One thing we should remember about the unique new offroaders made by industrial giant Ineos is that these are Sir Jim’s cars. By that I mean the team behind them refers to their boss, Jim Ratcliffe, as Sir Jim. The second Ineos Automotive model, the Quartermaster, is the longer-wheelbase BMW-engined pickup truck I never expected to see. Yet here we are, enjoying the results of a lot of work financed by a 4×4-loving billionaire in Europe.
I’ve indeed been fascinated by the progress of Ineos Automotive since day one. Depending on who you ask, Sir Jim Ratcliffe happens to be the wealthiest or perhaps only the second richest person in the United Kingdom, due to his Ineos Group empire, which includes 39 businesses with 183 sites and 25,000 employees in 29 countries, resulting in a combined annual revenue of something like $19 billion in 2023.
No wonder Sir Jim could invest in an automotive startup, reminding the general public that launching a new car brand from zero remains a billionaires’ game.
What Is The Quartermaster?
The Quartermaster is basically the “truck” version of the one existing Ineos platform, but the difference is bigger than slapping a bed on the existing truck. This has a 12-inch longer wheelbase than the Grenadier Station Wagon David also got to drive, translating to a 127-inch wheelbase and an overall length of 214 inches. That’s long enough so the bed could easily accommodate a euro pallet alongside several other bulky items. It’s also close to being 84.5 inches wide, including the mirrors, and 79.5 inches tall, standing on a track width of 64.76 inches.
I got to drive the new overlanding pickup truck on nice mountain roads and rocky forest trails by grabbing the sudden opportunity to join the Italian media group in Tuscany. Before this pickup first drive event, I’d only driven the Station Wagon briefly at a mild off-road track, where one of the journalists tricked by the Grenadier’s unusually slow recirculating ball steering mechanism drove the truck slightly into a tree. Thank the design team for the modular bumpers, which are cheaper to fix after a mishap.
Some say the Ineos Grenadier looks like the latest Land Rover Defender could have, in case JLR went down the conservative route with the trusty latter frame and solid beam axles instead of the unibody construction, air suspension, and retro shape we got. Ineos says the reassuring form of the Grenadier is the result of outside-the-box thinking, not having to hold back due to common platform or brand image concerns, all thanks to exterior designer Toby Ecuyer, who came to Ineos from the world of luxury yachts.
I would argue that the real origin of this body shape is the taste of Sir Jim, who owns the very first Land Rover ever made, known as JUE, and wanted to purchase the old Defender production line from JLR before hitting a wall and realizing that designing a brand new utility truck with the help of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class producers at Magna in Austria is a much more reasonable business proposition, especially given his self-funded budget.
The British motoring press seemed especially harsh towards the Ineos Grenadier project. However, I believe that has to do with the early prototypes not being quite up to the job, plus the questionable steering setup alongside Jim Ratcliffe’s political stance and promised UK production that was quickly moved to France (and thus the European Union) instead. The Ineos car factory is not just any plant, but the former Smartville complex of Daimler in Hambach, where Mercedes-Benz made a €500 million investment to build bigger vehicles before Ineos added another €150 million as part of their complete takeover of the freshly upgraded plant. Somebody made a cracking deal.
I was told that in Hambach, 1,300 employees produce around 120-140 trucks daily in two shifts. Often classified as commercial vehicles for tax reasons, Ineos will also be happy to sell the Chassis Cab variant soon. That is essentially the Quartermaster pickup truck without the factory bed. We could already sample the possibilities granted by the Chassis Cab option since Ineos bought safari vehicle specialist Kavango Engineering in Botswana. Using this platform, the Grenadier can easily be a specialist vehicle, not unlike the Land Cruiser J70, old Land Rover Defenders, military-spec Mercedes-Benz G-Classes, and certain heavy-duty pickup trucks all around the globe.
How Is It Different From The Grenadier?
At their core, the Station Wagon and the Quartermaster are the same on different wheelbases and with two body styles. While the powertrains come from BMW and ZF, with both six-cylinder engines and the 8-speed automatic gearbox tuned to suit this application, the Ineos-designed 2.5-to-1 ratio two-speed transfer case is a Tremec product. The solid-beam axles are by Carraro, the Italian agricultural machinery specialist. Each axle weighs some 330 pounds and uses kingpins instead of ball joints, with Ineos claiming you don’t need to worry about banging them into anything. Bosch supplies the steering system and other major mechanical and electrical parts. The progressive rate coil springs come from German motorsport legend Eibach, while the seats (that can be fabric or leather) are proper Recaros. In many ways, the Grenadier is like a cherry-picked Lego set. Magna produced the prototypes, Ineos developed the final product, and Sir Jim’s crew ensured that your options remained flexible regardless of which basic trim level you went with.
That’s why my Quartermaster test car could be the lifestyle-oriented (meaning 18-inch alloy wheels, leather seats, and no front- and rear differential locks) Fieldmaster version still optioned with the Rough Pack, which brought BFGoodrich T/A KO2 tires, the differential locks plus heavy-duty flooring to this Queen’s Red Metallic pickup. As you can probably tell from the pictures, the truck was also equipped with the removable Safari windows and the factory front winch option, supplied by the UK’s Red Winches. The Grenadiers’ interior is hoseable, thanks to the rubber-sealed instrument panel and the drain holes in the flooring. This spec is also how one creates a tough cookie with the leather Recaros.
Have I talked enough about the components already? It’s heavy metal where it counts for sure, truly built to last by the feel of it. Ineos uses a combination of fully galvanized steel and aluminum, with a ladder frame that’s powder coated and cavity waxed. This exposed frame is also available in three colors, including the fan-favorite red.
What It’s Like To Drive
As far as the initial driving impressions go, the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is a long boy with a pronounced off-road focus, clearly emphasized on normal roads by the setup of the hydraulic recirculating ball steering box. This has managed to surprise even the most experienced members of the esteemed Italian motoring press, as I’ve never seen so many unexpected 3-point turns taken on a press launch.
In case you’re wondering, the Jeep Wrangler’s similarly old-school steering system feels tighter at road speeds. The Ineos Grenadier Station and Utility Wagons have 3.85 turns between locks for a curb-to-curb turning circle of 44.29 inches. Meanwhile, the longer wheelbase Quartermaster pickup needs a 47.57-inch radius. To compare, the Jeep Gladiator’s turning circle is 44.7 inches.
BMW’s much-loved B58 inline-six gasoline turbo is rated at 286 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, yet that won’t make such a large pickup a performance proposition. The Grenadier Quartermaster weighs 5,875 pounds before options, so with the eight-speed torque converter, acceleration from zero to 62 mph is claimed at 8.8 seconds. I wouldn’t call it lazy, but the Quartermaster feels slower than a few other trucks at this price range, not to mention that it consumed more fuel in the process than the 335-horsepower Ford Bronco Badlands I recently had for an off-roading weekend. Burning gas, the Quartermaster is rated at 18.9 mpg. This can be improved wherever the diesel engine is available.
Payload with the lighter gasoline engine is at 1,840 pounds, and with its utility belt integrated into the doors and tailgate willing to take on 496 pounds, the Ineos pickup truck will haul your load pretty much wherever you want to take it. These trucks have a wading depth of 31.5 inches, sporting a 35.5-degree approach angle, 22.6-degree departure angle, and 26.2-degree breakover angle. Compared to how a modern Defender behaves in the rough, Ineos says the difference is that you’ll feel everything you do in an Ineos, with that mechanical feedback translating to more control, improved reliability, and a more satisfying driving experience overall.
During the long development of these trucks, Ineos covered 1.1 million test miles around the globe, taking the Station wagon and the Quartermaster through several desert adventures. The unique, almost helicopter-like interior with the pre-wired axillary switchboard and the off-road functions that can only be activated by double-tapping the weather-sealed buttons all point toward a gentle suggestion to leave the tarmac whenever possible.
Taking the longer route, doing it the harder way to see the world from a new perspective. Even lacking complicated portal axles, the recirculating ball steering system allows for better wheel articulation. Often without activating its differential locks, the Quartermaster felt both unstoppable and oversized through the tight Toscanian forest trails chosen by Ineos Automotive.
Purpose-driven, well-equipped, unique, and tough as nails. The Quartermaster has an easy-to-like character with plenty of factory and third-party accessories to choose from. That’s half the ticket already in the overlanding scene, and there’s no denying that a lot of thought went into these.
Even with the excellent Recaro seats, I wouldn’t necessarily drive a Grenadier thousands of miles on highways. There are better 4x4s for that job. However, the long-wheelbase Quartermaster’s good ride and comfort features combined with its purpose-driven simplicity make for an intriguing companion in a truck you can trust to take you where few vehicles could survive.
I certainly don’t need a huge pickup where I live, but given the means, I would grab a Grenadier Station Wagon for its Safari windows alone. If you need to haul more, just try out the wildest truck Europe could come up with in decades, optionally ordering your Grenadier Quartermaster in Trailmaster form with the Eldoret Blue body over the Halo Red contrast ladder frame chassis. In my book, such a British-designed, French-made, German-powered, and Italian-bottomed pickup truck is bonkers enough from the factory, and ready to get muddier than the most seasoned of Series Land Rovers. I believe that must have been the brief by Sir Jim.
There’s a dealer like 15 mins from me here in Seattle, starting to see these things popping up all over.
they *seem* less douchey than G-Wagens, but man, they definitely stand out.
I see a lot of them in my town as well. They all seem to be driven by soft-spoken retired professor types. Like the kind of person that bought a Saab when all their friends bought Corvettes.
I really dig these and love that I’m starting to see them around
I really dig these and love that I’m starting to see them around
Mate, great stuff. Do you have details on the axles? I am curious what the dimensions of the internals are (ring gear size, axle shaft size, spline number) as well as what kind of a u-joint they are using for the steer axle. It looks closed knuckle so I would guess some kind of CV.
Thanks! What I know is that they are Carraro Beam Axles, and Magna recommended Carraro to Ineos, since they’ve been using them for other vehicles. Magna makes not only the G-Class, but also a bunch of military and specialty off-road vehicles. Ineos Carraro axle specs include Dana CV joints, Tremac axles inside the differential housings and 220mm crown wheels.
220mm, awesome. For the front I assume.
Mate, great stuff. Do you have details on the axles? I am curious what the dimensions of the internals are (ring gear size, axle shaft size, spline number) as well as what kind of a u-joint they are using for the steer axle. It looks closed knuckle so I would guess some kind of CV.
Thanks! What I know is that they are Carraro Beam Axles, and Magna recommended Carraro to Ineos, since they’ve been using them for other vehicles. Magna makes not only the G-Class, but also a bunch of military and specialty off-road vehicles. Ineos Carraro axle specs include Dana CV joints, Tremac axles inside the differential housings and 220mm crown wheels.
220mm, awesome. For the front I assume.
I have now seen as many Grenadiers in the wild as I have Cybertrucks. I like them and look forward to seeing the Quartermaster out and about somewhere.
I have now seen as many Grenadiers in the wild as I have Cybertrucks. I like them and look forward to seeing the Quartermaster out and about somewhere.
With all his wealth derived from trade, no doubt, which numerous British novels from the 18th century to the early 20th have told us is vulgar, albeit grudgingly admitted to be necessary, if only to have someone to marry who cann afford to save the family’s country house. Far better to have your money come from land, but if you can’t quite manage that, then plopping down a pile for a slice of Chipping Norton and an Ineos once you’ve catered to the kinks of enough emirs and laundered enough dodgy money for the Rooskis and a few Latin American pharmaceutical titans will have to do.
As someone who grew up in that neck of the woods, your characterisation of Chipping Norton as being full of rich people is…pretty accurate really.
Although it’s more of a Range Rover kind of place than Defender/Grenadier
With all his wealth derived from trade, no doubt, which numerous British novels from the 18th century to the early 20th have told us is vulgar, albeit grudgingly admitted to be necessary, if only to have someone to marry who cann afford to save the family’s country house. Far better to have your money come from land, but if you can’t quite manage that, then plopping down a pile for a slice of Chipping Norton and an Ineos once you’ve catered to the kinks of enough emirs and laundered enough dodgy money for the Rooskis and a few Latin American pharmaceutical titans will have to do.
As someone who grew up in that neck of the woods, your characterisation of Chipping Norton as being full of rich people is…pretty accurate really.
Although it’s more of a Range Rover kind of place than Defender/Grenadier
While I think these are cool, I do have to wonder about part supplies down the road. The BMW engine and ZF transmission shouldn’t be a big deal, but stuff like the axles and bespoke interior bits could pose a problem when things break in the future. I have a friend who has this on his list of vehicles to buy once his local dealer gets one in stock, but the part availability is the one thing giving him pause. His dealer didn’t really have much of an answer for his concerns, except to say “It shouldn’t be an issue once we start getting them in”. While not as bad as Lucid, it’s still a fair amount of money to roll the dice on for a vehicle that could be orphaned in a year or two.
I don’t think parts supplies should be an issue in Europe, while in the US, it’s pretty much up to the dealer network, I guess. It won’t be as easy as with an American truck, sure, yet Bosch is a major player and a main parts supplier. As for the axles, those are made by a tractor specialist, and they have been at it since 1977. Also, shouldn’t break much.
Right, and the lack of dealer network is really the concern for my friend, especially since it sounds like the dealers barely have parts for vehicles already on the market. I would love for Ineos to succeed, but being a new manufacturer means teething issues are a very real thing (just look at Ford who has been making cars longer than nearly everybody else).
I personally wouldn’t mind buying one of these after significant depreciation makes it affordable for me in ten years, but only if replacement parts are available so I don’t land myself in another “nothing more expensive than a cheap German car”-style debacle.
While I think these are cool, I do have to wonder about part supplies down the road. The BMW engine and ZF transmission shouldn’t be a big deal, but stuff like the axles and bespoke interior bits could pose a problem when things break in the future. I have a friend who has this on his list of vehicles to buy once his local dealer gets one in stock, but the part availability is the one thing giving him pause. His dealer didn’t really have much of an answer for his concerns, except to say “It shouldn’t be an issue once we start getting them in”. While not as bad as Lucid, it’s still a fair amount of money to roll the dice on for a vehicle that could be orphaned in a year or two.
I don’t think parts supplies should be an issue in Europe, while in the US, it’s pretty much up to the dealer network, I guess. It won’t be as easy as with an American truck, sure, yet Bosch is a major player and a main parts supplier. As for the axles, those are made by a tractor specialist, and they have been at it since 1977. Also, shouldn’t break much.
Right, and the lack of dealer network is really the concern for my friend, especially since it sounds like the dealers barely have parts for vehicles already on the market. I would love for Ineos to succeed, but being a new manufacturer means teething issues are a very real thing (just look at Ford who has been making cars longer than nearly everybody else).
I personally wouldn’t mind buying one of these after significant depreciation makes it affordable for me in ten years, but only if replacement parts are available so I don’t land myself in another “nothing more expensive than a cheap German car”-style debacle.
They should’ve used the LSX Connect and Cruise as the gas/petrol option, and the Cummins 2.8 as the diesel option 😛
They should’ve used the LSX Connect and Cruise as the gas/petrol option, and the Cummins 2.8 as the diesel option 😛
Zing! I think that headline sums up this vehicle’s niche quite well though.
I’m curious to see whether these Ineos trucks end up selling in sufficient volume to depreciate and become reasonable on the used market, or if they’ll always be low-volume, high-cost curiosities.
Zing! I think that headline sums up this vehicle’s niche quite well though.
I’m curious to see whether these Ineos trucks end up selling in sufficient volume to depreciate and become reasonable on the used market, or if they’ll always be low-volume, high-cost curiosities.
Going to assume the use of “Sir Jim” was done in a mocking tone.
Going to assume the use of “Sir Jim” was done in a mocking tone.
Coming soon to Clarkson’s Farm
Coming soon to Clarkson’s Farm
Guy down the street from me just recently got a Grenadier. First time I drove by and saw it I just assumed it was some tarted-up G Wagen. When I saw it afterwards while walking by it I saw the name and immediately had to hit up Google as I had never heard of the brand or model
Ask him what’s it like to have.
Agreed. With the Toyota twin-turbo truck V6 woes, I feel like a lightly optioned version of the Grenadier is a possible (though obvious quite different experience) to the Lexus GX550.
Guy down the street from me just recently got a Grenadier. First time I drove by and saw it I just assumed it was some tarted-up G Wagen. When I saw it afterwards while walking by it I saw the name and immediately had to hit up Google as I had never heard of the brand or model
Ask him what’s it like to have.
Agreed. With the Toyota twin-turbo truck V6 woes, I feel like a lightly optioned version of the Grenadier is a possible (though obvious quite different experience) to the Lexus GX550.
Pretend? I’ll have you know I’ve chopped more wood at the lake than you will ever know!
Pretend? I’ll have you know I’ve chopped more wood at the lake than you will ever know!
he was legitately knighted though, wasn’t he?
Indeed, he is Sir Jim the proper way.
I wonder how much a GBE or KBE costs these days? Regardless of his rank, given the nature of his trucks, Sir Jim is obviously not a Green knight.
A peerage is about three million quid. Allegedly.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/want-a-seat-in-the-house-of-lords-be-tory-treasurer-and-donate-3m/
He can legitimately fuck off into the sea as far as I’m concerned.
Counterpoint: he has loosened the grip of those fuckin’ Glazers.
I hope the whole thing continues to be a flaming dumpster fire and consumes vast amounts of money for no return, They all deserve each other.
Mind giving a brief rundown on the beef with him? Had never heard the name until these vehicles started to be talked about
Union Jack waving loon who vociferously championed Brexit while promising the Genadier would be built and engineered in the UK, all the while living in Monaco so he doesn’t have to pay any taxes. He only made this stupid vanity truck out of spite because JLR wouldn’t allow him a licence to continue building the original Defender.
yeah, this makes more sense than how the article describes why he built it. a rich guy who can do whatever he wants and did. the specs are sick, I’d like a cutaway to put a composite camper box on the back
he was legitately knighted though, wasn’t he?
Indeed, he is Sir Jim the proper way.
I wonder how much a GBE or KBE costs these days? Regardless of his rank, given the nature of his trucks, Sir Jim is obviously not a Green knight.
A peerage is about three million quid. Allegedly.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/want-a-seat-in-the-house-of-lords-be-tory-treasurer-and-donate-3m/
He can legitimately fuck off into the sea as far as I’m concerned.
Counterpoint: he has loosened the grip of those fuckin’ Glazers.
I hope the whole thing continues to be a flaming dumpster fire and consumes vast amounts of money for no return, They all deserve each other.
Mind giving a brief rundown on the beef with him? Had never heard the name until these vehicles started to be talked about
Union Jack waving loon who vociferously championed Brexit while promising the Genadier would be built and engineered in the UK, all the while living in Monaco so he doesn’t have to pay any taxes. He only made this stupid vanity truck out of spite because JLR wouldn’t allow him a licence to continue building the original Defender.
yeah, this makes more sense than how the article describes why he built it. a rich guy who can do whatever he wants and did. the specs are sick, I’d like a cutaway to put a composite camper box on the back