EXCLUSIVE: Our first look at the INEOS Grenadier

Ever since I first heard about the INEOS Grenadier project I’ve been fascinated. A vehicle that would follow in the wheel tracks of the great 4x4s of the past, and more specifically, one that would fill the non-nonsense, minimal-tech, high-capability boots of the Land Rover Defender… of course I was interested! Since then, we have been following the story of the Grenadier’s development, chapter by chapter. From the chassis to the drivetrain and the wheels, each new information drop has amped up that level of interest. 

Last July we got our first glimpse of the vehicle’s exterior - an exciting moment. But photos will only get you so far. Ever since we published those first pictures, I’ve been desperate to see a Grenadier “in real life.” Recently, along with a focus group of shoot managers, keepers and farmers, I got to do just that.

Our first look at a real Grenadier

Now, it must be said that there are currently only two Grenadiers in the world, barring the testing vehicles, so this was a real honour. The team behind the Grenadier are clear that they want the vehicle to be a hard working machine, and that the shooting and gamekeeping community are very much the in target audience, something that this opportunity reflects.

It must also be said that this is such exclusive access that we are getting to see the Grenadier before it's properly finished: the machine we had on the day was still pretty spartan inside, packed with testing equipment. But that in no way detracted from the impact of seeing the car in the flesh for the first time. It is an imposing beast, standing pretty square, boxy and tall, with plenty of ground clearance and giving an impression of indestructibility and unstoppability. 

What do farmers and gamekeepers think of the Grenadier?

The idea behind the day was to put the Grenadier in front of the kinds of people who INEOS Automotive, owners of the Grenadier project, intend will use the vehicle - farmers, shoot owners, guns and gamekeepers. A film crew were on hand to capture their impressions, and you can see the resulting film below.

We were kindly hosted on the day by the Smith family, a farming clan with fingers in a variety of pies. The mixed farm is home to their private family shoot, while Ben, a former shooting instructor at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School, not only helps out with the agricultural side of things, but also runs a small sporting agency, as well as simulated game days and a shooting school on the farm. We also were joined by Phil, who does the gamekeeping for the private shoot. Several of the farm’s workers also dropped in to ogle the Grenadier.

Anyone who has spent a lot of time around farmers, farm labourers and gamekeepers knows that they’re not an easily impressed bunch, and are all too aware that vehicles need to be pretty tough to survive the trials and challenges of the rural life, so their initial reaction wasn’t gushing praise, more curiosity. It would be fair to say that the representative from INEOS Grenadier got a grilling about what the vehicle would be capable of and the specs, but by the end they were all sounding increasingly excited, dare I say enthused.

How much can the Grenadier carry, and can you use it as a rifle-rest?

The carrying and towing capacity were of particular interest, for obvious reasons, and the people present seemed excited about the vast rear cargo area, which is capable of accommodating a euro-pallet. Having spent plenty of summers corn carting on the family farm and others, I know the importance of a tea break , so I wasn’t particularly surprised when the “seat” on the front bumper met with approval. I was also not surprised when Phil mimed resting a rifle on the wing mirror, declaring it ‘perfect’ for the job of controling foxes around the shoot or taking the odd deer.

That was a great example of things that car manufacturers can’t possibly know to consider when designing their vehicles, but that can make all the difference to the utility of their product and how fondly people think of them. I heard at least two of the assembled crew ask when they would be available to buy. If you want to be first in the queue when they go on sale, and be kept up to date, you can sign up for excusive updates.

My first impressions of the Grenadier

As a soft-handed Londoner, I don’t currently have very great need for a big, rough-and-tumble off-roader. But with my twins now a year old and space in my flat becoming increasingly filled with the detritus of childhood, my wife and I plan to move to the countryside within the next year, so I was looking at the vehicle with slightly different eyes.

Whether its for sacks of wheat, dogs, clay traps, or oversized baby-transport - the Grenadier does not lack cargo-capacity!

When that happens, I’ll be after a vehicle that can double up as a school-run and station wagon, and as a vehicle for use on shoot days and around the family farm. Where the chaps were thinking of how many sacks of pheasant feed or fence posts they could get in the back, and Ben was working out how many clay traps he could get in there, I was making calculations about how much space would remain in the boot once The Beast, our ‘over-and-under’ twin buggy, was loaded in. By my reckoning, we could have another set of twins (not that this is at all the plan!) and still have room in the back for wellies, changes of clothes and all the other stuff without which it is now impossible for us to leave the house.

Feedback from those on the ground

This day was not a PR exercise. The vehicle is still in the testing stage, so there is still plenty of time for design points to be tweaked, and throughout the day the INEOS Automotive representative was keen to understand more about how and why our focus group of rural workers would use the Grenadier, and to gain insights (like the wing mirror-cum-rifle-rest) as to what they need from a vehicle.

Pretty soon, we’re going to get our first look at the interior of the Grenadier, which we are all very excited about. We’ll be bringing you that news as soon as the images drop, but in the meantime, make sure you register your interest in the Grenadier project to get exclusive behind-the-scenes access and updates.
 

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This article is part of an ongoing partnership between GunsOnPegs and INEOS Grenadier. To find out more about our partnership visit The Grenadier Hub.