Ineos Grenadier Trialmaster long-term test: as tough as it is thirsty

Verdict

If the Grenadier was rated solely on its off-road credentials, I’d give it five stars. I don’t think there’s another new car available that can match its off-road talents straight out of the box. The trip across the country to Wales proved it’s a capable long-distance machine, too, although the economy even at cruising speeds is enough to make most people wince.

• Mileage: 11,943
• Efficiency: 22.4mpg

If there’s one thing that the Ineos Grenadier does really well – and some would say it’s at the expense of all else – it’s off-road driving. So when Ineos offered me the chance to take our Grenadier off the beaten track on one of the most spectacular off-road routes in the UK, the Strata Florida in mid-Wales, they didn’t have to ask me twice. Even driving the 260 or so miles to Wales didn’t put me off. 

21

Having already taken it on a mammoth motorway trek to Scotland over Christmas, I know that the second-best thing the Grenadier is good at is long-distance cruising. It’s where it manages its best fuel economy, too, although a return of around 24mpg isn’t anything to write home about.

The Strata Florida (Latin for the Valley of Flowers) is a byway that runs through stunning Ceredigion countryside and features challenging terrain. It’s a popular spot for off-roading, but given that the lanes are shared with walkers and farmers – not to mention sheep – it’s no off-road Dakar challenge, and you need to tread as lightly as possible to minimise the impact. How lightly you can tread in a 2.7-tonne 4x4 is open to debate, but we stuck to the tracks of past visitors, and made sure our convoy of half a dozen Grenadiers and Quartermaster pick-ups stuck together through every ford, along every rutted path and over every rocky step. 

One particular highlight of the route is the Bomb Hole. The deep crater is marked by a pine tree, and features a drop into a pool below, which is a lot steeper than it looks in pictures. The Grenadier took the slope in its stride. Using low-range gears and the off-road ESP settings, it crept down without slipping a wheel or catching any bodywork, even when levelling out at the bottom of the slope. And that was despite the fact that I couldn’t see where the path went because the car’s roof was blocking my view on the way down.

You can show off-road information, such as your angle of attack when you’re coming down such a steep slope, or how much lean there is when you’re traversing a side slope, on the Grenadier’s central screen. But if you’re driving, the concentration it takes to keep the Ineos pointing in the right direction means you’re not going to be seeing the big numbers that the Grenadier is capable of.

21

It took everything in its stride, although there was a slight issue with the heater not functioning for some of the route – not ideal on a freezing cold day. It turned out that the angles it had taken managed to create an air lock, but a massage of the hoses under the bonnet was all it took to release the pressure, demonstrating the Grenadier’s ‘fixability’ when you’re out in the wilds. 

The sticky lock issue reported previously has also been resolved. More grease was added to the mechanism to ensure the buttons pop out when the door handles are used, and other affected cars will get the same treatment.

Ineos Grenadier Trialmaster long-term test: first fleetwatch

21

Shorter passengers need help getting into the Ineos Grenadier due to its 264mm of ground clearance

One thing the Ineos Grenadier does well is off-roading, and it has 264mm of ground clearance to help that. But it means access is tricky for shorter passengers. Ineos offers side runners as a £958 option, but our car has sturdy £1,119 rock sliders fitted instead. I’ve added my own accessory to help, with a folding step becoming an addition to the boot. When it’s needed, I act as footman to my mother-in-law, ensuring that the step comes with us to our destination.

Ineos Grenadier Trialmaster : first report

21

Rugged off-roader shows its strengths on trip to Scotland

• Mileage: 7,434
• Efficiency: 23.2mpg

I don’t normally make a New Year’s resolution, but since I’m running an Ineos Grenadier for a few months, I’ve taken up weights by default, courtesy of the car’s steering. In an age where excessive power assistance means that even the largest models can be manoeuvred without using much more than a finger, the Grenadier’s hefty wheel takes some getting used to.

It’s still power assisted, but like the rest of the car, there’s a chunkiness to the wheel that you simply don’t get in any other vehicle on the road. Throw in the recirculating-ball set-up, and there’s a unique feel to the steering with hardly any self-centring. It means you have to wind off any lock you’ve added, plus driving while distracted is all but impossible, because it’s best to keep both hands on the wheel at all times to point the nose in the right direction.

The steering has come in for some criticism for its vagueness, but after spending more time with the car, including driving from Essex to Oban in Scotland and back over Christmas, I can verify that it’s something you become accustomed to, allowing you to focus on more positive elements of the Ineos.

Chief among those is the BMW-sourced powertrain. Our car has a 245bhp six-cylinder diesel, but of more importance is the 450Nm of torque on tap. It means the Grenadier is a gutsy performer, and the six-cylinder soundtrack adds to its appeal. Less impressive is its fuel economy, which averaged around 23.5mpg on my long Scottish excursion, and barely breaks 20mpg on urban trips. The fuel gauge is also pretty pessimistic about how far you’ll be able to travel on a tankful, with the low-fuel warning activating when there’s still a quarter of a tank remaining.

21

One plus point of the Grenadier that seems to appeal to many people is the way that it looks. I think it blends the best bits of the old Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes G-Class quite effectively, and so do most other drivers – I’ve even had waves from Defender drivers, although they might have been confused by what it was as I passed by...

One thing’s for certain, the Grenadier is made for winter. Our Trialmaster model has all-terrain tyres as standard for improved off-road grip, although it doesn’t suffer from the tyre roar that’s so often an issue on other cars fitted with this type of rubber.

Another highlight that we’re grateful for are the optional heated front seats (£365). I don’t think I’ve sat on anything hotter; clearly they’re designed to warm through multiple layers of winter clothing, further emphasising the car’s adventurous character.

Cabin space is good, with lots of room for my three-person family and luggage, although we recommend adding the optional side steps to help shorter and less able passengers climb up into the seats. Another niggle is that two of the push-button door handles have jammed open twice, making it impossible to latch the door shut – we’ll see if anything can be done to fix that. The doors need a good slam to close, too, again emphasising the car’s tough nature.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.