Ineos Automotive founder Jim Ratcliffe is well-known for his determination to create a tough go-anywhere 4×4 that could be an effective successor to the old-style Land Rover Defender. He succeeded with the launch of the Grenadier, with the double-cab pick-up Grenadier Quartermaster appearing in 2023.
The line-up has now been extended with the arrival of the determined-looking Grenadier Commercial.
Based on the two-seater Grenadier Utility Wagon, and unique to the UK, like other Grenadiers it is assembled at the Ineos plant in Hambach, France, which used to be occupied by Mercedes-Benz. Devised as a working tool rather than a leisure vehicle, it is converted into a van in South Wales by leading Pontypool-based light commercial vehicle engineering specialist EDC.
EDC is the parent company of MS-RT, well-known for the work it does for Ford.
A solidly-constructed off-roading van with a 2m3 cargo area, the Grenadier Commercial comes with a six-cylinder 249hp/550Nm 3.0-litre BMW B57 diesel engine married to an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. A 286hp 3.0-litre BMW petrol engine is available as an alternative. A two-speed transfer case is fitted with up to three locking differentials.
Access to the load bay with its flat, purpose-built, cargo bed is by means of a hinged door on each side and by twin asymmetric rear doors split 30/70. A full-height steel mesh bulkhead has been fitted to protect both the cab’s occupants should the load shift forwards.
However, with six tie-down points in the floor, two above each wheelarch, and two more in the roof, there is little excuse for failing to lash down cargo properly.
Aluminium panels have replaced the rear nearside and offside windows and the glazing in the rear doors is opaque.
Good to see that the cargo bay boasts a 12v power point and is well-protected against scratches and scrapes.
At 796kg for the diesel – the model we drove – the payload capacity is modest. The 3.5-tonne towing capacity is far more impressive, and there is no gainsaying the ruggedness of Grenadier Commercial’s underpinnings. It comes with a box-section ladder-frame chassis with solid beam axles and five-link coil springs front and back.
It is also worth noting that it can provide 5.5 tonnes of winching power which it can use to help recover other vehicles or pull itself out of a hole.
Disc brakes are fitted all round and the Grenadier Commercial is available with front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera and an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) package of safety devices including Automatic Emergency Braking, Intelligent Speed Assist and Lane Departure Warning.
Go for the Rough Pack and you will benefit from differential locks front and rear and BF Goodrich all-terrain KO2 tyres. If you fancy a bit of luxury, then you can have the interior trimmed in leather.
Driving impressions
Off-road Grenadier Commercial’s performance is quite extraordinary, as a tour of a damp off-road course in Surrey quickly revealed.
Steep, slippery inclines and descents, deep clinging mud, rocks, unexpected thick tree roots and tight turns as we negotiated heavily-rutted tracks held no terrors for it whatsoever. In the rough, it’s the gift that just keeps on giving and seems able to go just about anywhere.
The front bumper is in five sections so if you bash a boulder then it hopefully won’t need replacing in its entirety.
While the Grenadier Commercial is in its element fording streams – wading depth is 800mm – and wrestling with muddy embankments, its performance on ordinary highways is not quite as captivating.
It happily towed a trailer laden with a mini-excavator without breathing hard – gross train weight is seven tonnes, and a tachograph can be fitted.
However the steering is ponderous, and the lack of self-centring makes it awkward to use. It is quite capable of catching you out until you get used to its quirks, and we found we were constantly correcting it in order to remain on course.
Performance is adequate but not outstanding and fuel economy is unimpressive. On the other hand, the Grenadier Commercial copes with the ridges and potholes that pepper the UK’s badly-maintained highways much better than we expected it to.
It is not a cheap vehicle, and anyone looking to acquire one needs to be sure that they genuinely need and can make full use of its astounding off-road capabilities. Most businesses will, we suspect, find the (admittedly less-impressive) performance delivered by a 4×4 double-cab pick-up more than fulfils their needs – and at a far lower price.
In response, INEOS insists that the Grenadier Commercial has been engineered with a working life of 20 to 25 years in mind, and many Defenders of that vintage are of course still in service – so perhaps the steep invoice customers will face can be justified.
A zero-emission version is not available as yet, but one could be in the pipeline. Ineos has been working on battery-electric and range-extender technology and is undoubtedly aware that many business buyers are eager to shrink their carbon footprints.
| Model | Ineos Grenadier Commercial Diesel |
| Price (ex VAT) | £51,931 |
| Price range (ex VAT) | £51,931-£61,193 |
| Warranty | 5yrs/unlimited mileage |
| Service intervals | 1yr/12,000 miles |
| Load length | 1,687mm |
| Load width (min) | 1,268mm |
| Gross payload | 796kg |
| Load volume | 2.0m3 |
| Engine size/power | 2,993cc/249hp @ 3,250-4,200rpm |
| Combined fuel economy | 26.9mpg (estimated WLTP) |
| CO2 | 319g/km (estimated WLTP) |
| On sale | May 2024 |
| Key rival | Land Rover Defender |
| Verdict | Amazing off-road, but not so great on the highway – and it’s pricey. |
| Score | 6/10 |
