When Bobby Nitro first saw this new entry to the rugged off-road market, he thought: “Well, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel in this segment but after all, a sturdy box on wheels with gadgets is about the best thing you can ask for when you’re in the middle of nowhere.”
That was at Timour Hall in Summer, and the car was the just launched Ineos Grenadier, which seems to be making waves in the utility vehicle market, with its back-to-basics outlook. This is an off-roader that advertises with phrases like ‘no-nonsense’ and ‘stripped back’, which is a firm departure from the SUV trend into smooth exteriors and subtly lit interiors.
Dreamt up by the UK’s Sir Jim Ratcliffe, global adventurer and megabucks owner of Ineos, which by the way is the world’s third-largest chemical firm, the Grenadier is the product of years of research and a combination of components sourced the world over. Apparently Sir Jim saw a gap in the market, was perhaps unimpressed by the reinvented Defender and, well, the Grenadier is the product of that.
Built around a full box-frame ladder chassis fully e-coated for maximum anti-rust effect and with up to 3.5mm thick steel in places. The mechanical theme carries into front and rear skid plates, coil springs, anti-roll bars, beam axles and more. The running boards are tough anti-rock bars designed for protection, not looks. No compressors or airbags in sight. The design idea is simple on the eye and uncomplicated to use.
Companies contributing components include BMW for the engines. Power comes from a three-litre BMW 210kW straight-six turbopetrol or a common rail direct injection 182kW twin-turbo diesel engine. Both tried-and-tested powerplants for this kind of heft, with larger radiator and upgraded fan.
The eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, refitted with a heavy duty torque converter, takes power to the dirt. The Tremec transfer case has a centre differential that’s manually lockable in high and low range, manages the traction and those hard climbs.
The interior carries the back-to-basics ethos. Of course, there’s digital, but the bare minimum. A small digital readout with necessary icons as opposed to those dominating screens means your eyes are taking in the view while comfy in Recaro seats.
An overhead control panel houses the off-road gadgets, with wading modes, diff lock, downhill assist and other pre-wired auxiliary switches off-roaders desperately need, like to start the fridge up way before that campsite cooler. Also handy are the five interior drain valves to wash away the grime.
All things considered, the Grenadier looks well-positioned to do exactly what you want an off-roader to do, get from A, across the river, up the mad hill, to B without falling apart. Starting at R1 513 100, that’s what you’d expect it to do.
Bobby is adding one of these Grenadiers to the zombie apolcalypse grab-bag of things to take with when, well, the undead come raving over the walls and Bobby has to head for the hills.