‘While Grenadier Commercial is in its element fording streams and wrestling with muddy


embankments, its performance on ordinary highways is not quite as captivating.’


At 796kg for the diesel – the model we


drove – the payload capacity is modest. Te 3.5-tonne towing capacity is far more impressive, and there is no gainsaying the ruggedness of Grenadier Commercial’s underpinnings. It comes with a box- section ladder-frame chassis with solid beam axles and five-link coil springs front and back. It is also worth noting that it can provide 5.5 tonnes of winching power which it can use to help recover other vehicles or pull itself out of a hole. Disc brakes are fitted all round and the


Grenadier Commercial is available with front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera and an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) package of safety devices including Automatic Emergency Braking, Intelligent Speed Assist and Lane Departure Warning. Go for the Rough Pack and you will benefit from differential locks front and rear and BF Goodrich all-terrain KO2 tyres. If you fancy a bit of luxury, then you can have the interior trimmed in leather. Off-road Grenadier Commercial’s


performance is quite extraordinary, as a tour of a damp off-road course in Surrey quickly revealed. Steep, slippery inclines and descents, deep clinging mud, rocks, unexpected thick tree roots and tight turns as we negotiated heavily-rutted tracks held no terrors for it whatsoever. In the rough, it’s the gift that just keeps on giving and seems able to go just about anywhere. Te front bumper is in in five sections so if you bash a boulder then it hopefully won’t need replacing in its entirety. While the Grenadier Commercial is in its element fording streams – wading depth is 800mm – and wrestling with muddy embankments, its performance on ordinary highways is not quite as captivating.


It happily towed a trailer laden with a mini-excavator without breathing hard – gross train weight is seven tonnes, and a tachograph can be fitted. However the steering is ponderous, and the lack of self-centring makes it awkward to use. It is quite capable of catching you out until you get used to its quirks, and we found we were constantly correcting it in order to remain on course. Performance is adequate but not outstanding and fuel economy is unimpressive. On the other hand, the Grenadier Commercial copes with the ridges and potholes that pepper the UK’s badly-maintained highways much better than we expected it to. It is not a cheap vehicle, and anyone looking to acquire one needs to be sure that they genuinely need and can make full use of its astounding off-road capabilities. Most businesses will, we suspect, find the (admittedly less-impressive) performance delivered by a 4x4 double-cab pick-up more than fulfils their needs – and at a far lower price. In response, INEOS insists that


the Grenadier Commercial has been engineered with a working life of 20 to 25 years in mind, and many Defenders of that vintage are of course still in service – so perhaps the steep invoice customers will face can be justified. A zero-emission version is not available


as yet, but one could be in the pipeline. INEOS has been working on battery- electric and range-extender technology and is undoubtedly aware that many business buyers are eager to shrink their carbon footprints. 


45


INEOS Grenadier Commercial Diesel


Price (ex VAT) £51,931


Price range (ex VAT) £51,931- £61,193 Insurance group TBA Warranty 5yrs/unlimited mileage Service intervals 1yr/12,000 miles Load length 1,687mm Load width (min) 1,268mm Gross payload 796kg Load volume 2.0m3


Braked trailer towing weight 3,500kg


Engine size/power 2,993cc/249hp @ 3,250-4,200rpm


(estimated WLTP)


Combined fuel economy 26.9mpg (estimated WLTP) Combined CO2


319g/km


VERDICT  on the highway – and it’s pricey.


Overall rating:


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