2025 Ineos Grenadier review

2025 Ineos Grenadier

The Ineos Grenadier shouldn’t exist. It’s an old and simple car, thrust into an increasingly modern and sophisticated world.

We find ourselves often talking about the onward march of automotive safety, the democratisation of technology, increasing focus on emissions and electrification, and the never-ending search for increased refinement.

That’s all well and good, but there are things we often lose on the way to these lofty aims: Practicality, utility and ruggedness can fall by the wayside, and tools for the job can feel a bit blunt in the hand.

One car that goes against that grain, and went against the odds to end up on Australian roads, is the Ineos Grenadier.

The story of the Grenadier is equal parts interesting and atypical. Britain’s wealthiest man, said to be a lover of old-school four-wheel-drives, put his impressive fortune on the line to pick up where Land Rover’s old-school Defender left off.

First, he attempted to buy the production line of the original Defender from Land Rover after production stopped in 2016. He was denied.

While the Land Rover Defender, which dates back to 1948 when it was simply called the Land Rover, carries a huge burden of heritage and cultural importance, not only for the brand but for four-wheel drivers around the world, Ratcliffe also saw the opportunity for business with a no-nonsense four-wheel-drive that focussed on simplicity and utility.

Not deterred, Ratcliffe instead chose to stride forward into building his own ‘spiritual successor’ to the old Defender, through a newly minted company called Ineos Automotive.

After the initial design of the Grenadier was made public, Land Rover’s legal department came knocking with a trademark case against Ineos, arguing that the boxy shape and squared-off silhouette are intrinsic trademarks of Jaguar Land Rover and the Grenadier impinges upon that.

Ineos Automotive argued that the shape of the Defender is in keeping with many other utility and old-school four-wheel-drives, and not owned in any way by Land Rover exclusively. The courts agreed.

And after five years of development, delays and bubbling away, the first example of the Grenadier rolled off the production line in 2022.

No doubt inspired by the late, great (but also awful) original Land Rover Defender, the Ineos Grenadier uses Austrian engineering, British design, a German-sourced engine and gearbox, Italian differentials and an American transfer case. It’s all built at an ex-Mercedes production line in France, and we’re taking one off-road (and on-road) in Australia.

It’s taken more than a billion Euros to get it to this stage, but has it been worth the wait?

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How much is an Ineos Grenadier?

It’s been inspired by the existence (and ultimate demise) of the original Defender in terms of looks, but the mechanical nature of the Grenadier is in keeping with all of the extinct and endangered classics of the four-wheel-drive scene. There are coil springs at all four corners and live axles front and rear, which is a combination that is exceedingly rare in today’s crop of offerings.

While a diesel engine of the same configuration is available, we’ve got the less popular petrol-powered variant in this test. And while there are more expensive Trialmaster and Fieldmaster variants available, we have the eponymous Grenadier Station Wagon in this test. For those who only want two seats, you can save $1000 with the utility wagon variant.

Our five-seater comes with a starting price of $105,000 plus on-road costs, which is much higher than the $85,500 originally slated back in 2022.

So it’s not exactly cheap, and that number is sent high by the range of options fitted to our test vehicle. Some of the big-ticket items here are what I would call serious equipment, and cool to see as factory-fitted on a four-wheel-drive: the winch, diff locks, all-terrain tyres, auxiliary battery and associated wiring.

Some other things might be expected to be standard fit for the Grenadier, including a reversing camera, rubber floor mats, a towbar, and the advanced anti-theft alarm and immobiliser are required through ticking single options and option packs, which pushes that price higher.

What we are left, then, is a utility four-wheel-drive with a luxury SUV price: $137,216.50 drive-away. That puts this relatively simple Grenadier within reach of the likes of a highly specced Land Rover Defender 110 P400 HSE X-Dynamic or more than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series VX or Lexus GX 550 Overtrail.

The Grenadier isn’t exactly a competitor to these more luxurious, sophisticated and well-equipped vehicles, despite all being four-wheel-drives. But the fact that the pricing is level-pegging leaves the Grenadier looking like poor value.

And looking at it on the other side of the coin, the venerable and flawed Toyota 76 Series LandCruiser persists in 2024 with an asking price of $79,800 plus on-road costs. And considering this is now available with an automatic gearbox matched to a four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, the LandCruiser is more closely matched to the Grenadier than it was before.

Key details	2025 Ineos Grenadier
Price	$105,000 plus on-road costs
Colour of test car	Sterling Silver Metallic – $1520
Options	Rough Pack – $4105 – BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrain tyres – Differential locks front and rear Smooth Pack – $2320 – Rear-view camera – Park assist front (PDC) – Power heated exterior mirrors – Heated windscreen washer jets – Central stowage box, lockable – Puddle lamps and ambient door lighting – Auxiliary charge points – Advanced anti-theft alarm and immobiliser 17-inch alloy wheels – $1165 Access ladder – $585 Safari windows – $2720 Exterior utility belt – $780 Heated front seats – $715 Compass with altimeter – $505 Rubber floor mats – $381 Integrated heavy-duty winch – $5990 Class III tow hitch and electrics – $820 Auxiliary battery – $1165 High-load auxiliary switch panel – $1990
Price as tested	$129,761
Drive-away price	$137,216.50
Rivals	Land Rover Defender | Nissan Patrol | Toyota LandCruiser

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How big is an Ineos Grenadier?

Being nearly five metres long and over two metres tall, the Ineos Grenadier has no shortage of presence on the road.

It reminds me of the universal appeal of boxy-shaped four-wheel-drives and their practicality-focussed aesthetic. My daughter, even at the tender age of three years old, picks out things like Suzuki Jimnys and Jeep Wranglers in carparks as a ‘cool car’ and implores me to take a photo. I couldn’t be more proud.

On the inside, the Grenadier certainly strikes a chord as well. Overhead auxiliary button switches and safari roof panels set the tone instantly, with thick and chunky dials dominating the dashboard. It’s interesting and feels well made, although we did have a rubber stopper fall off one of the doors of our test vehicle.

Up front, the Recaro-branded seats are a highlight for comfort and support, and bode well for long-distance driving comfort. Although, the narrowness of the driver’s footwell could be an issue for taller drivers; there isn’t much room to stretch out your left leg in here.

Infotainment has a volume dial, which is good for useage on the move.

Up on the roof, you’ll have the interesting off-road and camping controls: diff locks, driving modes, and all of your auxiliary power and lighting controls. One of these is rated to a massive 500 amps as well, for something like a rear-mounted winch off the towbar if you so wish.

The safari windows in the roof are an expensive option, but one that many might tick just for the wow factor. I’m not a massive fan personally, because they let a lot of sunlight in (you don’t always want that) and have another set of seals that could potentially perish and fail in the coming years. But hey, maybe I’m just a boring prude.

In terms of practicality, you’ve got two regulation-sized cupholders in the regular spot, and a lockable centre console that houses two USB power outlets and a 12V point. But for storing anything bulkier than what you might have in your pockets, you’ll have to fling it into the glovebox or somewhere in the back.

The second row of the Grenadier is something of a climb to get up and into, but you get a similar level of comfort and quality from the Recaro seats in the back. And in terms of space, comfort and amenity, this is light-years ahead of the afterthought experience in the 76 Series LandCruiser, and is closer to what you get in a new Defender or 300 Series LandCruiser. There are air vents and USB power outlets here, and good visibility through to the front and sides of the vehicle.

There is room for bottles in the doors of the second row, but you’d don’t have any fold-down armrest with cupholders in the second row of the Grenadier.

Our test vehicle had a really nice auxiliary battery set-up under the folding seat base in the second row, which is manna from heaven for those who want 12V power for their future adventures. It’s all well organised and professionally installed, in a location that is low, central and easily accessible.

The boot of the Grenadier, which is accessible with those split barn doors at the rear, offers a lot of raw storage space. It’s wide and tall, with a good amount of depth as well for a claimed 1152 litres of storage space. There are sturdy tie-down points, hard-wearing materials, and a 12V point, making this boot feel quite fit for purpose.

	2025 Ineos Grenadier
Seats	Five
Boot volume	1152L to second row 2035L to first row
Length	4855mm
Width	1930mm
Height	2050mm
Wheelbase	2922mm

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Does the Ineos Grenadier have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

There’s no traditional instrument binnacle or display in front of the driver here. Instead, there is a small panel for your warning lights and indicators, as well as lights to let you know when differentials have been locked for off-road driving. This means you have to glance across to the infotainment display to see your speed, engine vitals and fuel capacity, instead of glancing downwards.

I have to say, though, I do like the uninterrupted forward view you get from the lack of a cluster in front of you, which allows you to focus on the act of driving.

And because a portion of the 12.3-inch infotainment display is taken up by those aforementioned elements, your navigation or smartphone mirroring is left to occupy the remainder of the screen, around 65 or 70 per cent. It’s different, but I don’t see it as being a major issue. Unless, perhaps, if your infotainment screen fails and you cannot figure out how much fuel you have left in your tank.

Otherwise, the infotainment worked well for us during our short loan with the vehicle. We used Android Auto, so we cannot comment on the Apple CarPlay side of things for the time being. Apple CarPlay has a wireless and wired connection available, while Android Auto is wired only.

One thing I love about the Grenadier, and the integrated nature of some features, is having the ability to monitor battery life and energy flow via a dedicated screen set-up. This might sound a bit niche, but a lot of four-wheel drivers spend thousands of dollars to have this kind of functionality added to their vehicles from the aftermarket. So having it as a factory fit is really cool.

There’s a Pathfinder function, which can breadcrumb your journey into an exportable GPS file, which means you can then load it into some mapping tools later to log your journey or share with friends. Plus, you can deep-dive into your tyre pressures through the infotainment display, and keep an eye on the temperatures of each tyre, your gearbox and transfer case for nerding out on your off-road journey.

Also, a special shout-out for the ‘toot’ function on the steering wheel, which gives you the choice of a more friendly pop of sound instead of the aggressive-sounding horn.

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Is the Ineos Grenadier a safe car?

The Ineos Grenadier is currently untested by ANCAP, Euro NCAP or the IIHS (in the United States) with no crash-test information to call upon. And considering the relatively niche nature of the Grenadier, this might remain the case for years to come.

	2025 Ineos Grenadier
ANCAP rating	Unrated

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What safety technology does the Ineos Grenadier have?

As the table below shows, the Ineos Grenadier has precious little in terms of active safety equipment. No autonomous emergency braking, no blind-spot warning and no lane-keep assistance. As rules become more stiff and demanding in our market, as well as other markets around the world, we can expect some of this technology to kick in.

Which is a double-edged sword for the Grenadier. Safety equipment is important, and a crucial consideration for many new car buyers. But it also waters down the appeal of simplicity and ruggedness that is core to the Grenadier’s raison d’etre.

There are six airbags in the Ineos Grenadier: twin front, front side and curtain airbags.

Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)	No
Adaptive Cruise Control	No	Regular cruise control
Blind Spot Alert	No
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert	No
Lane Assistance	No
Road Sign Recognition	No
Driver Attention Warning	No
Cameras & Sensors	No	Rear park sensors standard, Front sensors, reversing camera optional

How much does the Ineos Grenadier cost to run?

There isn’t a national capped-price service program available for the Ineos Grenadier, so service costs will vary according to which agent or service centre you’re planning to frequent. Looking at some discussions online, service costs could be relatively high in comparison to other vehicles. Although, perhaps the Grenadier is maintained to a high standard with a fairly rigorous schedule. Do you own research in this regard, and see if it suits your end useage.

Twelve months of insurance is quoted at $2258 per year for a Grenadier, but this doesn’t include the relatively extensive set of options (and costs) that come with the test car. As always, this is a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

At a glance	2025 Ineos Grenadier
Warranty	Five years, unlimited km
Service intervals	12 months or 15,000km

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Is the Ineos Grenadier fuel-efficient?

The diesel engine will be the more popular choice of powertrain in Australia for its longer driving range and more frugal nature of consumption.

The diesel-powered Grenadier has a claimed fuel efficiency of 10.5 litres per 100 kilometres, whereas petrol power has a claim of 12.6L/100km. In our case, we saw an average of around 14.5L/100km from our petrol Grenadier, which means you’re looking at around 650km of driving range between refills.

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What is the Ineos Grenadier like to drive?

The Ineos Grenadier is an interesting beast to drive, and quite different from most other vehicles on the road.

The steering feel and its weight is a major element here, and something that could get buyers offside. Or at least give them a bit of a rude shock.

Compared to most other vehicles out there, the Grenadier’s steering is heavy and slow, with a conspicuous lack of return-to-centre when you’re exiting a corner.

And if you’re used to a modern, polished and refined vehicle with independent front suspension and rack-and-pinion steering, you might find this Grenadier a bridge too far. But at the same time, you might acclimatise to it.

Off-road specs	2025 Ineos Grenadier
Claimed ground clearance	264mm
Wading depth	800mm
Approach angle	36.2 degrees
Rampover angle	28.2 degrees
Departure angle	36.1 degrees

Although, the combination of heavy steering and a 13.5m turning circle means this Grenadier will be a burdensome companion on tight city and suburban streets.

However, there is a counterpoint here. If you (like me) come from a history of mechanically similar vehicles with live axles, ladder-frame chassis and heavy-duty suspensions set-ups, then you will find some parts of the Grenadier’s driving experience familiar.

Ineos tells us that this steering feel could change in the future, as updates are planned to be rolled out to the vehicle.

Although, considering the fully hydraulic and mechanical nature of the Grenadier’s steering, I am speculatively sceptical of how much it can change. And we haven’t been able to drive an example yet, so we will stick with what we have here for now.

That being said, I’m recalcitrant to critique the Grenadier heavily and directly for the steering. Partially because I am relatively well versed in the driving experience of mechanically similar vehicles. I get it, and did adjust to the driving experience of the Grenadier after a few hours.

And in the same vein that I try not to nit-pick a sports car for having a firm ride over rough surfaces, I’m not going to blast this four-wheel-drive for not cornering like an SUV.

But for the end buyer in this regard, go for an extended test drive to see where you sit on the bell curve of acceptance.

Otherwise, the Grenadier feels solid, secure and steadfast on the road. While the six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine develops good power and torque – along with having a wonderfully balanced and smooth transmission – you can feel the BMW motor churning against the significant heft of the Grenadier. It’s not rapid, and doesn’t have that same surge of straight-line performance you get in something like a 300 Series or new Defender. Although, it’s markedly nippier than a 70 Series.

Its suspension feels solid and well tuned, mostly compliant around town and on the open road, but with enough damping force on offer to handle the weight of the vehicle. This can result in slight stiffness at times, but that kind of thing once again comes with the territory of a decent payload.

The further you venture off-road, the more at home the Grenadier feels. And while the steering system certainly has its drawbacks around the ‘burbs, the vehicle feels impressively stable and secure to drive at speed on unsealed surfaces and fire trails. This is thanks mostly to the time-honoured full-time four-wheel-drive system and nicely dialled suspension set-up, but the steering loses that ponderous and grafting feeling you get elsewhere.

In terms of outright off-road capability, the Grenadier is mostly very good. Locking differentials are a powerful asset as always here, and the balance of suspension gives good stability overall. The Grenadier might not articulate like a Wrangler Rubicon, but the balance front to rear means it holds steady through ruts confidently.

Ground clearance, which is limited by the rear lower control arms, low-slung fuel tank, and live axles themselves is a limiting factor here. It’s refreshing to have a high level of sill clearance, a huge advantage over a LandCruiser 300 Series and just about every ute on the market, but you’ll do a bit of bottoming out at times.

But once again, the weight of the vehicle is apparent on rock steps and climbs. And there’s no doubt that if it were much lighter, the Grenadier would be a more potent off-roader.

It pins the Grenadier to its strengths, more as a capable and dialled four-wheel-drive touring vehicle rather than being an outright rock crawler.

Key details	2025 Ineos Grenadier
Engine	3.0-litre inline-six turbo petrol
Power	210kW @ 4750rpm
Torque	450Nm @ 1750–4000rpm
Drive type	Four-wheel drive, low-range transfer case, locking centre differential
Transmission	8-speed torque converter automatic
Weight (kerb)	2643kg
Spare tyre type	Full-size
Payload	907kg
Tow rating	3500kg braked 750kg unbraked
Turning circle	13.5m

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How much can an Ineos Grenadier carry and tow?

Along with a big kerb weight of 2643kg, the Ineos Grenadier gets a 3550kg gross vehicle mass for a payload of 907kg. It’s a relatively high number for a wagon, and almost matches what many four-wheel-drive utes offer in terms of payload. However, it lags behind the relatively prodigious 1210kg payload that is available in the 76 Series LandCruiser.

In terms of towing, a 3500kg braking towing capacity is matched to a big 7000kg gross combination mass. That means even when the Grenadier is fully laden, your leftover braked towing capacity is 3450kg.

And that means if you’re towing a 3500kg trailer, your effective leftover payload gets trimmed by 50kg to 857kg. And the range of weighty accessories fitted – with things like batteries and winches – will eat into this payload as well.

As always, though, don’t forget to account for the towball mass of the trailer – which you need to accurately measure – within the payload of the vehicle to ensure you don’t go overweight.

Should I buy an Ineos Grenadier?

Philosophically, I love this car. This comes from my own background and proclivities as a four-wheel-drive enthusiast, and having great belief in the whole tenant of utility and practicality.

I’ve also been following the development of this vehicle keenly from the early days, and did enjoy my time behind the wheel of this old soul.

However, it’s my job to be pragmatic and skeptical of assessment vehicles, and the two major issues with the Grenadier as I see them are the high asking price and high kerb weight.

The steering is cumbersome and slow with little to no return-to-centre for around-town driving. The turning circle is woeful, and heaviness makes the Grenadier a chore around town. But that’s not a major downfall for me.

The steering must be taken with a grain of salt, because much of it here is owing to the very mechanical nature of the Grenadier, with its old-school steering box, live axles and many linkages that make it all work. It’s not dissimilar to other live-axled vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler, 70 Series LandCruiser and the old Land Rover Defender.

However, the lack of a return-to-centre function does add in another layer of unfamiliarity to the Grenadier’s driving experience.

And as bad as it is around town, it feels particularly at home off-road. Which is, you know, part of the whole reason for this vehicle existing. Writing it off for heavy, stiff-feeling steering is like criticising a honed sports car for a stiff and jittery ride.

Major problem number one for me is the price. Starting at $105,000, the Grenadier is a significant jump over the $79,800 asking price for a 76 LandCruiser GXL with a 2.8-litre four-cylinder and automatic transmission.

Now, you could go and blow a significant sum of money on a 76 Series LandCruiser for all of the auxiliary power, coil conversion, wiring, winching gear and all of the rest. And hold onto your hat, because you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll get through that 25-grand windfall.

However, you’ll still be stuck with a rubbish second row, four-cylinder power, shorter wheelbase, crappy infotainment, poor ergonomics and surprisingly pokey boot.

It takes something special to make a 70 Series look like good value, but there are some inherent advantages with the Grenadier that help it hold down part of an argument for its existence.

For a rudimentary tool that simply gets you out there in a bang-for-buck sense, the Grenadier doesn’t win. But it does hold some intrinsic advantages.

The second big negative for me is its kerb weight and payload, which are relatively high and low in comparison to what else is out there. Its 2643kg of kerb weight means this Grenadier is as heavy as a big electric car, and 343kg heavier than a 2300kg LandCruiser 76 Series.

The old Land Rover Defender – which admittedly feels like a tin can screwed onto a chassis in comparison – is even lighter again at under two tonnes.

Weight is the enemy of off-roaders as much as race cars, and the hefty weight of the Grenadier means it needs to work harder to go as far as something lighter off-road.

But the payload – while still being good at 907kg before you add in the options – isn’t as high as what you get with the LandCruiser.

How do I buy an Ineos Grenadier? The next steps.

The high levels of customisation possible in the Grenadier means you’ll be able to tick boxes to the extent of your wishes (and budget), but the main consideration you’ll need to choose is whether you want to go for diesel or petrol power.

And while petrol has advantages of smoothness, refinement and outright power, the diesel wins for torque and efficiency. So if you’re planning on doing some towing and long-distance driving, then you should lean towards a bit of distillate.

The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Ineos website for stock of your preferred Grenadier variant. However, the website does prefer you to build a Grenadier through a configurator to your own tastes, and then make an order.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Ineos dealer via this link. We’d also recommend test-driving the Land Rover Defender on a price parity basis, but also a Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series on a utility basis.

If you want to stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review, you’ll find all the latest news here.

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