Ineos Grenadier Utility Wagon van review (2024)

• Not great on road
• Excellent off it
• Two strong engines

There aren’t many vehicles that are designed to go off road above all else these days but the Grenadier sets out its stall to do just that.

If you compare the Grenadier to any modern or recent SUV then it feels basic on the road and slow, despite boasting a choice between two powerful engines.

There is a noticeable difference between these two engines in how they behave. The diesel doesn’t feel great, and it seems to be oddly calibrated to the eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. The petrol, by contrast, is responsive, smooth and feels like it has more power and torque than you’d ever need. This is somewhat at odds with what it feels like a rugged SUV should be fitted with.

On road not its natural habitat

The outright performance figures don’t promise much, with 0-62mph coming in 8.6sec for the petrol and 9.9sec for the diesel. Both are limited to a top speed of 99mph too.

That said, the petrol feel notably quicker and more enjoyable to drive, on the road at least. This is all with a caveat that this isn’t where the Grenadier feels most at home. The steering is weirdly light for a car of this size, and imprecise when dealing with tarmac.

It does offer a good amount of comfort, though, with a decent ride quality and the manually adjustable seats providing a good level of support.

Off road is where the Grenadier shines

You very much get the impression that the Grenadier is only ever on road because it has to link up the different tracks, fields and hills it would rather be on. Off road, the oddities with the steering and the engines fade away. Regardless of which version you get, it does a supreme job of chugging through ruts, hauling itself up steep hills and ploughing through low-grip situations that would have the measure of many a lesser vehicle.

It’s aided by judicious combinations of diff locks, low gear sets and ESP you can switch off. With even an inexperienced off-road driver at the wheel, it can take you to some pretty remarkable places.

• Angular and rugged cabin
• Poor rear legroom
• View is spoiled by different features

Unlike plenty of modern rivals, with their touchscreens and rotary dials, the many off-road features in the Grenadier are all controlled in an old-school manner that some will love while others will find antiquated. Essentially, you get a wide range of buttons and switches and everything is designed to be operated while wearing chunky gloves.

There’s not much in the way of electronic assistance to their engagement either, as some of the levers, such as the one for changing into low-ratio gearing, have to be moved with some force.

The buttons down the bottom, below the screen control features such as the climate control and the window demisting. They are oddly all quite bug buttons for things that you won’t need to use that often which means that they take up a large amount of cabin real estate. Sure, the hazard light button is one you might want to hit in a hurry, but does it need a button as big as the one for demisting the rear windscreen or for turning off the start/stop system?

The buttons you won’t need to use while on the move are located up on a panel on the roof, partly to stop you prodding them in error. This includes elements such as the front and rear diff locks, downhill assist and the off-road mode. It’s logical to an extent, but it does result in a cabin that looks liberally festooned with switches and buttons.

Another oddity is the location of the screens. The one in front of the driver is only for warning lights, meaning that everything else – speed included – is on the central one. This means you have to move your eyes further away from the road than is ideal, and to a place that many drivers will feel is unnatural. You might relearn this once  you have lived with a Grenadier for a while, but occasional users who jump in for work might find it trickier to adjust.

Van passengers lose out on space

There is very little noticeable difference between the Utility Wagon and the passenger-carrying Station Wagon in many areas. You can get glass windows in the rear of the commercial vehicle version even.

Ineos has looked to maximise the amount of space in the back of the Utility Wagon, though, to ensure that you can fit as much as possible in the back. This does have a knock-on impact on the rear legroom, though, as it has simply shunted the seats and bulkhead forwards a bit.

A six-footer will struggle to get comfortable behind a similarly sized adult without sitting bolt upright and pulling their knees backwards. This is less of an issue while stationary but might not go down so well while you are bouncing around over rugged terrain.

Compromised view and high entry

You get a great view down the bonnet, so you know where the front wheels are, but visibility is rather spoilt by the inadequacy of the wipers, both front and rear. They simply don’t clean enough of the front glass, which isn’t huge, so you’re often craning your neck to see around the chunky A-pillars.

The front sun visor also blocks out a disproportionately large area of screen when in use. And the rear view is obscured by the combination of split tailgate and spare wheel.

Perhaps the most baffling decision when it comes to cabin ergonomics is the one that puts the side steps on the accessories list. This means that you have to pay extra to be able to get in and out of the vehicle with any sort of ease.

Even at the best part of six-foot tall we found that the process wasn’t that dignified. That you can get an access ladder on some versions as standard but not something to help you get in and out of the cabin is a ridiculous state of affairs that you will notice each and every time you drive the Grenadier.

• Poor fuel economy
• Qualifies for commercial vehicle VED
• But not for VAT write off

The Grenadier sits in a curious position as a commercial vehicle. It is officially classed as an N1, which means that it is eligible for some of the van-based tax systems, but not all as it doesn’t meet the definition required to be classed as a car-derived van.

This means you pay the van VED rate, but everything else is taxed at the car rates. This means the much more expensive CO2-based Benefit-in-Kind rates and fuel rates. More importantly for many, you can’t reclaim the VAT off the purchase price of the Grenadier, making it notably more expensive than pretty much any pickup truck (bar the Ford Ranger Raptor and some Volkswagen Amaroks).

Said purchase price is not only quite expensive in itself, but it has been subject to a couple of increases since the Grenadier was first launched. There are definitely better value alternatives out there.

Ineos Grenadier mpg

Little surprise, but an off-road vehicle with a pair of 3.0-litre engines is not that economical when it comes to fuel consumption. Neither version is notably economical: 18.9-19.6mpg for the petrol; 23.1-26.9mpg for the diesel.

Ineos Grenadier servicing

Servicing is duel once every 12 months for the Grenadier. Those concerned about getting a vehicle from a fledgling brand maintained will be reassured by the fact that Ineos is looking to have as many as 185 service sites and workshops. It is also aiming to have national coverage so owners will be no more than 45 minutes or 31 miles from an accredited workshop.

Unlike many modern vehicles, Ineos has actively had home mechanics in mind. It goes so far as to say that ‘Your Owner’s Handbook and online ‘How To’ guides can help you carry out your own simple mechanical maintenance.’

Ineos Grenadier warranty

The standard warranty for the Grenadier is five years with an unlimited mileage allowance.

Ineos Grenadier standard equipment

The standard equipment on the Grenadier is decent, with many of the add-ons on the higher trims upping the luxury levels rather than bringing more practicality.

The one baffling omission is the side steps, though. ‘Our Side Runners make the cabin easy to access,’ says Ineos. This is true, but without them it makes it a lot harder. Just make the things standard please.

• Permanent four-wheel drive
• Two-speed transfer case
• Centre differential lock
• Front and rear skid plates
• LED headlights
• LED auxiliary high beam lights
• Full-Size Spare Wheel
• Towing hooks front and rear
• Roof rails and roof protection strips
• Toot button
• Off-Road Navigation
• Rear parking sensors
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Android Auto™

The Ineos Grenadier Utility Wagon Trialmaster Edition highlights

• 17-inch steel wheels with all-terrain tyres
• Raised air intake
• Exterior utility belt
• Access ladder
• Interior utility rails
• Auxiliary battery
• High load auxiliary switch panel and electrical preparation
• Compass with altimeter
• Diff lock front and rear
• Rear view camera
• Front parking sensors
• Powered and heated door mirrors
• Heated windscreen washer jets
• Locakable central storage box
• Auxiliary charge sockets

Ineos Grenadier Utility Wagon Fieldmaster Edition highlights

• 18” alloy wheels
• Locking wheel nuts
• Access Ladder
• Leather upholstery
• Premium audio system
• Heated front seats
• Carpeted mats
• Compass with Altimeter
• Rear view camera
• Front parking sensors
• Powered and heated door mirrors
• Heated windscreen washer jets
• Locakable central storage box
• Auxiliary charge sockets

Ineos Grenadier accessories

The above is just a small sample of what you can get on your Grenadier, though, as there is a wide range of accessories that you can add to turn it into the ultimate lifestyle vehicle.

The aforementioned side steps are on the list, along with a selection of the following:

• Rock sliders to protect the sills on tough ground
• LED light bar that goes on the roof rack or cross bars
• Cyclone pre-cleaner – an air filter that attaches to the optional raised air intake
• Removeable rear winch
• Recovery kit, with shackles, straps, a pulley and gloves
• Seat covers
• Rubber or carpet floor mats
• Loadspace divider
• Tailgate table
• Tie-down rings
• Roof rack with side awnings, spare wheel carrier, jerry can mount, shovel, surfboard carrier and more
• Cargo box
• Kayak mount
• Bike carrier

The Grenadier is a brand-new vehicle from a brand-new company, so there is no heritage to look back on as far as reliability is concerned.

The two engines are present in a range of high-end BMWs, such as the 5 Series, 7 Series, X5, X7 and more so they are certainly tried and tested. The same goes for the automatic gearbox, so Ineos has fitted well-established components at the heart of its new vehicle.

As for the rest of it, more time and mileage is needed to see if the Grenadier holds up in the face of the level of abuse that Ineos claims it is able to withstand.

• Good level of standard kit
• Some driver assistance tech

The Grenadier comes with pretty much all its available safety kit as standard. Very little is optional, and even then it is not anything that is core active or passive safety kit.

There are front, side and curtain airbags included while it also gets Intelligent Speed Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking and Driver Drowsiness Detection all standard. An alarm and immobiliser are also included too.

One small detail that is bespoke to the Grenadier is the so-called ‘Toot Button.’ This is a button that produces a quiet blip of the horn, intended to alert cyclists to your presence without blasting a loud ‘parp’ at them.