First drive and tow specs: The 2023 INEOS Grenadier

Although not a tow-test, we think the INEOS Grenadier could be the next big thing for adventurous towers in Australia thanks to a robust design and serious spec sheet.

Firstly, I tried to find a random trailer to tow-test the Grenadier, I swear. The problem was the event staff outnumbered the press at the global launch of the hot-topic SUV, so try as I might, no mischievous plan got me what we really need to know – how does it tow? So, call this a vehicle review, not a tow test. But bear with me, as the specs alone should have those of us looking to lug a heavy trailer around Australia interested. 

Before I jump to the somewhat boring bits, know that I had a decent time behind the wheel and with key engineering staff behind the ground-up new SUV. You can learn more about how it drove later on, but first the tow specs. 

Like most modern large SUVs, 4WD utes and ute-based SUVs, the Grenadier has a maximum braked tow capacity of 3500kg and with a high Gross Combined Mass (GCM), Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and passable, if a bit portly, kerb weight the Grenadier can actually tow as its max capacity, legally, and with some payload on board.

The INEOS Grenadier stands almost at the top of the mountain of heavy haulers with its 7000kg GCM. The top spots go to the US trucks with their commercial-rated (NB1) combined capacities, but for the more recreational-focussed vehicles the Grenadier trumps the perineal crowd favourite, the LandCruiser 300 Series whose GCM is only 6750kg. The only SUV I’d consider that matches the INEOS is the underrated Nissan Patrol but that's half or a third of the story.

The LC300 may have a similar GCM but its GVM in Sahara VX spec is only 3280kg compared to the Grenadier at 3550kg. This matters when you take in kerb weights to calculate the payloads. The Sahara has a 2630kg kerb weight compared to 2740kg for the diesel, five-door INEOS; this means the ‘Cruiser has an 650kg payload compared to the 810kg for the diesel, five-door Grenadier. I think we can all see why GVM upgrades are so popular right now. (Readers, write in if you want us to do a feature specifically on GVM upgrades).

But, and I swear this is the last but for a while, that still leaves a bit to the story. If you do a hypothetical fully-loaded scenario, you’ll see those payloads are only as good as the paper they are written on thanks to our little, well sometimes heavy, friend the ball weight.

It didn't get a tow test, but Tim took his first drive seriously

Firstly, a look at the GCM and GVMs. Hook up a 3500kg van behind a fully loaded LC300 Sahara and the GCM becomes 6780kg or 30kg over its limit of 6750kg. That is overweight and illegal to tow. The diesel, five-door Grenadier, with a 3500kg vehicle mass equals its 7000kg GCM.

Take the ball weight into account and things change again. Do some sums with a 200kg ball weight, a weight I have measured on a number of 3500kg ATM vans, and the LC300 Sahara payload drops to 450kg and this is where people run into trouble. Add up what a bullbar, some extra driving lights, replacement wheels and tyres weigh (often over 200kg combined) and you are looking like towing a big van with the LC300 set up for touring as a couple's car, not families.

Do the same sums with the likely most popular choice five-door diesel Grenadier and you will be left with 610kg of payload to work with inside and attached to the car – this is more like it but good specs are one thing that we’ve covered off and on before, now we know how it drives without a trailer and importantly, how comfortable it is cruising the Aussie outback?

The Grenadier is a throwback to when vehicle design was less dictated to by the expectation of lawmakers. It is somewhat archaic in its looks, technology and refinement reminiscent of the 110 Land Rover Defender. It has basic and increasingly rare solid axles front and rear, non-hybrid engines, a wash-out floor, heavy load capacities and tie-down points everywhere you could want one. 

It still has some mandated technologies such as ABS, traction control and electronic stability control and its diesel engine option requires Adblue to operate and to keep emissions legal. What it is not is pretending to be anything else. Even its tyre choices were made with an eye on fulfilling work requirements over reduced rolling resistance and ride comfort that some makers seem to be favouring.  

Thankfully the launch was in the Highlands of Scotland during a particularly cold winter, so we wanted to spend more time in the cars than outside and our wranglers seem to have had the same idea. We spent around 300km driving over two days from Inverness to Glasgow via the shores of Loch Ness and Loch Lochy (yes, a real place) plus a number of private estates in the Highlands.

For seating, INEOS partnered with Recaro with the fronts supportive with decent side bolsters. I’ve used similar seats in a LandCruiser for tens of thousands of kilometres and found them better than most factory-fit seats. I did find them set a bit high, even at their lowest position of adjustment, for my 2m frame. 

The driving position is fairly upright. You do not lounge in the Grenadier though armrests and the window sill are well positioned to relax a lazy arm. The pedals are offset to right side of the steering column on the righthand drive models to allow for exhaust routing. Some may find it odd (people who left-foot brake especially) but I found it fine during my stints driving. 

In terms of other comforts, the rear seat is simple. It is flat with a decent reclining to the seat-back. The rear seats are set slightly higher than the fronts (along with its looks, another similarity to the old Defender) for better visibility and there are features you want to see in charging points and seat-anchor points. 

What really stood out though was the interface for the driver and front-seat passenger. The aircraft-inspired cockpit is really fun and well thought out. The use of toggle switches and large rotary knobs means even with gloves on, you should be able to do things like flick on your auxiliary lights, power up your winch or engage a locker. 

The Grenadier performed probably exactly as you would expect from looking at it. It is capable, somewhat agricultural and tough. What it is not is a sportscar. In saying that, although it appears to have the aerodynamic efficiency of a brick, both engine options feel to have plenty of power and are smooth. The eight-speed gearbox, with most of its ratios set low, gives the Grenadier a spritely pull from a stop and its large, Brembo-supplied brakes pulled both cars to a stop with ease. 

The steering is hydraulic, not electrically assisted like almost all modern cars. This was a welcome find from a road-feel point of view though with the solid axle up front and the weight of the car, I wonder if the Grenadier may start to feel heavy on a long, winding drive. If it helps you understand the feeling, it was a lot more like an old Defender and pre-2004 LandCruiser or pre-2016 Patrol than any modern SUV or ute. Will that be part of the charm of ownership like it is in the old Land Rover? Time and more long drives will tell.

I thoroughly enjoy offroad driving, it's something I've competed in at amateur events. Those days have passed though and now I take the kinder lines and tour more than bounce rev limiters. Not at the launch though. I believe I was the only driver on my rotation to bottom out one of the test cars when I got approval to take a different line in a particularly deep bog. I wanted to test the 264mm ground clearance and if the underside would hang up on the rock I could just make out. It didn’t, though our chaperone for the drive was politely asked over the radio to not allow any other drivers that chance. I think the clunk was pretty obvious to on-lookers. 

Our offroad driving had us sample all of the systems and traction aids on offer as options or standard fit. We used hill descent control on both loose rocks and slippery mud. We used the rear Eaton ELocker by itself and in tandem with the front and we held gears using the gear selector. We had a lot of time traversing off-camber hills and following deep ruts on ancient tracks. What stood out to me most was the traction from the optional BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tyres, and when I challenged pressures to learn they were at their placard-suggested pressures of 40psi I was gobsmacked. I’ve not driven a bog-stock car with as much grip offroad as the Grenadier. 

Taking a few minutes after hopping out to check the tyres and underside I could see why I was so impressed. The underside is fairly uniform with very little to hang up on and the approach and departure angles look as aggressive as the specs suggest (35.5-degree approach and 36.1-degree departure). One thing that did stand out to me was the area around the fuel tank is limited so large replacement tanks might not be an option from aftermarket long-range tank makers. 

If you recall my review of the X5 xDrive 30d BMW from back in Caravan World issue 620, you’ll recall I rated its driveline highly. The good news is the Grenadier uses the same 3L in-line six-cylinder diesel (or its petrol sister) and ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. The bad news? There is none. 

I was lucky enough to get to drive both the B57 diesel and B58 petrol sixes in the Grenadier and – contentious call – I preferred the petrol with its wider powerband and ever so slightly more refined idle and low-rpm harmonics. 

Talking to the local team from INEOS and as suspected, 80 per cent of orders locally are for diesel. If I was ordering one for dual-purpose (a daily driver with occasional towing) I would go with the petrol. If I was looking for 80 per cent towing, I’d take the diesel for its expected efficiency benefits under load. 

The excellent gearbox passes on torque and power to a Tremac-designed two-speed transfer case and onto a pair of Carraro diffs with 220mm crown wheels. The axles inside the diff housings are by Tremac too, with Dana CV joints sending power to the front wheels. The springs are from Eibach and the twin-tube shocks by ZF. The braking system is by Brembo, another top brand and an important one when you consider the weight they could have to arrest. 

This is an area where a lot of scepticism is being thrown INEOS’s way – after sales back up and servicing and justifiably so. If the Grenadier is targeting remote travellers and workers, it cannot be unreliable or difficult to service and maintain.

INEOS announced in 2022 that it will have 32 sales and service centres across Australia and New Zealand by the time deliveries start in Q2 2023 (delayed from Q4 2022 due to supply issues). All variants will be backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Talking to the team at the launch, they mentioned a few things that piqued my interest in servicing. One was centralised hubs for parts. Similar to how most big manufacturers store spares, INEOS plans to be able to have parts available, by courier, anywhere in the country within two days. The second is exploded engineering diagrams with all part numbers listed supplied with the cars at purchase. 

Outside of military manuals, this second part is something I have not seen in decades. Where once manufacturers welcomed owners and onlookers knowing how vehicles were assembled and what is needed to repair them, more often than not only approved technicians can look up, order and even install parts on new vehicles. What INEOS is doing here is empowering regional, independent and even home-based mechanics to help. It cannot be understated how valuable this direction will be when needing to diagnose and replace parts on a stranded vehicle remotely or even to order semi-consumable parts in advance of servicing.

Noting the impact on payloads, there are a few options I would recommend from the order form. Firstly, the trim to have is the Trialmaster as it bundles the rough pack (includes the Eaton ELockers and tyre upgrades) and smooth pack (includes interior comfort options) together, as well as add a second battery under the rear seats, interior utility rails, a roof access ladder on the rear door, high load auxiliary switch panel and a compass with altimeter. Add on a Rhino-Rack supplied roof tray, roo bar, side steps and side protection rails and I think you’ll have the specification most suited to private owners looking to explore remote Australia. The sum of that is around $115,000+ORC, or you can get into a base-spec from $97,000+ORC.

Out of the box, it is more capable than anything I've driven offroad and the specs, construction and ethos behind its design and engineering suggest it will excel with a load on the back too. I have no idea how it tows and for that I am sorry. I’ll know soon, we have a tentative date to point a couple of Grenadier inland with large vans hooked up to see how they go over big distances with proper loads so watch out for more soon.

• High GCM  
• High GVM
• Simplicity

• We haven’t actually towed with it
• Unproven, for now  

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