Oof: Ineos reveals wild portal-axled Grenadier
A standard Grenadier will take you a long way off-road - but for when that's not quite good enough...
Ineos has teamed up with German off-road specialist (and Ineos official retailer) Letech to create portal-axled Grenadiers. Because why copy the rest with a squared G-Class, when you could have the best of (mostly) British instead? Seems that everyone loved the portal-axled prototypes from last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, so now they’re being offered out to ‘rescue services, aid agencies and other commercial fleets operating vehicles in extreme environments’ as well as, of course, private folk (after more than a thousand registrations of interest). Albeit only in Europe for the moment - boo.
Those customers, as you might be able to tell from the pics, get a properly extreme overhaul. They can place their order for a Station Wagon or Quartermaster at a regular Grenadier retailer, with cars delivered to Letech straight from the Hambach factory. They fit the heavy-duty five-link axles, then the fun can really start: 18–inch forged beadlock wheels go on 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud Terrain tyres, housed by beefed-up arches and behind which sits Letech’s upgraded brake system. Ineos claims 186mm more ground clearance (!), now 450mm, plus another 20-odd centimetres of wading depth, from 800mm to 1,050mm.
Then it’s all the proper off-road goodies, including a mega winch up front, a ‘multi-function rear ladder with Jerry Can Mount’ (what else does a ladder do?), spotlights fit for a stadium, a roof rack measurable in hectares and a chunky spare wheel carrier. It all looks, to be frank, flipping brilliant, especially in the red and venturing into the unknown. Ineos claims plentiful benefits: ‘These engineering modifications… result in a wider vehicle footprint, optimised weight distribution, greater wheel travel and improved axle articulation, ensuring the Grenadier can successfully traverse deep sand, severely flooded terrain or extremely rocky environments.’ Look cooler, adventure further does seem like a good spot for an upgraded Grenadier to occupy.
Letech’s work is said to have had no impact on the additional utility features of both the Grenadier Station Wagon and Quartermaster. Buyers that wish to can still tow a 3,500kg braked trailer with either; helped by the Gross Vehicle Mass of both being bumped to 4.2 tonnes, up from 3.5 for the standard models. Payloads are 540kg (SW) and 642 for the pickup, which is less than standard but hardly nothing. They really are prepping these for everything; the factory warranty is unaffected by Letech’s work, and they provide two years of cover on all their bits.
Doing more heavy lifting than ever are the pair of BMW engines; both the B57 3.0-litre diesel and B58 3.0-litre diesel are unchanged for the Letech conversions. Heaven knows what the fuel consumption will be now. Built from Trialmaster spec in both body styles, the portal axled cars additionally receive heated leather, Safari windows and a Premium Sound System.
Ineos CEO Lynn Calder said: “The Grenadier Trialmaster X Letech is the perfect example of how the off-road fundamentals of the Grenadier make it the ideal base for epic conversions. With such strong interest from customers, we were very keen to respond quickly and collaborate on bringing the Letech-enhanced Grenadier to market, starting with Europe and quickly expanding to other key markets.” Let’s hope the UK is included as one of those markets, because these both look jolly good fun. They won’t be cheap, though - the Letech Grenadiers are launching at €170,000 for the Station Wagon, plus VAT and local taxes. The pick-up carries a premium of €1,000. Assume 20 per cent VAT, and at the current exchange rate it’s not far from £180,000. A heck of a lot by Grenadier standards, sure - maybe not so much for the ultimate adventure truck…
It's built in France and has a German engine and 4WD gubbins. Its manufacturer derives its name from the Greek language.
It is quite cool, mind.
But then Vauxhall have done that for decades.
But then Vauxhall have done that for decades.
But then Vauxhall have done that for decades.
"British since 1903"
https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/vauxhall-is-still-...
It's built in France and has a German engine and 4WD gubbins. Its manufacturer derives its name from the Greek language.
It is quite cool, mind.
A Pinz is a much more military inspired machine, bur that's 1000kg payload, which when you start building adventure vehicles weight piles on fast. Especially when you add food and water for 2 people.
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