Not my typical escape to the outdoors but a few weeks ago I was invited to test drive the Ineos Grenadier in the Lake District.
Yes I know it’s a huge 4×4 and not the best for the environment. But as a life long fan of Land Rovers how could I resist. Especially as Land Rover no longer build proper off road utility vehicles.
So on dry frosty day we set off to Greystoke on the side of Lake Windermere.
On arrival we were greeted by the very friendly Ineos staff and a fleet of Grenadiers. It being the first time I had seen an actual Grenadier it was obvious they had been inspired drawn by the Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes G-Wagon. But will the Grenadier prove to be a worthy successor to the Defender, I was eager to find out.
After, a hearty lunch of venison kebabs and soaking up the fantastic views we explored the static vehicles.
Build quality looks fantastic and the internal dash is well laid out with buttons that positively click on and off. Non of the vagueness of touch screens.
Although having some of switches for the lighting and off road settings in the ceiling may take a bit of getting used to.
The Grenadier delivers a solid utility vehicle without sacrificing comfort. Something the Defender never managed to do. The drivers seat and position if very comfortable especially for someone like myself who is 175cm tall.
It has a huge load area in the back. Maybe bigger than my old Discovery 4.
Finally it came time to test drive a Grenadier. My first drive was on-road. There was plenty of grunt from the petrol engine and it handled the windy lanes with ease. However, the steering took some getting used to. For some reason I can’t fathom the steering does not auto-Center and you have to remember to bring it back to center. But it did not take long to get used to this. I got to like this as it felt like an old school car that had to be properly driven into bends.
Off road it’s awesome: Tackling steep sections of rock and rutted track that was slippy with mud and ice with no problems at all. Being able to select high / low range and difflock on the trickier bits was a real positive and also a look back to 4x4s of old. It had plenty of grunt and torque which came in handy a steep section where I thought we were going to have to back out and try again. Nope the Ineos staff member just said apply more power and the tyres bit and it just stormed up the hill. The strange steering really made me concentrate on positioning the vehicle correctly off-road.
Whilst the off-road section was challenging it lacked a few things that Land Rover throw at their vehicles on their off-road courses. They key one was a water obstacle so I can’t compare how well the Grenadier works in water compared with say a Land Rover Discover which I have driven through deep water,
Not sure what it’s going to be like to maintain in the field. But it feels like a true and worthy successor to the Land Rover Defender.
And the venison wasn’t bad either. Thanks to the Ineos team for a great afternoon out.
Coming soon my review of the Defender 90.
Escape to the Wild Side 