Carraro in Italy.
The chassis will be built in Portugal and the body from high strength steel, with panels made from aluminium, will be assembled in a new plant in Bridgend, Wales. Importantly, according to Ineos the design will meet all expected safety requirements, allowing the Grenadier to be sold around the world.
Ineos will employ about 500 staff to build the Grenadier and plans to initially manufacture 25 000 to 30 000 vehicles per year. Axle rates, weight, and payload for the Grenadier corresponds with most others in its class, and it is designed to accommodate a Euro pallet between the wheel arches in the load bay. It will be available with optional front and rear locking differentials.
Continued development
In the meantime, development of the Grenadier is continuing unabated. According to Ineos Automotive CEO, Dirk Heilmann the company shared the Grenadier design early in the process so they can now focus on the critical next phase of its development, testing its capability and durability.
“We have a challenging programme ahead, as we put prototypes through their paces in all conditions, on the way to accumulating some 1.8 million test kilometres over the coming year,” Heilmann said. “Testing is now ‘in plain sight’ without the need for any camouflage. Testing will also be undertaken in South Africa.”
Ineos plans to launch the final production model late next year, with export to right-hand-drive countries such as South Africa and Australia starting soon after. Final pricing will only be released at launch but it will not be a cheap vehicle – with a retail price of R700-R800K (taxes included) in South Africa. For more information, visit www.ineosgrenadier.com.