Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster pickup review (2024)
The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is the pickup truck that can go (almost) anywhere but isn’t as strong as it looks
PROS
- Probably the most capable pickup off road
- Comes with a retro cool image
- Excellent engine options
- Cabin unchanged from passenger version
- Fantastic towing ability
CONS
- Poor payload
- Doesn't qualify as a commercial vehicle
- Compromised steering setup
- Huge and hard to manoeuvre
- Dated and low-tech cabin
Summary
The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is the third model in the still young brand’s range, but the first one that has a distinct silhouette. This is because the Quartermaster is Ineos’s first attempt at taking on the best pickup trucks.
This is a logical and good step in many ways. The pickup market is a strong one in the UK and in other countries, where the combination of ‘chuck it in’ practicality and go-anywhere ability is an attractive one.
The Grenadier range certainly boasts plenty of the latter, with the Quartermaster pickup supremely capable when it comes to tackling the toughest of terrain. The Quartermaster’s starting point is a brilliant one on that front then, as little has changed in the crucial areas. The off-roading tech is much the same as the passenger version, albeit slightly rudimentary compared to many modern SUVs with their electronically controlled systems.
This model joins the passenger version - the Grenadier Station Wagon - and the commercial 4x4 Grenadier Utility Wagon.
What are the changes to the Quartermaster?
The most notable change over the passenger version of the Grenadier comes out back. Instead of an enclosed boot, the Quartermaster has a loading bed that sits on an elongated chassis. The resultant space is large enough to take a Euro pallet, or a bale of hay or two to feed the furthest flung flock up in the mountains.
That chassis has been stretched by about 30cm, while the overall vehicle is about a metre longer than the SUV version. All that extra length comes in the rearmost part of the vehicle, as the front part of the Quartermaster is the same as the five-seat Utility version of the Grenadier. This means the rear legroom isn’t quite as generous as the passenger version, while the bulkhead results in a fairly upright seating position for the back seats. The front part of the cabin is identical though.
The rear stretching does produce a slightly odd-looking three-box design, with the loading bay only just longer than the bonnet and not too dissimilar in looks. It’s a little like those drawings of a car you might have done in your youth. Not bad looking, just not as flowing as many modern pickup trucks.
There is one big elephant in the room with the Quartermaster, though, and that is its payload. The petrol version has the higher rating of the two engines, but its 835kg payload falls short of the 1,000kg that is needed for a pickup to qualify as a commercial vehicle. The diesel is even lower, at 760kg.
This means that it isn’t eligible for the beneficial van tax system that includes VAT-free status. This therefore puts it on the back foot compared to the other pickups that are its natural rivals.
What are the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster’s rivals?
In one sense there is only really one rival for the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster, and that is the Ford Ranger Raptor. This performance pickup doesn’t have a 1,000kg payload either and is therefore also aiming at the lifestyle market rather than the business buyer that wants a vehicle that can do a bit of everything.
If you are cross-shopping with the pickup market as a whole then the standard Ford Ranger, Volkswagen Amarok, Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max are the best of the current crop.
Verdict: is the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster any good?
As an off-road vehicle the Grenadier Quartermaster is fantastic, as it will cover all kinds of terrain with barely a fuss. But there is much more to it than that as it has several flaws that are more than just annoying in some cases. Ineos is young and adaptable enough to be able to react and make changes, so a few of those might be fixed.
What can’t be fixed is that payload, though, which means that the Grenadier is starting very much on the back foot. Having to pay VAT means it is automatically 20% more expensive than it would be if it could be classed as a commercial vehicle. And that is before you start to consider the fact that it is already pricier than plenty of its rivals.
That financial hurdle will be simply too high for many to leap over.
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- Appalling steering
- Rides well on road and sublime off road
- Huge and hard to manoeuvre
Being basically a Grenadier means that there is not much that is a huge surprise when it comes to how the Quartermaster drives. It’s designed to be an off-roader first and foremost, but also to be competent on the tarmac come the end of the day.
What is the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster like off road?
Away from the public highways, the Quartermaster is simply fantastic. Its chunky all-terrain tyres, suspension that provides a wide range of articulation and mechanical off-roading systems all make short work of some really rugged terrain.
This is no SUV with performance modes – instead you get, as standard, an old-school lever to move the gearing into low-range and to lock the central differential. This is one area where it feels old fashioned. Most modern SUVs and pickups have an electronic dial or button to engage these settings, which ensure that the switch is done properly. You have to give the lever a really firm shove to ensure it’s engaged – leave it just short from being slotted home and it can produce a nasty crunching sound that can’t be good for the mechanics.
To get it right takes a degree of hand strength that not all drivers will have, which feels like it is excluding plenty of people from easily making the most of the Quartermaster's potential. There's a good reason why those rivals now do it via a dial.
There’s also an off-road mode that is activated via a button up on the roof. You press and hold to turn it on and then once more to confirm your choice. Then you have to hit ‘OK’ on another button on the touchscreen. It’s a bit fiddly, but fine once you’ve got the process memorised. Again, rivals make it easier.
Once moving though, it is really easy to drive, and will chug away up and down hills, over rocks and through very uneven and tricky routes with barely a blip. There’s a hill-descent mode, too, which is another that is controlled by a button over your head.
Overall, we barely scratched the surface of what it felt like the Quartermaster could do. Given there was a winch tucked away out front, and the test tracks were largely dry, there are plenty more testing scenarios that the Ineos could deal with easily.
What is the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster like on the road?
On the whole, the Quartermaster isn’t bad on road – it has a smooth ride and is comparatively fairly quiet on the move. This is particularly true for the petrol version. The diesel is noticeably noisier but not intrusively, so both versions will be relatively easy vehicles in which to cover long distances.
Those engines are another of the Quartermaster’s strong suits. Both are six-cylinder BMW units with loads of power and fantastic low-end strength that mean it shouldn’t be phased by towing heavy loads or blasting up hills. The gearbox is another area where Ineos has chosen well, as the eight-speed ZF setup is smooth and unobtrusive. It occasionally feels like it’s in a gear that's one higher than ideal, but never to the point where it is revving too much. It's the same system as you get in a BMW, so it all feels nicely integrated.
It might be nice to see a more affordable four-cylinder engine offered, but the Quartermaster’s size and shape mean that any powertrain is likely to be expensive to run so this wouldn't drop costs notably.
The steering is the Grenadier’s big flaw, though. Pretty much any car, van or truck has a steering setup that has some self-centring to it, which helps to guide the wheels back towards a forward-facing direction. However, the Ineos has none of this. This means that the driver alone is responsible for keeping the wheels pointing forwards, and if you have the steering wheel even slightly off centre then that is where it will end up going. Self-centring is what keeps you in your lane on the motorway, and means that you don’t feel like you are wrestling the vehicle in wet weather conditions as other forces vie for influence on the direction of the wheels.
This means that the Quartermaster is hard to drive in a way that becomes tiring after a long journey and could be concerning in inclement conditions. It might mean you have a greater degree of accuracy of steering off road at low speeds, but the compromise on road is not worth it.
If Ineos is going to tweak the steering then it could do with looking at improving the turning circle as well. The Quartermaster is a big vehicle, to the extent that there were several instances where we had to take more than one go at getting around a tight corner. A little irritating and possibly embarrassing in a car park, much more inconvenient to you and those around you when you're traversing a hillside hairpin bend…
- Button-heavy old-fashioned dash
- Modern looking screen
- Designed for tall people
The very first thing that strikes you about the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster’s interior is just how hard it is to get into it.
For some odd reason, side steps are not a standard feature, and this is a tall vehicle. Less mobile or shorter people will find it hard to get in and out. Even if you are above average height it is not particularly pleasant having to clamber in and out all the time. Not having side steps as standard is simply baffling and a poor decision. It feels like all of Ineos's testing was done with very tall drivers and the end result is a vehicle that is more expensive for shorter people. The only solution, if you want to get in and out of the car easily, is to head to the accessories list and stump up almost £850 for the privilege.
What is the Ineos Grenadier like in the cabin?
Once you have managed to get in, the driving position has a good amount of adjustment, although some of the seat levers are a little tricky to access, being tucked out of the way.
Drivers of all heights will be able to get the steering wheel in a position to their liking, not least because the vast majority of the driving information is on the main screen in the centre of the dash so there is no chance of blocking anything from view. Oddly, the little display in front of the wheel has less crucial data such as the warning lights – it would be better if it also showed your speed at least. That way you could glance down and see it easily, whereas having it on the main central screen means you have to take your eyes further from the road for longer just to see how fast you are going.
Everything else on that central screen is easy to navigate and functions well, though. It’s logical, with the driving data closest to the driver and maps on the far side. You can also get some handy off-roading information, such as the various angles you are at when going through the tough stuff.
Most functions are controlled by buttons, which is welcome when it comes to things like the temperature and audio volume. However, it feels like Ineos has gone a little too far in the other direction, with the dash covered in loads of not-very-well-labelled buttons and dials to extent that it looks a bit like an old-school switchboard. Between this and the touchscreen-is-all approach that some cars take there is a happy medium.
What is the storage like in the cabin?
Storage isn’t great in the Quartermaster’s cabin. There is a pair of cupholders between the front seats but no dedicated slot for your phone. Instead you’d pop it into the small box that sits by your elbow, in which you find the USB connections.
Other than that there is a small glovebox and a door pockets. The latter aren’t huge but they are also hard to get stuff in and out of when the doors are closed, particularly in the back.
The rear seats might have slightly less legroom than the passenger version, but there is still enough for three adults to get comfy next to one another. There’s no folding down arm rest, however, and the seating position is very upright.
- Not eligible for VAT reclamation
- Premium pricing approach
- Both engines thirsty and tough on tax
There are three versions of the Quartermaster, which is more than the standard Station Wagon. There is a basic model, a Trialmaster Edition and a Fieldmaster Edition.
None come particularly cheap, but the pricing approach is mercifully simple. The cost is the same whether you go for the petrol or the diesel, while the two editions are also the same price as each other. This takes finances out of the equation when it comes to choosing which one you want.
The biggest issue is that those prices are the same for everyone – most pickup trucks qualify as commercial vehicles, which means that anyone buying them through a business (even a small enterprise – you need not be financing a fleet of trucks) can usually reclaim the VAT, which knocks a big chunk off the cost.
However, they need to be able to carry a payload of 1,000kg in order to do this. Which the Quartermaster can not. This means that there is no getting around the pricing, which is higher than all the rivals anyway.
When you factor in VAT for all the rivals then the Ineos still commands a premium. The most basic Quartermaster is several thousand more than the top-end Ford Ranger Raptor for example (the other pickup that doesn’t qualify for VAT exemption).
Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster mpg
Pickups are not renowned for offering great fuel economy, on account of their bluff shape and big engines. The diesel Quartermaster is about par for the class, though, with an official fuel economy of up to 25.9mpg.
The petrol is not the version to go for if you want to eke out as many miles as possible, as it manages an official average of no better than 19.6mpg. This might be ambitious if you spend all your time using the Quartermaster as its makers intended, too.
Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster servicing
The Quartermaster’s servicing intervals are every 12 months.
Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster warranty
The Quartermaster gets a decent warranty for a relatively small and new manufacturer, with Ineos offering five years of cover with unlimited mileage.
Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster standard equipment
The three trims all come fairly well equipped, but the Trialmaster and Fieldmaster both have their own slightly different characters. Below are the highlights
Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster standard equipment highlights
- Permanent four-wheel drive
- Heavy duty coil suspension
- Two-speed transfer case
- Centre differential lock
- Front and rear skid plates
- LED headlights
- Full-size spare wheel
- Towing eyes front and rear
- Roof rails and roof protection strips
- Recaro seats
- Toot Button
- Off-road and wading modes
- Pathfinder off-road navigation
Ineos Grenadier Fieldmaster equipment highlights (in addition to standard)
- Rear-view camera
- Front park assist
- Power heated door mirrors
- Heated windscreen washer jets
- Lockable central interior box
- Puddle lamps and ambient lighting
- Auxiliary charge points
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Safari windows (located above the driver and co-driver)
- Leather upholstery
- Carpeted mats
- Heated front seats
- Premium sound system
- Load-bay liner
Ineos Grenadier Trialmaster equipment highlights (in addition to standard)
- Rear-view camera
- Front park assist
- Power heated door mirrors
- Heated windscreen washer jets
- Lockable central interior box
- Puddle lamps and ambient lighting
- Auxiliary charge points
- Front and rear differential locks
- BF Goodrich All-Terrain KO2 tyres
- 17-inch steel wheels
- Raised air intake
- Exterior utility belt
- 400W power take-off
- Exterior utility fixings
- Cargo bay utility rails
- Load-bay liner
There aren’t loads of options bundles, but one interesting one is the saddle leather driver’s pack. As the name suggests, this covers the steering wheel, handbrake lever and passenger grab handle in saddle leather, which wears and ages with the vehicle. This is said to be to make it unique to each vehicle.
Beyond that, there are several accessories that can be fitted, such as a front LED light bar, surfboard carrier, kayak holder or even a wide range of roof-mounted survival kit with features like a jerry can.
We’d usually urge lots of caution with a brand new manufacturer, and this is still the case with the Grenadier, but Ineos has done as many things as it can to ensure that quality stands up to the demands of a potentially very hard life.
The major components, such as the engine and gearbox, are all sourced from major suppliers with a strong reputation for reliability. The rest of the vehicle certainly feels well screwed together, but it’s likely that used ones will have lived a hard life, which will be the real test.
- Decent level of kit
- UK doesn’t get as many airbags as other markets
- Trailer assistance included
The Quartermaster gets a good level of safety kit, with pretty much everything included as standard. The only things on the options list are a couple of roadside emergency kits.
It’s a shame that we don’t get the full range of airbags that could be offered – the knee ‘bags are destined for the US market only.
Below are the equipment highlights.
- Front, side and curtain airbags on both sides
- Isofix points for each of the two outer rear seats
- Automatic hazard warning
- Intelligent speed assistance
- Lane departure warning
- Automatic emergency braking
- Driver drowsiness detection
- Uphill and downhill Assist
- Trailer Stability Assist
- Alarm and immobiliser
Which INEOS Quartermaster is best for me?
You’re going to want an Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster in order to rule out all the major rivals in your buying journey. If you want your pickup to be a tool then we can’t with a clear conscience recommend the Ineos over any of the others out there. It’s just too expensive at just over £66,000 for the basic model, and that’s before you factor in the oddities surrounding how it drives and the ergonomics. If you want to head into the wilderness then pretty much every alternative will get just as far off the beaten track.
If you want a lifestyle pickup and don’t mind paying the VAT then the Ford Ranger Raptor offers a more attractive prospect – it’s better to drive and has a nicer cabin.
If you’re still after a Quartermaster then we’d say it’s a case of ‘In for a penny in for a pound (lots of them)’ and go for the Trialmaster or Fieldmaster. You might as well.
The Quartermaster's engines are both strong and up to the task.
The big changes are all at the rear of the Quartermaster.
Ineos is targeting lifestyle rather than business buyers.
Off road is the Ineos's natural playground.
The cabin is covered with buttons and is hard to get into.
