Best new 4WD? Ineos Grenadier 2024 review: Is the BMW-powered SUV better than Toyota LandCruiser?
You'll be forgiven for not knowing what Ineos is, but the emerging British brand could be on the precipice of becoming the new king of 4WDs in Australia. Introducing the Ineos Grenadier, a 4x4 wagon that takes clear inspiration from the previous-generation Land Rover Defender.
But if you see past the Grenadier's copycat exterior design, it's clear that it means business. Make no mistake, this is an old-school off-roader in an era of increasingly 'soft' 4WDs. Point being, it's going back to basics to win over adventure enthusiasts who are being left with fewer and fewer pure 4x4 options.
So, does the Grenadier succeed with its approach? In this expert review, CarsGuide Contributing Journalist David Morley finds out by putting the first Ineos model through its paces on- and off-road, where it must excel if it's to win over Defender and Toyota LandCruiser drivers alike.
#Ineos #Grenadier #Review
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00:00 Intro
00:43 Pricing and features
01:43 Practicality
03:16 Under the bonnet
03:53 Driving
06:53 Efficiency
07:19 Safety
07:48 Ownership
08:02 Verdict
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Read David's full review: bit.ly/3RlxyZ2
Check out our Ineos Grenadier hub: bit.ly/3v4t9lG
Find more SUVs: bit.ly/3QVs1X1
Visit our AdventureGuide: bit.ly/3n6sBrP
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I was nervous buying one coming from Patrols and Landcruisers , but it’s bloody fantastic. Definitely more offroad focus, but that’s what i wanted
Has sweet engines too
Got mine 3 weeks ago: took some getting used to off-road (no instructions!) but once I cracked it, the thing is a beast. Love it.
These just started being sold in North America, where I’m from. Sure it has some compromises, as expected, but I absolutely love this truck!
All the US wannabes will get one becasue they can't afford the mall crawler G Wagen.
Drool worthy. Truly. Companies need to adapt to Australian conditions though, and get rid of heated seats and have ventilated seats instead. Or have both options for that money.
By purchasing the wagon you can spec it to the trailmaster without the heated seats ect( not much snow in the Wimmera) ,thats what I did so I had a few spare dollars in the budget to add stuff what I wanted .
One of the reason why I love my prado is because of the ventilation seats. It’s also one of the reason why I keep both cars. Prado for summer, Grenadier for winter 😂
@@GtsZeG We drove a friend’s prado on a roadtrip to central QLD in summer and were blown away by the mini fridge option 😆 now that’s the gold standard by which we compare every 4x4 or any luxury car, really.
It's a bit of a mystery why my G 300 CDI 'Military" (Australian Army spec) had permanently operating door mirror heaters before I disconnected them. Still, the aircon is much better than the G Wagen variant I had before it.
Roof mounted super a/c
utilitarian, is what we off roaders car campers/ overalnders want
I don’t trust big KZhead channels due to their paid advertisements. They just manipulate public opinion, much like other official media. It’s almost impossible to get genuine feedback from them. Anyway, I’m about to get my brand new LC 79 4.5 V8 from the local dealer in 1-2 weeks. Tomorrow, I’m planning to test the Grenadier at the local dealer. So far, my concerns about it include its lower clearance, automatic transmission, small fuel tank, and, in my opinion, an excess of electronics that are unnecessary for off-roading. I’m uncertain if this car will be a success in Australia, but it does offer an alternative for off-road enthusiasts.
It was your final comments that nailed it. Truthful, and straight to it. Cheers for your insights..
I find it genuinely mind blowing that the speedo location isn’t forced to be directly in front of the driver but I’m seeing this on so many new cars. Having it in the centre isn’t ergonomic at all.
It's a simple, no-nonsense offroader Gotta love it.
Beautiful care! Amazing all the great options out these days
I was given an opportunity to test drive one of these a couple of weeks back and loved it! It’s a fantastic driving experience and perfectly designed for the vehicles intended use. Great video and thanks for sharing - Jordan Patterson
Great review. The North American reviews for this vehicle are just plain stupid (Canada here)no one seems to understand what this truck is all about. Anyway, as Ineos said in their mini documentary series when they were designing and building this vehicle. “We are not building a SUV, we are building a Utility wagon”. Proper 4X4. Keeping the electronics to a minimum and they delivered! I can hardly wait to get mine.
Americans also don't understand Landcruiser. What we call a Prado, is their big burly Landcruiser. In our world, we have 200 and 300 Series as well.
200 land cruiser is in the USA as is lx570
Had Wangler, Hilux, Prado Kakadu and Just placed my order today on a Grenadier. I think it’s a bargain as there’s nothing around this price range comes with bmw in line 6, ZF 8 speed, 2 solid axles and 3 lockers. Interior is well designed for 4x4 adventures.
Great video. I have a bought new LC150 which I am really happy with, but if I didnt have that and was in the market for another 4x4 I would definitely consider this truck, its a great looking, no nonsense rig. Great video by the way. Your vids are like I do on my channel, no nonsense straight to the point, and not stupid music or stupid visual effects like a lot of channels have. As a result I have subscribed.
Would spend 50% more than you have on the 150?
@mvubu6823 probably not.The 150 is a proven truck. That is why I bought it. But as I said if I was in the market for a 4x4 and if the lc150 was not available then this truck would be worth considering.
Worst problem is the low dash that for you to look down and away from the rd. A disappointment and very difficult to get used to. Best review on the net by far, no nonsense no stupid music no idiotic comments voted it ❤cheers from SA🇦🇺
I own one and looking left to the speedo compared tp looking down on my previous Mercedes takes about a day to get used to. I have my two phones mounted on the screen and use Waze to monitor the true GPS speed.
@@DavesIneosGrenadier same here, have had mine for about a week and this is a complete non issue
I own one and it’s right next to your line of sight. To my no time to get used to it
I have no issue with the speedo, nor the "supposed" worrying hump in the footwell. I am an old bloke as well! I really would have liked a grab handle for the A-pillar to allow easy entry, but I have figured it out.... "both hands on the roof gutter, foot on the side step and then sling the butt into the seat." A truly wonderful car to drive ... Toot Toot
@@jmpersonal2402 I grab the gutter with right hand then I step up onto the side step. After that it is a simple move to step into the vehicle. I reverse that for getting out. Would be difficult without the side step though.
It's a shame they haven't fixed the computer tech yet, a lot of owners have complained, and are waiting for the update. The fuel filler wont accept a high-flow diesel nozzle, and in some towns that is all they have. The swept area of the driver's wiper is copied from a series 1 and is abysmal for 2023. The B pillar is huge and blocks ones vision. The fuel tank is too small at 90 litres for serious bush adventures. Jim Ratcliffe wanted to replace the Land Rover, which he has, with a descent engine and gearbox. Thank you for a good honest review.
Great review Dave . Has some looks to back it up as well .. I like the design. Speedo in centre is a strange one .. like anything I’m sure you could get used to it .
Finally the new Land Rover 110 is here .
There has been an improved one, and proven in wild Africa, for four years now. Despite the nayhsaying, biases and whining, it proved to be enduring, very capable and also reliable. "Africa is a tough country" as the saying goes
Are the driveline and suspension joint’s serviceable? Are there grease zerks?
Great review, thanks. Agree that a simple head up display for speed would be a great option. After 6 months and 6k km with my Trialmaster, and recently in snow in the alps, I am loving it. It’s a truck not a car though - not for everyone. I have a car as well.
Defs not for everyone. It’s for adventurists. Great car, solid as!
I ve got now 3500kms on my Fieldmaster (+ Rough Package) I do not miss a HUD, - works fine. Even in Speed cam areas. 2 topics. the recirculating ball steering the driver needs to get used to. The reverse cam gets light from registration plate illumination and at night unusable. Also easy covered in dirt. This needs a redesign in next release. Door knobs need attention and aircon too. The Seats are fantastic. But generally speaking, Grenadier is pretty mature for 1st release, I have a lot to deal with mud and unpaved forest tracks with lots of puddles and deep potholes. Grenadier masters everything. For sure this is not a SUV. Yes you can get the children a lift to school with it.. but..
Great unbiased vid.🙂Looking at Robert Pepper's recent vids it's Braked Traction Control is not anywhere near up the the standard it should be.
Good information.
My attraction to this off-roader is the old-school square look. My favorite look was the African safari Land Rovers from the late 40’s through the 60’s, the one with the spare tire mounted on the hood! The majority of 4x4’s these days have rounded corners and just don’t get my vote!
I am buying a Grenedier precisely because it is NOT a plastic runner which so many 4x4s are turning into.
They are very good. I own one in the UK, where some are built and ineos are based. The main challenges i face are reliability and dealer support. There just aren't enough dealers here and 8 weeks in-between parts. Even My Ssangyong is more reliable and has quicker dealer support.
So, what goes wrong.....?? British owned, Austrian designed and French built. Where is it really based when you need spares??
Off road in the UK? Maybe if you head up to the highlands of Scotland.
I think these are great, great design and and serious of road capability,
Support network, price of parts/repair and long term reliability. Things that are often overlooked in favour of bells and whistles when cars are discussed.
I'm looking forward to see what the aftermarket offer for it, it could definitely us a little bit of a suspension lift in my opinion, maybe 25mm or so. Portals would be nice too :) I know it'll never happen, but I'd love a manual version, I have (an irrational) hate of autos! A HUD (or a speedo in the drivers line) is a must.
As it has SFA, only portals will increase ground clearance. A 50mm body lift doesn't lift your diffs. I laugh at people and their lift kits, as Prof Logic left the room long ago.
@@noyota A 50mm body lift would allow enough room to fit 35's, so there's an extra inch for the undercarriage. Add a suspension lift and there's about 2 inches. Personally I'm not a fan of body lifts, they do serve a purpose or 2, but the negatives definitely outweigh the positives (quite literally when talking about CG)
@@noyotaWhat makes you think people who get lift kits think that it gives them better diff clearances? Thats a dumb thing to say.
The answer is short and sweet... Of course not!
I was really looking forward to this car because of the look and the B58. Very disappointed with the turning radius as our driveway is quite small and. Street is narrow.
It has farm tractor front axles with open knuckle steering drive shaft with double sealed universal joints to make them constant velocity. This type of axle is usually limited to a 55 degree steering angle and very few, if any, manage 60 degrees. Ineos nor Carraro have quoted the maximum steering angle so far but the turning circle is a metre/3ft more than a Ford Ranger’s even though the European Ranger is a considerably longer vehicle with around a foot longer wheelbase.
Consider putting your life on the line in the outback (parts) or in the high country negotiating trails chewed up by treps. Seems like a great choice when all Australian roads are graded monthly and we take the motorsport out of 4wd exploration. No doubt Australian engineers will save the day with suspension kits portals and camping options and make it a true capable offroader.
Was interested but realised the compromise was not realistic given I could buy an LC150 for $50,000 less, so I did that instead. Maybe the next one will be less shackled by tradition and a genuine step forward.
looks like its quiet good, dont like the fact they put lights in the grill.... would be annoying if adding aftermarket driving lights
Absolute unit of an off-roader would love to own one, but way out of my budget. One of my neighbours has one, it’s fantastic 😁
A 90L fuel tank and no option at the moment to upgrade or add a second tank is a deal breaker for me. Plus the stupid left foot problem on the drivers side.
I looked at the Grenadier. Had my name on the interest list. Then they said not a UK build but made in France. The weird leg in the air seating position - Ended up going with a 300 series. I would have bought a discovery ahead of this.
French Grenadier is SUPER expensive, more of a toff-roader than off-roader. If you’ve got lots of spare cash, sure drop it on this. However vehicle is comprised, especially for right hand drive, exhaust intrusions into the drivers footwell, not good for a vehicle at the price, hip, back pain on long expeditions, driver fatigue for sure upon arrival. Payload weight is also a compromise, as is small fuel tank, low MPG, resulting in more Jerry cans needed to be carried on the roof, reducing cargo weight capacity further. I do appreciate this vehicle and look forward to what Ineos will do to address these issues in future. I live in USA and would only consider IG in diesel guise, which is not available presently.
I like it. A lot. A proper off-roader out of the box right down to the tires. That said, it interested me more before the massive price increases. Thanks for the video David.
Is the engine any good? I am not a fan of modern Diesels with the ridiculous need for Urea additives.
Seen it in person. It’s a beast.
You mean heavy
I agree; that is a real good off-roader! But is it really needed to ask for that price? I am sure if it was not so extremely expensive, many people will buy it!
I don't know much about this vehicle because I never drove it unless I come one across.
Large turning radius is a significant deal breaker for both suburban AND bush use for me…
The turn cycle is a must - as shorter would restrict axle articulation. Hence sacrifice off road capability. In real world use the turn cycle is less of an issue. I was in small towns with narrow roads and some 20% grade. Only one single place where I had to retract and a bit of maneuvering work to manage myself in a parking lot. But this is extremely rare. What you need to pay attention to is its hight. 2.05m means most multistorey or underground parking lots do not work. ..
I'll reserve judgement until Ronny Dahl has thrashed his for awhile. So far it survived a Skippy hit only because it had the front guard.
Id suffer with everything but having the speedometer on the center console.... That i cant do.
Missed the decision on whether it is better than a Land Cruiser?
The most annoying fact about this vehicle: the diesel version feels unrefined as it has a lot of vibrations at various rpms.
It’s not designed for comfort and quietness I guess. But, still it’s way better than any other off-roaders out there.
The BMW straight six is far from being the most refined modern diesel. I drove a 2023 BMW X7 diesel last Summer and was surprised at how harsh it sounded compared to a Land Rover 3.0 Ingenium diesel in even a Defender.
AEB ??? R u sure about that ?
It’s closer to a real landcruiser than anything Toyotas got currently
BMW engine and made in France without a manual box… I’ll be keeping my trusty 1991 200tdi defender thanks.
The Grenadier is only 1.1” wider than a Jeep Wrangler.
Much roomier interior though. I’ve driven both.
The mpg is prohibitive - and to contradict the reviewer - it won’t get you far into the bush
Shame about the footwell.
Good luck with finding parts and service providers. Nothing can come close to landcruiser. Reliability is the main factor when you choose a overland vehicle. I am waiting to see how it would stand 10000 miles through Africa or South America
You're dead right Mate ,This Rubbish won't even last 10,000 k's in the Real Aussie out-back
You obviously have not heard of b57/58 motors and ZF gearboxes. What a nonsense comment.
The diesel version requires AdBlu....serious...where do we get AdBlu from in the real world off road driving.....I would get the petrol version due to the cost of servicing and maintenance of the engine. Too many issues with common fail diesel.
Yea the lump in floor is a no no for me 🤔
Shame about the footwell on the drivers side.
Not an issue when you wind the seat up high. Helps if like me you have Safari windows with ceramic tint,.
I’m 6’4” (194cm) and the driving position is great. No issues at all. The footwell thing is blown out of all proportion by people on the internet.
I don’t know what those engine units of measurement mean........
Attend school
I love it. But I'll stick with my FJ Cruiser
it is a nice vehicle, but I don't see how the company can be a financially survivable going concern.
So what happens when your bmw breaks in the middle of the Simpson, rather than your 4.5L v8 in a 70 series.
You should have done your research on why that dead pedal bulge/wedge is like that.
Exhaust routing
Research still doesn't fix it.
At the end of the day it’s all about pricing.
I’d take the Toyota any day of the week.
“Real world customer demand” yeah I definitely wanted power door locks but no gauge cluster. I definitely wanted an electric power steering pump but no power seats too. I most certainly wanted the stupid electronically adjustable headlights and the BMW electronic shifter lever too! Jeez, yeah “customer demand”
Much want. Apparently some people in the UK have been modifying the floor to fix the footrest issue in RHD cars. Not sure if it involves also modifying the exhaust downpipe that’s the reason there’s a big hump there! But you’d hope Inios find a production solution soon.
The fuel consumption estimates mentioned are far too optimistic in my opinion. I reckon you would be lucky to exceed 400 miles before the diesel needs a refill in most normal driving and 420 would have you running out of fumes. More like 325 to 350 for the petrol. There are too few real life consumption figures out yet but nobody is boasting about its fuel efficiency and how could they when there is the best part of three metric tons to haul around.
If you have the station in life to compensate for the drawbacks, it sounds like an interesting choice. a couple things give me pause. My impression of the BMW engine isn't one that will be trouble free in the longer term. Service, it's going to be a unicorn for a good while so you'll be stuck with a short list of dealers if you have trouble, local general mechanics may shy away or have no competency. I don't care how much manufacturer testing was done, the true quality of this thing still needs to be proven out by the public with vehicles off a regular production line. For several years as far as I'm concerned, deep into the odometer... I really like it but I'm gonna defer to other folks that want to pay 75/100k to be beta testers.
To be honest, I don't think you find a better I6 then the B57/B58 (well S58 if you want high performance) on the market at the moment. These engines are build to take a serious beating with a very high output. Had a M57TU2 (predecessor to B57) myself with 508.000 km om the clock when I sold it. The car did over 200.000 km remapped to +34% HP and +44% torque (315 hp/ 720nm) with heavy towing on a weekly basis, never had any issues with the drivetrain. About 1L oil consumption between services (30.000 km) unless you were driving the car for long periods of time past 200 km/h.
@@Hansen999 Maybe so but It's also from observation that German cars are better leased than bought generally speaking. They're expensive to fix in the US and just the deeper mileage scheduled services can be quite pricey on some. Honestly the least of my concerns though. I still stand by letting other shake down a new vehicle. My philosophy includes the usual players when a model gets revamped/redesigned. A model year minimum... I am rooting for them, make no mistake.
A car is not worth 110k. I don’t care how much money you have
There are 100’s of reviews on this car that has been out for a year . Not sure what your going to say thats any different 🙄
$ 100 ! I would b a better off with a new land cruiser 300 series 🙂
"KO2 are made of punctures," as a local 4x4 enthusiast commented. Grenadier was designed by the people building the mighty Geländewagen. That BMW Diesel is a gem; petrol will suffer far from petrol stations. Grenadier lacks operating range anyhow. The idea that SFA is better than IFS off-road, really is a half-truth. There are "road conditions" where IFS actually works better. Old habits die hard.
Costing much more than originally predicted ..just as this video says at 1:40...so again it is no respect for the everyday bloke as usual.
Can't match with Land Cruiser's reliability and mid-50K price point.
BMW drivetrain, na.
Its a nice-looking vehicle but pulling the powertrain from one the least reliable auto manufactures in Europe is a highly questionable approach.
That specific BMW six has proven itself a million times over. I am no Beemer fan, but those two mills are top class.
the new prado is clearly more superior with the price, even the new 70 series is even better value than this grenadier
Finally some common sense!! After hell with Toyota troubles, even I am really excited by the new Prado/250 or whatever they will sell it as. The older Prados outdid the 200 and 300 with aplomb.
Obviously the car can not tow Or did I miss that part of the review
Would not take off beaten track. Too fancy. Buy a landcruiser.
Landcruiser 300/200 has more electronics and the Sahara is about as fancy as it gets
HUGE lump in driver foot well.....
Everything is better than a Land cruiser until that time you need to go home
This car makes the jeep wrangler look like the bootleg version
Go as fare as any one has been, how do you do that without enough fuel there's no where to even put an extra tank fuel in the cab not hardly fuel on the rough not a good idea either to damn top heavy .
Nothing is better than a land cruiser
and they put it in the video title then not mention it at all (the Land Cruiser I mean) ... come on guys .... really ??? I get it that this is a brand new (?) construction with a lot of offroad oriented characteristics, but in my opinion Toyota has put down something on the table during the decades. Anyway I would like to see a comparison video with the new LC (not the 300 series, but the J250) and the Ineos next to each other on the same trails, same conditions, same tires. I wasn't really searching for such video, maybe there is one somewhere, but I would like to see.
Actually there is no law of physics that says you can’t have a quicker steering ratio or more steering lock on a live front axle. Their design choices and ones I struggle to understand.
Let’s wait for ASPW’s verdict on thís one. 😏
70 series fan boy? I'm sure it will be impartial 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂
I honestly hope this thing and the Ute/Truck varient coming soon kills the Landcruiser. The Ineos is genuinely better in every conceivable way.
I was waiting to test drive one here in Florida and waiting for more owner reviews before taking the leap and then Toyota/Lexus slapped my face pretty hard with a GX550 and a sub 70k MSRP for the Base Trail variant. I know you Europeans don't seem to have the same negative view of BMW cars as Americans but the facts are facts and it's always been nagging me if I want to drive the Pan-American Highway. The petrol fuel consumption is nearly identical for both even though inios has a diesel version. But Toyota just has a massive out-reach of support. I mean wear exactly am I not able to go with the GX the Inios can in a real world use.
Look like a copy of old land rover defender..
Land cruiser is the benchmark. All others are great pretenders
Don't get me started ...idol worship makes people blind
nah
Way out of my $$$ range
About as British as a new Landrover Defender.
Hopefully it didn’t inherit the Defender’s famous lack of reliability. Time will tell
My Toyotas afforded me 32 case studies of unreliability. Guess you're a fanboy.
If you want a vehicle that does it all you need either the new Defender or a Range Rover.
If you want an independent suspension monocoque SUV and don’t mind horrendous reliability and areshole dealers then yes.
As someone who worked in the retail motor trade specialising in Land Rover products for twenty years I can tell you I would never spend my own money on one (other than classic defender) the reliability is awful and depreciation likewise.
Better than a Land Cruiser? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Well let’s face it it’s not hard! The Land Cruiser is the most over rated vehicle on the planet owned by the delusional with stories about their vehicles straight from Jackanory.. mind you, it does make very entertaining reading! 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
It's new Landover defender money but old tech 🤷
How can something that uses all old parts cost so much? Better off buying an American ute for the same price
And have it break down just outside of the city? Badly bolted together and utterly unreliable. Get a grip on yourself. Here in Africa, even Jeep aren't allowed on some safari adventures, as breaking down can become fatal.
I test drove and closely examined this car. I would have remained silent if no one had claimed it was the "king." It seems like a parody of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, the classic Defender, with some elements borrowed from BMW. It's overpriced, too showy, and overly gimmicky. The steering feels odd, it's heavy, and it has lower clearance compared to the Defender and the LC 70 series. It also has a huge turning circle and many unnecessary features. For a genuine 4x4 experience, there are two options: for luxury, choose the Mercedes-Benz G-Class; for robustness and durability, opt for the LC 70 series (preferably the V8, not the 2.8 version).
Apart from some weekend warrior car reveiwers no sensible person would trust this overpriced tata in the outback
Some have already
It's looks like a scam with bmw engine