Off-Roading the Ineos Grenadier Is a Time PortalAndi Hedrick (Andi Hedrick)Pitched 34 degrees, nose down, on the aptly named Wipeout Hill, Moab's slick rock surface filling the windshield of my Ineos Grenadier, I had an answer to the question I had brought with me to Utah: Would this be what Brits would describe as a "proper" off-road experience?Tackling this gnarly challenge required a complete reversal of normal foot controls, my left foot modulating the Grenadier's descent through the brake pedal. With no forward-looking cameras, switchable terrain-response modes, or height-adjusting air suspension to help me, this was very different from driving in a more tech-laden SUV. Which, in terms of new vehicles, is pretty much all of them.My off-road skills are fledgling at best, but I'm no stranger to Moab and its glowing Navajo sandstone landscape. I tackled Hells Revenge in a bone-stock Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road last year, completing the technical 6.5-mile 4x4 trail with both front and rear bumpers intact. By all accounts, the 4Runner TRD Off-Road is as analog as Toyota off-roaders get these days, but, taking on the same trails one year later, the Ineos Grenadier felt like a time portal to an even simpler age.Andi Hedrick (Andi Hedrick)Ineos doesn't shy away from its compromised roots. The legacy behind the off-road automaker, itself the spin-off of a chemicals conglomerate, is steeped in English countryside tradition. The Grenadier's inspiration, fought over and won in a British court, is the original Land Rover Defender, although the new car was engineered by Magna Steyr in Austria, uses BMW engines, and is built in a former Smart factory in France.AdvertisementAdvertisementFor 2026, Ineos has responded to criticism of the earlier Grenadier's steering with a mechanical update to the recirculating-ball system, specifically a new worm gear to the Bosch steering box to allow for a quicker ratio in the middle of the steering arc, a tighter turning radius, and a quicker return to center. But as it was my first time in any kind of Grenadier, it still felt heavy and unrefined by modern electrically assisted steering standards.The path to every off-road trail in Moab starts on U.S. Route 191. The main-street stretch through Moab offered a test of the Grenadier's low-speed maneuvering capabilities, which were good. Genuine hydraulic power steering is a rarity these days, and turning the wheel at low speeds required more effort than in almost any other new vehicle on sale today.Even so, the steering box reacts quickly as speed builds and offers genuine road feel through the wheel. At highway speeds, the combination of an off-road-focused tire-and-wheel setup, combined with the steering box, kept me busy. I also found that steering input was required to navigate banked roads, and the Grenadier didn't track precisely, even on what appeared to be a straight road. In other words, the charm of driving a vintage Land Rover is very much present. But, exiting the highway, the Grenadier prepared for its true calling.Andi Hedrick (Andi Hedrick)There is no fire-and-forget in a Grenadier, no one-button or one-dial solution—every part of preparing it for a challenge has to be done individually. The Trailmaster version gets differential locks for the front and rear axles, these being optional on other specs, and also a dedicated off-road mode that silences driver alarms and turns off most of the few active safety features. To engage low-range, it's necessary to put the transmission into neutral and then manhandle the transfer case lever until you feel a metallic clunk.AdvertisementAdvertisementAiring down the tires at the trailhead of Fallen Peace Officer, a 9.9-mile stretch of rocky wash, my introduction to off-roading the Grenadier was happening surrounded by Ineos owners in their own, paid-for vehicles. The 2026 Grenadier Gathering was a rock-crawling pilgrimage hosted by Ineos clubs, and I was tagging along. From adventure-hungry airline pilots to retired screenwriters, the group was united by a desire for adventure and a willingness to get their cars dirty. Silty substrate opened the trail, lulling some of the pack into a false sense of ease, but jagged rocks and narrow hairpins emerged quickly.Andi Hedrick (Andi Hedrick)Locked in low range, my Grenadier churned along at a lumbering, unbothered pace. The ZF eight-speed automatic transmission defaults to second gear in off-road mode, providing a slow but sustained rock-scrambling rate thanks to the Grenadier's 2.5:1 low-range gear ratio. Manually shifting into first gear for steeper descents was akin to releasing a parachute, arresting the possibility of a free fall.The Grenadier's borrowed powertrain was its strongest attribute on trails, as on pavement. The BMW 3.0-liter B58 inline-six makes 282 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, sending this to all four wheels all the time. The sound of a pack of Grenadiers whooping through Baja-style sand straights flat-out was more like a Nineties touring-car race than the rumble of a Jeep meet. Paired with the agreeable, fast-to-shift eight-speed transmission, the Grenadier's modern powertrain is its strongest attribute on both trails and pavement.There was also a complete lack of the chirping rubber noises common to vehicles scrambling over rock. Kudos to the Grenadier's stock BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 tires, which delivered grip without slip. Plus, the hydraulic recirculating-ball steering system sticks once you've dropped your wheel in a crag, requiring powerful wrenching to unstick the all-terrain rubber. You can skip arm day after a day of wheeling.Andi Hedrick (Andi Hedrick)On tighter, more technical trails like Backwards Bill, the 16.9-mile run parallel to Arches National Park, the Grenadier's size and analog approach to driver aids exposed the gaps in my off-road experience. Without any cameras or sensors, squeezing the Grenadier through eight-foot-wide sandstone alleys was an exercise in caution, watching mirrors and referencing hood position the old-school way, although perhaps a little more stressful than having a screen to help. Ineos is proud of the Grenadier's electrical simplicity, by modern standards at least.AdvertisementAdvertisementWith 10.4 inches of ground clearance, the Grenadier stands tall and confident, and the physical exercise required behind the wheel left me with a major sense of accomplishment at the end of each trail. Compared with the aging Wrangler models and ankle-biting side-by-sides that dominate Moab's trails, the Ineos is a woolly mammoth: Big, burly, and unstoppable. Yet, it doesn't take an expert or guided hand to conquer trails that leave the competition with broken axles, either. Sure, I made good use of the frame-mounted rock sliders at times, but the Grenadier's critical components remained unscathed.Andi Hedrick (Andi Hedrick)On paper, the Grenadier is a conundrum. Its capability is clear, but the steep starting price of $72,995 and contrarian approach to electronic aids are hard to make sense of, breaking the auto industry's golden rule of paying more to get more.However, wheeling a Grenadier down Wipeout Hill gave me the same driving pleasure that bombing a Malibu canyon in a Miata would do. It was an activity that required undivided attention and careful inputs, and I could feel my skills growing by the mile. It was a very proper experience indeed.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State
