Ineos Grenadier
Hardcore instead of soft SUV
INEOS Automotive Hamburg 2022
© press-inform – the press office
Off the asphalt, into the dirt. Whether politically correct or not, that’s exactly the motto of the Ineos Grenadier. We tormented him as a prototype through the terrain.
Automotive startups are currently springing up like mushrooms after the warm rain – in the USA, in China and also in Europe. Almost everyone has in common that they develop electric vehicles. Sometimes big, sometimes decidedly small, sometimes for loads and sometimes for people, but always with an impressive battery on board. Ineos Automotive, on the other hand, is going in a completely different direction. The automotive branch of the chemical group Ineos, founded in 2016, continues to rely on diesel and petrol. And he also pulls out of the piled-up SUV wave and steers with the Grenadier in the middle of difficult terrain: an old-school off-roader. It will still be half a year before the Grenadier will be in the Ineos dealerships. There will be around 25 in Germany, supplemented by selected Bosch car services for service. While development of the vehicle is still in its final stages, a handful of journalists were given the opportunity to test the car off-road for the first time – and only there. This alone shows that Ineos does not want to conquer the boulevards, but is pushing into that narrow and impassable gap left by the demise of the old Land Rover Defender, the price explosion of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the partial electrification of the Jeep Wrangler.
Because power and torque are also valued off-road, Ineos got a supplier on board who knows his job: BMW. The Bavarians deliver their three-liter in-line six-cylinder engines as a petrol engine with 285 hp and 450 Newton meters of torque and as a diesel with 249 hp and 550 Nm. The Ineos managers are expecting a lot from the self-igniter, at least on the European market. The well-established engine also does a good job in the Grenadier and, with its high torque, ensures good propulsion, especially on steep and crooked passages. Nevertheless, the vehicle does not become a rocket. This prevents the high curb weight of around 2.5 tons, despite the aluminum body. Whether there will be more boom is an open question: a V8 offer is not at the top of the to-do list, at least not at the moment.
As standard, both BMW engines work together with the established eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF. As expected, this works without any problems, even if a reduction gear was flanged to the automatic transmission. The switchable reduction is further proof that Ineos is serious about driving through the undergrowth. In fact, the Grenadier prototype effortlessly climbs even the steepest climbs. But when things get really rough, differential locks play an important role. Like the good old G, the Grenadier will have three of them on board for the front, middle and rear – at least in the final state. The prototype still managed without front and rear axle locks, which revealed another strength of the Grenadier: the axle articulation, i.e. the requirement for all four wheels to keep ground contact on faulty ground, is enormous. In the test, the lack of locks was easily compensated for.
So the Ineos Grenadier can do terrain. Whether you need it or not. In view of the 59,000 euros base price, which applies equally to diesel and petrol engines, the number of competitors is reduced to the Rubicon version of the Jeep Wrangler. However, it is already clear that the American will lose out in practical use due to its significantly lower payload and weaker trailer load. Ineos is also deliberately taking a different approach in a completely different area: in the design of the cockpit. It’s more rustic, without sprawling digital displays. There is of course an infotainment system, but otherwise buttons and levers dominate the driver’s workplace. Even the headliner has to be used for what evokes associations with an airplane cockpit. It is unusual that not all switches are occupied. What is otherwise classified as a shortcoming of a poorly equipped car, whose owner did not order some of the options offered, follows a special strategy here: the dummy switches are already wired and later enable accessories and conversion specialists to integrate their own solutions in the vehicle – one field , which plays an important role in the world of rugged off-road vehicles. Ineos calls this philosophy “open source”, which can also be seen from the already integrated airline rails for accommodating various accessories.
Ineos can produce 30,000 cars a year at its Hambach plant. If the former smart factory is adapted accordingly, there could be twice as many per year. The future will have to show whether this niche actually yields. In any case, Ineos leaves no stone unturned in diversifying its portfolio and thus also covering marginal areas. The basic Grenadier called the 110 is also available in a tax-efficient N1 commercial vehicle variant as a two- or five-seater. The 130 with a longer wheelbase, which will be presented next year, is likely to attract more interest. It will initially be available as a crew cab pickup similar to the Jeep Gladiator. The 130 Station Wagon will follow later. On the other hand, a short, two-door 90 is off the table: This market segment seemed too small even to the Ineos managers who were enthusiastic about off-roading.