Official: INEOS Grenadier priced from £49k
All-new global 'workhorse' will go on sale May 18. Full details here...
Earlier this week INEOS announced its fledgling dealer network, and told us it was almost ready to start selling cars; now it has confirmed that the Grenadier will be available to order from May 18 - and will cost from £49,000. That was the starting price we predicted when we drove the prototype back in February, and while it looks expensive for such a no-nonsense machine (Ford will cheerily sell you a farm-ready Ranger Double Cab for much less), the manufacturer will likely be content that it has undercut the £53,760 that Land Rover currently charges for the commercially-minded Defender 110 Hard Top.
That's because, in Grenadier terms, the cheapest price buys you much the same prospect: a two-seat 'Utility wagon' with a choice of either a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol or diesel engine, both, of course, supplied by BMW. Needless to say, this is the car at its most rugged, and behind the cargo barrier comes with a full-length flat floor capable of accommodating a standard Euro pallet (i.e. something 1,200mm by 800mm in size). You can option in a rear window if you like free of cost, but otherwise this comes with the blank panel that announces it as the most van-like variant.
Anyone wishing to carry passengers (which we assume will include most Grenadier customers) will need to pay at least £52,000 to access the five-seat 'Station wagon'. In standard format this retains both the full-height cargo barrier and its certification as commercial vehicle, and is said 'to provide the optimum balance between payload and passenger carrying capability.' Finally, if you're not so concerned with the payload bit, there are the pre-configured 'Trialmaster' and 'Fieldmaster' Editions, which relinquish commercial status and provide greater comfort for those in the back (presumably because there is no barrier to bang their knees on). Either of these will cost from £59,000.
Mechanically speaking, each variant is essentially the same. The Grenadier is built on a box-section ladder frame chassis, the body is from galvanised steel and there are solid beam axles with heavy-duty coil springs. Every model gets a ZF eight-speed automatic, as well as permanent four-wheel drive and a two-speed transfer case. The choice between diesel and petrol is the choice between BMW's 249hp/405lb ft B57 oil burner and the direct injection B58 with 286hp/331lb ft of torque. Both are limited to 100mph, although the petrol ought to be noticeable quicker at 8.6 seconds to 62mph (versus 9.9 seconds).
The only model that goes beyond these narrow parameters is the Trialmaster, and that's because it gets the £1,685 'Rough Pack' as standard, which means it adds diff locks front and back alongside BFGoodrich All-Terrain tyres. This effectively makes it the range-topper, and its deliberate go-anywhere vibe (it also gets a raised air intake, exterior utility belts and an auxiliary battery) ought to make it popular with the money-no-object crowd. The Fieldmaster (these are both named after Belstaff jackets, by the way) is slightly more toned down for the man-about-town, and comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, Safari Windows, leather upholstery, carpet floor mats and heated front seats. Both models also add the £1,685 'Smooth Pack' which buys you niceties like a rear-view camera, park assist, auxiliary charge points and puddle lamps.
Beyond these fundamental options, there is a fairly extensive selection of colours (both solid and metallic), wheels (you can upgrade to 18s if you wish), burly stuff (an integrated 5.5-tonne winch is £3,185) and accessories (the full-length roof rack is £1,659). Fortunately there is plenty of time to get to grips with the online configurator before INEOS will ask for a £2,500 deposit to secure you a build slot. There's still no official confirmation yet on when customer deliveries are due to commence, but expect the process to begin before the end of the year. Hopefully we'll get to drive a production car in the meantime, and confirm whether or not the Grenadier has been worth the wait.
Sadly a bit beyond my budget, so I won't be buying new. Hoping in 3/4 years when the first batch of PCP's end that I'll be able to get a used one.
Prices higher than many would like I expect, but probably not unexpected in the current climate and when you compare prices of comparable vehicles or similar spec/ability.
Build configurator goes live on the 18th may by the looks:
https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/gb/the-vehicle/vehic...
Anyone ordering one?
my favourite bit
And this is going to be a problem too i think:
Diesel – 308g/km
Petrol – 346g/km
£60k is where it was going to be a few years ago. I suspect to hold that price today when facing all the higher material costs they've decided to launch low?
And how are commercial buyers going to be able to reconcile those emission figures with any in-house ESG policy?
Have they also got competitive debt packages? Ineos should be able to screw down some good funding deals on the back of their balance sheet?
Doesn't make me want to sell my 2008 Defender 90 but looks ( imho ) so much better than what JLR are trying to sell as the new Defender and once all the issues have no doubt been ironed in a couple of years time would be interested.
Are farmers still queuing up for the Grenadier?
That said, I can see this being a perfectly reasonable alternative to a Discovery, Range Rover or even the new Defender on a farm. You'll find a lot of farmers may have a 'farm' work truck, but also something nicer that they also use that needs to be off road and tow capable.
I feel this is the time to sum up my feelings about the Grenadier. I've always been deeply sceptical about the prospects of it ever turning out like some modernised Series Land Rover for the 'stick a dead sheep in it and hose it out afterwards' crowd that a lot of people still imagine is out there. I always expected it to turn out pretty much as it has - as an expensive Tonka toy for grown-ups and a very capable car that is sold to people who want it rather than need it. I still don't think there's another viable business case for the Grenadier - I simply don't think we'll ever see them being used as commercial utility fleet vehicles. And I think that some peoples (including Ratcliffe's?) fantasies about it being simple, low-tech, fix-it-with-a-hammer-and-bailing-twine have come up hard against the realities of making and selling vehicles in the 2020s. It was never going to have a Toyota HZ engine under the bonnet and no ECUs.
That said - I do actually like a lot about it as a vehicle. I like the looks (a sort of melange of a lot of well-regarded classic 4x4s) and it has some very neat and appealing design features. I like the twin front sunroofs, the split rear door, the wet-stuff locker, the modular mounting points on the flanks, the integrated tie-down bars, the pre-strengthened roof and so on. In many ways it is very literally just a Defender with some long-standing design flaws finally ironed out - the Defender couldn't accommodate a standard pallet (the door and the space between the wheel boxes was too narrow), the body tub wasn't strong enough to support integral lash-down points and the roof and side panels were weak. I see nothing in its looks, dimensions or apparent mechanical specification that imply that it won't be very capable off-road while it should be 'OK' to drive on the road if its manners fit with the general 'an old Defender but thoroughly modernised' ethos. Like a big JB74 Jimny - and like a Jimny it should be quite characterful and fun to drive in a sort of old-fashioned, rugged sort of way. On the negative side, I can't stand the dashboard/fascia design or those stupid poseur aviation-style buttons and the overhead switch panels just scream 'try-hard' to me. And although I appreciate all the reasons why it has to be the case, the BMW gear selector really jars against the rest of the cabin and I think it's a real shame that there isn't a manual option.
Ratcliffe's own hypocrisies take some of the shine of the Grenadier as a project, but who really cares about that at the end of the day? Given that I've been moaning on another thread about the lack of variety in the modern motoring landscape I'm glad that the Grenadier exists and it is impressive going from zero to a ready-to-roll product in, what, five years. Even if that mostly just involved giving Magna Steyr a lot of money and asking them to make a car.
In summary, I think that Ineos have, in a way, achieved exactly what they intended to do - create an updated Defender. But they've faithfully recreated the Defender of the 21st century, when it was little more than a curiosity which was bought more as a statement than as a tool. It's an expensive to buy, expensive to run, theoretically very capable and (probably) quite fun to drive vehicle that serves no real practical purpose other than as a platform for the fantasies of the sort of the people who have Bug-Out Bags under their stairs and want some escapism from their white-collar IT jobs.
£49k for that, when for 5% more you could have a Defender which does everything the Grenadier does, but in vastly more comfort, refinement, luxury, economy, safety and style. You'd have to really really hate yourself to opt out of that.....
I just love it, in a sort of so bad you can't help but watch sort of way.....
Are farmers still queuing up for the Grenadier?
That said, I can see this being a perfectly reasonable alternative to a Discovery, Range Rover or even the new Defender on a farm. You'll find a lot of farmers may have a 'farm' work truck, but also something nicer that they also use that needs to be off road and tow capable.
With those prices Ineos aren’t much far adrift of the new Defender in pricing. Probably more expensive to own if you factor in residuals (which will almost certainly be weaker).
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