Very few four-wheel drives can challenge the off-road ability of Toyota’s legendary workhorse but a small start-up plans to do just that.
Even before its assembly line is running or exact prices are known, the Ineos Grenadier is a niche hit in Australia.
Don’t dare call this newcomer an SUV. It’s an old-school 4WD, designed to take on long-reigning off-road royalty such as the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and Toyota LandCruiser.
“Australia has blown us away the most,” says Ineos Automotive commercial director Mark Tennant. More deposits for the Grenadier have been placed only in the UK, US and Germany, all countries with much larger populations.
Though the company won’t begin series production of the hefty 4WD, in both left- and right-hand drive, for several months, it’s already taken 15,000 deposits worldwide.
INEOS Automotive has been blown away by the local interest in its LandCruiser rival. Picture: Supplied.
It will take about 18 months for Ineos to build this many, says Tennant, as it ramps up to an annual production rate of 25,000 to 30,000 by 2025. “We need to have a business plan that works on niche numbers,” he says.
Tennant expects the first Grenadiers for Australia to ship in July and arrive sometime between August and October.
In the meantime, Ineos will announce Grenadier pricing in April. The line-up of five-door wagons will open with a two-seat workhorse variant. This is expected to cost about $85,000.
More expensive versions will have five seats. One will come with a repositioned second-row seat back to increase load space and house a cargo barrier. As with the two-seater, it’s aimed at potential customer groups Ineos categorises as “utilitarian” and “fleet”.
A dual-cab ute will follow the 4WD wagon next year. Picture: Supplied.
The second five-seat Grenadier variant will have a more comfortable rear seat. It’s for the other two kinds of customer Ineos calls “enthusiast” and “lifestyle”.
In late 2023 Ineos plans to expand the Grenadier range by adding a long-wheelbase double-cab ute.
It’s also working on a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered electric Grenadier demonstration prototype in collaboration with Hyundai. The company is also studying the feasibility of packing a big enough battery pack into the vehicle to create a pure battery-powered version, though Tennant admits this is a “tall order” with current battery technology.
Future variants could be powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Picture: Supplied.
The Grenadiers that arrive in Australia later this year will be powered by turbocharged BMW in-line sixes. Maximum power and torque of the petrol engine are 210kW and 450Nm, while the diesel delivers 180kW and 550Nm. Both have been retuned specifically for the heavyweight 4WD.
The vehicle’s transmission is an eight-speed automatic from well-known German company ZF, while the rigid front and rear axles are bought from Italian company Carraro, which produces tractors and agricultural machinery.
The interior blends retro styling cues with modern technology. Picture: Supplied.
Ineos bought the factory in France where the Grenadier will be made from Mercedes-Benz and hired a Canadian company, Magna, as a design and development partner for the project.
Keyword: Ineos’s rugged Grenadier 4WD to rival Toyota’s LandCruiser