The offreader Ineos Grenadier in the test

The story of the Grenadier from Ineos Automotive could easily have what it takes to be a blockbuster. It is announced in 2016 as Land Rover to discontinue the Defender. The fan base is in shock. Also the British billionaire, adventurer and entrepreneur, Jim Ratcliff. The Briton is sitting in a pub with friends. With beer bliss, the end of your favorite SUV is discussed. For the richest man in Great Britain one thing is clear: a new off-roader is needed. There are not many alternatives: real workhorses on four wheels have become rare.

The beer idea quickly becomes serious. Ratcliff brings together the who’s who of the automotive industry. The Grenadier was developed together with Magna Steyr – that’s right, they also have a hand in the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The engines come from BMW, the transmissions from ZF, the chassis and rigid axles from Carraro and the seats from Recaro. The Grenadier is built in a former Smartwerk in Hambach, Lorraine. Production will start in August 2022, and it will come to Switzerland in autumn 2022.

But can the Grenadier hold a candle to the Defender? A few weeks ago, Ineos invited two hand-assembled pre-series prototypes of the Grenadier to the Graubünden region for a first test drive. Unusual but cool! And of course we didn’t miss it.

Visually, the relationship to the Land Rover Defender is pretty obvious. Smooth surfaces, clear edges, short overhangs, high structure with large windows. Practical, clear, functional, but not very aerodynamic. The grenadier is a workhorse and uncompromisingly trimmed for terrain. This makes it unique in contrast to its critically endangered competitors. Because these are either too expensive or too soft.

But enough of fabric softeners and softies, now it’s getting () square. With momentum I climb the square room. The sitting position behind the steering wheel is comfortably upright. A small display with the most important information in the direct field of vision. Thanks to extra large buttons and toggle switches, all functions of the vehicle, the automatic air conditioning and the infotainment system can be set via a vertical center console with touchscreen, even when wearing gloves. Additional switches for accessories such as cable winches or work lights are already installed and wired above the driver’s head, like in an aircraft cockpit.

The Grenadier is powered by two real icing on the cake of engine construction, the three-liter in-line six-cylinder engines from BMW. Optionally as a diesel with 249 hp and 550 Newton meters of torque and as a gasoline engine with 285 hp and 450 Newton meters. The eight-speed automatic converter from ZF was carefully matched to the slightly throttled engines. “The fine-tuning is not yet completely finished,” explained Leif Scholz, Marketing Manager Ineos Automotive. Only warm summer rain is even gentler.

Speaking of rain, the off-road course is really nice and muddy from the snow. Unfortunately, I’m not even allowed to drive, test driver Hans is in charge. I can take a seat in the passenger seat. It goes up, down, over hills, scree, a seesaw and in a sloping position. No problem for the robust all-wheel drive, also thanks to its separate system of springs and shock absorbers as well as a lockable center differential and additional electronic locks on the front and rear axles. There is no air suspension. The grenadier is supposed to be one thing above all else, a workhorse with no frills that you could repair yourself if necessary. The first impression is convincing. The Grenadier also makes an extremely good impression on the road – a bit pithy in sound, but extremely comfortable in its set-up.

The concept of the Grenadier works and the price of the Defender successor could be a blast. So it should cost less than 65,000 francs. 5000 vehicles are planned for this year, after which it should be between 25,000 and 30,000 copies annually. Customers have been able to make advance reservations online for almost four months. The interest is huge, so Scholz. Mr. and Mrs. Swiss have already made reservations in the four-digit range.