INEOS Grenadier: An off-roader with the power to get the job done

So, you’ve seen the Grenadier’s exterior, and judging by the responses we’ve seen, it met with your approval. But some of the questions that we saw time and again in the comments sections were “What’s the engine like?” and “Will it have enough power?”

 

The latest update suggests that the answer to the latter of the two questions is a resounding “yes.” Rather than starting from scratch and building a new engine, and dealing with all the red tape that comes with complying with emissions regulations, INEOS took the decision to go with an ‘off-the-shelf’ option that they could then tune and tweak to ensure that it was up to the job.

 

The equipment required to monitor the engine in the tuning process

The engine that they chose is a 3 litre straight six engine built by BMW. In addition to avoiding all the paperwork involved in creating an engine from the ground up, the BMW engine offers a tried and tested reliability. A 3 litre engine sounds quite large in an age when car engines are generally shrinking, but George Fuchs of Magna Steyr, the company that INEOS has enlisted to help with developing both the engine and the transmission, says that an engine of this size delivers the torque and power that is needed for the working life for which the Grenadier is engineered, as well as offering lots of flexibility.

 

As anyone who’s visited a hilly shoot on a wet day will know, the most important thing for a hardworking off-roader to have is lots of torque at low revs, something which becomes especially important if you’re towing or dealing with challenging terrain. 

 

Choosing an off-the-shelf option isn’t simply a question of ‘drop it in and start her up’. By the time the Grenadier is available to buy there will have been a three year programme of testing and calibration, in a range of challenging environments, looking at everything from temperature and cooling to fuel supply and the exhaust system. There’s still a year of testing to go, but by the time they’re done, the Grenadier will have done around 1.8 million test kilometers.

 

The off-road engineering giant Magna are not only working on the engine, but also on the transmission. The Grenadier will have an automatic gearbox, which INEOS’s Engineering Project Manager Job Zwollo says offers the greatest functionality for both experienced off-road drivers and less experienced users as well. The 8-speed gearbox is fitted with a torque converter to help prevent stalls and to generate more torque. It will have a ‘manual mode’, allowing users to select and keep a gear, for those that want it.  If the Grenadier looks and sounds like the off-roader for you, sign up to be part of the journey.  With exclusive updates, you'll be the first to hear as further details are released.

 

 

According to Zwollo, one of the most important parts of the entire Grenadier project has been developing the transfer case, a part of the drivetrain that gets power from the transmission to the front and rear axles. “It is what makes the Grenadier a 4X4. If you don’t get it right the off-road performance isn’t as good as it should be. We want the Grenadier to be ‘best in class’, so the transfer case has to be as well. The transfer case in the Grenadier will offer permanent 4WD, but will allow the user to manually select high or low range, as well as having a manual differential. This system, says Zwollo, is not only practical, but also hardwearing.

 

Over the next year there will be over 100 prototype Grenadiers undergoing testing in all kinds of conditions, from hot weather to cold, and in a variety of on- and off-road situations to calibrate and refine the systems - I think the mot juste is “rigorous”.
 

 

With every new snippet of information that INEOS release we get increasingly excited to actually get behind the wheel of a Grenadier… it's a fair way off, but there’s more info still to come. Let us know what you think of this latest news below.

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