Ineos Grenadier real-world review. 7 days, on & off road, plus towing. Is it a new Defender rival?

The Ineos Grenadier is promoted as being the definitive off-roader and the true replacement of Land Rover's legendary original Defender. But is it really a true Defender rival? Find out here..
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[ollianddelphine]

Makes a 12 grand second hand landcruiser look like a fantastic option if you ask me.

[gordonsimpson]

Hmmm, me thinks your Land Rover underwear was showing here Harry. You are very loyal to the brand.
I would have this in a heartbeat over a Defender, if I was in the market for such a vehicle. The current Defender is way too Chelsea set (or worse Cheshire set) for me, and the slow steering is perfect for off road use....you surely wouldn't buy one if you weren't going to set-it to work, I still have misgivings over L-R build quality.
I see this as good value...a cut-price G-Wagen. This is a pretty good effort for a first vehicle from a previously non-existent motor company....already substantially better than the old Defender despite decades of development.
Great to see a conventional key (masterstroke) time L-R gave up on the useless keyless-go before no one can get insurance on their product.

[sprezzatura]

Kudos to the guy who built this. A chemical engineer who was dissatisfied with what he found in the marketplace. He then creates his own vehicle. Lamborghini vibes. Big audacity and initiative. Nothing is perfect, but an incredible first effort.

[davey_projects]

The split door is good for towing stuff. The wheel can hit a big caravan if its got storage on the draw bar. Old pajeros or land cruisers had this too. So you can leave the wheel side closed and open the mini door if required to get in the back with something hooked up to the towball.

[tonymiddlehurst]

Got to admire how Ineos has given this so many flaws, just like the old Defender.

[hedydd]

Several points.
They are limited to 6000 vehicle sales in the UK and 30, 000 total factory output to avoid fleet CO2 tax penalties. Worse than that for the UK, the 6000 consists of ‘only’ 1700 consumer versions such as the one in the video, the rest must be the panel van or five door [claimed] certified commercial versions which limit the legal speed to commercial van limits which are 10mph less than cars on rural roads and dual carriageways in the UK.

Far more seriously, while Ineos claim that the ‘commercials’ are certified as such, they are being sparing with the truth [being generous here]. While the DVLA does certify them as being commercial vehicles, the HMRC does not and for the five door there is no hope in hell that they will do so. This is due to the weight of the bare vehicle being at least 2.7 tons, leaving only 800kgs cargo capacity, or much less for most specifications while remaining within the 3500kg gross limit. For the HMRC to recognise the five door as a commercial vehicle or dual purpose, like a four door pickup, it absolutely must be able to carry 1000kgs legally. No idea why the van two seat version does not qualify either but the fact is that as of yet it does not.

There will be a whole lot of ‘commercial vehicle’ customers who will have taken Ineos at their word, expecting to reclaim the VAT and get the usual business tax relief but who will be shocked to find it does not qualify. The pretend ignorance given by some sales people is ‘that is between you and your accountant’ is at best disingenuous and at worse intentionally misleading. They know full well that these vehicles do not qualify as being commercial vehicles by HMRC [UK tax authority].

All that being the case there is almost zero [some annual road tax benefit in the first few years] benefit from buying the ‘commercial’ versions [that aren’t] over the consumer version. That means that they will struggle to sell the 4300 commercials they need to exceed 1700 car sales. I don’t think that the future pickup version will help either because that will never qualify as being a commercial vehicle in HMRC’s opinion either, again due to its weight and 3500kg license gross weight limit.

I have a five seat commercial on order and am minded to cancel it. I want a commercial vehicle and will probably get a high specification Ford Ranger or VW Amarok and save £20, 000 after claiming the VAT back. If I wanted a luxury 4wd car, I wouldn’t hesitate buying a Land Rover 110 rather than this rather less refined vehicle for a similar price.

[marwood]

Power sliding past some Alpacas in a Defender. Fantastic! That cancelled out the disappointment of the Ineos.

[apostolis]

A jimny lcv review would be very cool, to see how it copes on the farm and running errands compared to the big boys.

[PeteFromOZ]

Great to hear the shortcomings to balance the largely positive reviews. In Australia the only land cruiser with diff locks starts at $165k without a bull bar, roof rack or tow hitch. The trialmaster Ineos with bull bar, side steps, two tone leather, heated seats, roof racks, tow hitch, cargo net & recovery gear is $126k. The Jeep can’t tow a mid size off-road van and the seats are bloody uncomfortable. I have driven the Ineos petrol prototype and didn’t mind the steering or footwell (185cm tall). I’ve ordered the petrol variant after driving it. Yes I will drive it to the supermarket. It will however spend most of its kilometres on a highway corrugated dirt roads and white sandy beaches. I’m optimistic about the durability and don’t see the weight as a big negative if I get the longevity on the other side of the scorecard. I did like the character of the vehicle. Time will tell whether Jim’s successful with his dream. I’m prepared to give it a shot😊

[tillyfoxtrotter]

Drove one yesterday for a couple of hours and my summary was very different to LR fanboy Harry.

Plusses:
Rode extremely well.
Quiet.
Totally rattle and vibration free.
Diesel smooth with great gearchanges.
Perfect A/C
Brakes perfect.
Felt indestructable.

Okay but not perfect:
Foot rest - not a deal breaker but not great.
Needs foot steps to get in even if you are tall.

Minus.
Just one fuel consumption. Driven as calmly as Miss Daisy and from a hot trip computer reset was 24mpg. Across the year this is a 21=22mpg car which for a diesel is thirsty.

Summary - Much desire to own mostly due to the looks and the interior with a strong sense that if looked after it will outlast you.

I was sold.

[TDrage]

Great review Harry, I saw the steering damper was lower than the front differential and the fuel tank had a lot of scratches. You mentioned you in the Grenadier weighed 2960kgs so if you put 3 other full grown adults in it at 15st or 95 kgs your vehicle now weighs 3245kgs and once you put on your roof rack and roof tent and pack the back out for an expedition your going to be touching if not over 3500kgs.
I’m glad someone has finally given an honest review and not get taken in by all the shiney bits.

[JFW]

I found your review most informative. Most other reviews I have seen were enthusiastic about the vehicle but were, I suspect, based on a brief experience of it. Because you have had it on the farm and used it in varied conditions, you have identified a number of niggling weaknesses that should be attended to in future production vehicles.

[Thecrazyvaclav]

It’s not a slagging as such,
£70k is a lot of money for a car that provokes the feeling of meh.
Good video Harry, and fair play for not being taken in by the hype around this

[joecotter]

Harry being as polite and professional as always but in essence he's saying it's a crock of shite - and I agree

[scotty]

I wish Ineos all the luck with that creation, If i came into some serious money i would definately buy one!

[TheEDWOULD]

As an owner of a 2007 (puma) defender 110, the idea you’d spend 75k+ to replicate the experience of driving one is absolutely insane…

[roballan]

The honesty is a welcome change from other reviews. Thanks Harry.

[krinos]

I like the design but its just too expensive for being utilitarian. What made the defender so cool to me was how widespread it was but i cant see this becoming too popular because of the price

[tmh]

I'm just glad that a new option in this segment exists--hats off to the founder for bringing his idea to life. Although not perfect by any means, I do hope that it sells and they're able to develop and refine their vision. Thanks as always for the excellent vid, Harry. Cheers from California!

[andyevans]

Replicates a vehicle that is decades old and which far outlived it's sell by date. I agree with Harry, I just don't see the point and the result is a mess. For Jim Ratcliffe to push and fund the Brexit campaign then move to Monaco for tax purposes and to build this car in the EU he professes to hate so much really sticks in the craw.