INEOS Grenadier, dailycarblog
Arise Sir Ineos Grenadier, Lord of The British 4×4 Empire
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This isn’t a Land Rover Defender as you once knew it, think of it as the son of the Land Rover Defender. Or, in another way, think of it as the new Pink Panther movie starring Steve Martin. As you may well know the original Pink Panther movies starring the British comedian Peter Sellers will never be bettered. So is the INEOS Grenadier more Steve Martin or Peter Sellers? Or, is it completely original and better in every way?

Well, it most certainly isn’t original looking but it is 100-per cent original from the ground up. A classic oxymoron. The INEOS Grenadier began life after Sir Peter Ratcliffe, a confirmed Defender geek (and billionaire owner of petro-chemicals firm INEOS) approached Land Rover with the idea of continuing to build the original Defender. Land Rover rejected the proposal.

Ratcliffe decided he would simply design and build one himself. Not one specifically but a full-blown production run. Despite the INEOS Grenadier looking almost identical to the last-generation Defender, it is entirely new. New chassis, new body, new 4×4 system, new everything.

INEOS Grenadier, RQ, dailycarblog

INEOS says it is similar in size to a morally and ethically corrupted Mercedes G Class. The Grenadier will be powered by a BMW straight-six 3.0-litre petrol and diesel engine. The all-new Grenadier is scheduled for a 2021 launch and will be available as a 4-door or pickup variant.

INEOS Grenadier, Pickup, dailycarblog

The INEOS Automotive engineering team has put in over 1 million miles of testing. The vehicle is rudimentary compared to today’s 4×4 standards featuring non-independent coil suspension. As an example, a horse carriage is more advanced. Even the body on frame chassis is from a by-gone 4×4 era. Times have moved but not for the Grenadier.

The rudimentary technology is tried and tested and one assumes lowers production costs. And talking of costs, INEOS Automotive is touting an entry-level price of £40,000. The whole purpose of this reveal is to show the INEOS Grenadier is real and gearing up for a production run.

INEOS Grenadier, dailycarblog
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