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.
What kind of truck do you recommend for people who pretend to work but can’t afford to do so?
Asking for a co-irker….
What kind of truck do you recommend for people who pretend to work but can’t afford to do so?
Asking for a co-irker….
Euro pallets being a little smaller, will standard pallets also fit? Was the adjective used to give euro flavor? Or?
The Euro-pallet is 31.5 in × 47.2 in × 5.7 in. Also known as the EUR/EPAL-pallet. I hope this helps!
I expect my Euro stats in mm lol. 800 mm × 1,200 mm × 144 mm
If it’s British, the measurements are probably metric on one side and imperial on the other
yeah it was kinda of a bad joke. they are almost the same exact size as far as fitting in the bed. I would be shocked if a “standard” pallet wouldn’t fit, so why bring up a pallet that my us-centric knowledge base didn’t know about? made it sound very different by saying it was different. so I thought if the writer is mentioning a euro pallet it was different in a meaningful way. but it almost the same. maybe I pay to much attention.
Euro pallets being a little smaller, will standard pallets also fit? Was the adjective used to give euro flavor? Or?
The Euro-pallet is 31.5 in × 47.2 in × 5.7 in. Also known as the EUR/EPAL-pallet. I hope this helps!
I expect my Euro stats in mm lol. 800 mm × 1,200 mm × 144 mm
If it’s British, the measurements are probably metric on one side and imperial on the other
yeah it was kinda of a bad joke. they are almost the same exact size as far as fitting in the bed. I would be shocked if a “standard” pallet wouldn’t fit, so why bring up a pallet that my us-centric knowledge base didn’t know about? made it sound very different by saying it was different. so I thought if the writer is mentioning a euro pallet it was different in a meaningful way. but it almost the same. maybe I pay to much attention.
Wait, how much does this piece of shit cost?
Call it a piece of shit if you like, but these things will be flying off the lots. This is a Jeep for people who are too good for a Jeep, don’t want a Bronco and have already had a Land Rover, but don’t want to be identified as one of “those” people.
The Ineos shopper is different. Not like the other guys wearing fleece vests and dress shirts. They could have bought a Porsche, but need something that shows everyone something (not really sure what, I can’t get into this mindset).
it is the old toyota reputation/idea taken all the way. It is unbreakable (we will see) farm implement like, not great mileage, kinda odd ergomatics. cost more but like the yota’s should not depreciate much over time. unless it has an issue like the new toyotas…
Wait, how much does this piece of shit cost?
Call it a piece of shit if you like, but these things will be flying off the lots. This is a Jeep for people who are too good for a Jeep, don’t want a Bronco and have already had a Land Rover, but don’t want to be identified as one of “those” people.
The Ineos shopper is different. Not like the other guys wearing fleece vests and dress shirts. They could have bought a Porsche, but need something that shows everyone something (not really sure what, I can’t get into this mindset).
it is the old toyota reputation/idea taken all the way. It is unbreakable (we will see) farm implement like, not great mileage, kinda odd ergomatics. cost more but like the yota’s should not depreciate much over time. unless it has an issue like the new toyotas…
“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.”
I think you meant feet here rather than inches?
Yes, thanks, it’s a mistake. Jason will fix it when he can, because I can’t access it, and David is on a cruise at the moment.
a cruise? forget about fancy kristen, super fancy david. what is he test driving?
“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.”
I think you meant feet here rather than inches?
Yes, thanks, it’s a mistake. Jason will fix it when he can, because I can’t access it, and David is on a cruise at the moment.
a cruise? forget about fancy kristen, super fancy david. what is he test driving?
I’d buy one of these before I’d buy another Land Rover. And I will never buy another Land Rover. Sounds like Suzuki wins….
It’s Jimny time.
I’d buy one of these before I’d buy another Land Rover. And I will never buy another Land Rover. Sounds like Suzuki wins….
It’s Jimny time.
For those that would like a Gladiator, but feel that its quality, refinement, development, and fit and finish are too good for them.
I’m not following here. The Grenadier has been widely praised for being built like an absolute tank. Fit and finish have been complemented as well.
The B58 BMW engine has proven very reliable (notably NOT the one found in the M cars, which has not been), and this one is detuned, so even lower stress.
This is better quality than the Gladiator in every way. Whether the price premium for that is worth it to buyers is another discussion entirely.
For those that would like a Gladiator, but feel that its quality, refinement, development, and fit and finish are too good for them.
I’m not following here. The Grenadier has been widely praised for being built like an absolute tank. Fit and finish have been complemented as well.
The B58 BMW engine has proven very reliable (notably NOT the one found in the M cars, which has not been), and this one is detuned, so even lower stress.
This is better quality than the Gladiator in every way. Whether the price premium for that is worth it to buyers is another discussion entirely.
My very first thought seeing the images of this truck and “Sir Jim” was that Jim from Wild Kingdom finally got tired of doing Marlin Perkins’ dirty work, struck out on his own and hit the big time.
Man, now I feel old….
My very first thought seeing the images of this truck and “Sir Jim” was that Jim from Wild Kingdom finally got tired of doing Marlin Perkins’ dirty work, struck out on his own and hit the big time.
Man, now I feel old….
The title of this article really nails it…these things are a joke 100 different ways
The title of this article really nails it…these things are a joke 100 different ways
I see the Editor was on vacation…
“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.”
At this point, you might try to see if Nibbles is available for hire from that other online car rag.
I see the Editor was on vacation…
“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.”
At this point, you might try to see if Nibbles is available for hire from that other online car rag.
This seems like the kind of thing that might still come with BSW fasteners. I don’t have enough exotic animal heads on the walls of my trophy room for this.
This seems like the kind of thing that might still come with BSW fasteners. I don’t have enough exotic animal heads on the walls of my trophy room for this.
The pictographs for the differential lock buttons seem to be reversed from what the type above the buttons say.
That’s what happens when you use boat designers and not car designers.
We all float down here.
The front axle is represented by wheels at a steered angle, so they’re correct, but facing the opposite direction from what any normal and even plenty of weird people would choose. I’m pretty sure that’s going to be added to DSM-6 as a sure sign of psychopathy along with a preference for crunchy peanut butter.
You go too far! Crunchy peanut butter is a delight to the senses, bringing texture and delight to all those who eat it. I bet you’re in league with Big Creamy, yes, that’s what I think.
The pictographs for the differential lock buttons seem to be reversed from what the type above the buttons say.
That’s what happens when you use boat designers and not car designers.
We all float down here.
The front axle is represented by wheels at a steered angle, so they’re correct, but facing the opposite direction from what any normal and even plenty of weird people would choose. I’m pretty sure that’s going to be added to DSM-6 as a sure sign of psychopathy along with a preference for crunchy peanut butter.
You go too far! Crunchy peanut butter is a delight to the senses, bringing texture and delight to all those who eat it. I bet you’re in league with Big Creamy, yes, that’s what I think.
If I was looking to buy a rich boy off-road toy, I’d rather have a Legacy Power Wagon Conversion than an Ineos.
If I was looking to buy a rich boy off-road toy, I’d rather have a Legacy Power Wagon Conversion than an Ineos.
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.