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  3. In video: An expedition in the high mountains of Scotland on board the Off-Road tank INEOS Grenadier

In video: An expedition in the high mountains of Scotland on board the Off-Road tank INEOS Grenadier

  • How the idea of Grenadier came to life?
  • What are the most important features of an off-road car?
  • What are the most important specifications of an off-road car?
  • What are the most important features of the Grenadier?

We arrived at Inverness airport in Scotland in the midst of a snowstorm hitting the city at the time, and of course, we headed directly to the hotel as the cold was freezing our bones, however the heat of enthusiasm to test drive the Grenadier the next morning was warming our hearts and bodies.

Five o'clock in the next morning, the INEOS Grenadier fleet was lining up in the outer courtyard of the hotel, and the storm was still blazing with snow and wind. We had our tea and breakfast, and it was time to embark on an expedition in the highlands of Scotland and test this tank in the snowy mountains, rugged roads, and even rocks and mud.

We setup our cameras knowing from the first moment that this is going to be an adventure on another level. And It was even the first time for me personally to drive a right-hand car and drive on the wrong side of the street because it is Scotland.

The Grenadier

The Grenadier

Before embarking on our expedition, I will not call it a test drive as it is truly an expedition, since we will discover beautiful locations during our journey.

Here is how the idea of manufacturing a car whose primary goal is to overcome any obstacles began.

In late 2016, Land Rover announced the discontinuation of its mighty Defender, and of course, afterward, the Defender returned with a new look and different technologies. Sir Jim, CEO of INEOS and for those who do not know INEOS, it is a giant petrochemical company and also has a love for adventure and cars, If you look at a Mercedes in Formula 1, you will see the INEOS logo on their cars, now returning to our story, Sir Jim, after hearing the Defender discontinuation news and while sitting in a London pub with some friends, they decided to create their own dream off-road vehicles and to take all that is good in the mighty SUV and the legendary offroad machines and put them in one car capable of challenging whatever comes in its way, hence the idea of this car was born.

As for the name, the name of the Pub where the guys decided to create the ultimate off-road machine was called Grenadier, and thus the name of the car.

Grenadier exterior and interior design

Grenadier exterior and interior design

Fast forward to the year 2023 and back to our trip in Scotland, the best word to describe this vehicle is a tank. From the outside, it combines the legendary Defender with the Mercedes G-Class with the Land Cruiser, and everything you can imagine in the exterior design of an off-road legend is present with a special design touch of the Grenadier that places this car, in my opinion, on the throne of Off-road capable vehicles even before production began.

However, the exterior design is not just for show, it’s also taking into account the usability, thus the Grenadier comes with 17" off-road Beadlock tires and skid plates fully under the car with an approach angle of 36.2 degrees, in addition to lots of useful accessories embedded within the design, if you look at the sides you get these slides that you can use to strap anything on it needed for your next adventure, and this technology is inspired from the aero industry used planes and helicopters. In addition to the roof rack that is also equipped to carry items and includes hidden wiring and spotlights fixtures controlled from the roof panel buttons inside the grenadier, of course, we must not forget the way the trunk is designed to be multi-use with a ladder to climb to the top of the car.

There is much more than what we are able to write in one article, so I advise you to watch the detailed video on our driving experience onboard the Grenadier. And the same is also reflected in the interior and in all the details of the car.

The moment you open the door of the Grenadier, you feel that you are in a tank designed with screens that display the needed information to conquer the wilderness. A roof with buttons, or rather a panel of buttons, as well as the center console that emphasizes the word tank, and carries with it the traditional designs of off-road cars, but with a modern touch. These buttons control everything in the car, from spotlights to differential locks to off-road capabilities and everything you can think of.

Heated and cooled Recaro sports seats and even lots of comfort elements for daily driving are available in this car. Again, I invite you to watch the video because the details are many, for instance having a backup battery under the back seat and other things needed for any off-road adventurer.

Adventure from snow to rock

Adventure from snow to rock

An off-road car is not complete without the integration of capabilities within the shape and design from chassis to drivetrain and suspension. After the exterior and interior design tour and a short trip on paved roads in Scotland, I can say that the Grenadier is comfortable on paved roads and good for daily driving, but we promise you a full driving experience on paved roads soon.

Back to the capabilities of the off-road, any car that challenges in the world of off-road must have special capabilities, and the Grenadier has the ability to control the front, middle, and rear differential locks with a two-speed case transfer, as well as the well-known Eibach suspension system with 5 links to enable you to take the permanent four-wheel drive vehicle to the furthest limits.

Of course, all of this must be coped with an engine that is more than capable of meeting first the horsepower and secondly the torque with both reliability and endurance capabilities. Therefore, the Grenadier came equipped with a BMW 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine with a power of 286 horsepower and a torque of 450 Newton meters linked to an 8-Speed automatic ZF gearbox.

I think it is time we start our expedition by exploring many archaeological sites that you cannot reach with a regular car, including the Battle of Culloden and also the James Bond movie Skyfall filming sites, and all this would not have been possible without the use of all the capabilities of the car from the differential locks to the approach angle and even the suspension system, we faced many obstacles but the car was more than capable, our journey extended over more than 500 km of continuous driving on hard roads and the car was more than capable.

Features, prices and trims

Features, prices and trims

During our expedition, we had to cross a sea, yes, it is true, a sea in the heart of the forest and in the middle of the snow, and here, in my opinion, was the most important feature, which is the ability of the Grenadier to cross the water to a depth of 800 mm, after that splash, we needed to clean our windshield and the temperature was less than -5 degrees when usually the water in jet washer tank freezers, however, the Grenadier actually prevents the water from freezing and we were able to continue our expedition easily with a clear view.

The next stop was the most dangerous in my opinion. We entered an Off-Road area that had no defined route nor any elements that you can use as a sign to memorize the path you are taking, and we penetrated deep into the muddy roads, but the navigation system was equipped with the technology of recording the path we took, thus the return back to the paved roads was easy to follow and we made it safely back to our hotel.

INEOS Grenadier is available in several trims, the base model and the Belfast trims are also available in two trims such as the one we are driving the TrialMaster, and even the trims’ naming have a story to tell in the Grenadier, I really advise you to watch the video for details, but in terms of prices, they start from 238,000 AED and reach 266,668 AED.

Watch a video of our INEOS Grenadier Drive Experience

This video was filmed during the first global media drive of the Grenadier, and you can enjoy the expedition and amazing locations that we tackled with lots of details on the naming, off-road capabilities, and a real experience of the adventure of a lifetime in the snowy, rocky, and muddy roads of Scotland aboard the INEOS Grenadier.


Nabil Moustafa Motor 283

BY Nabil Moustafa Motor 283

With more than 15 years of Auto Journalism, Nabil has lead and founded several print auto magazines as well as Digital Auto Magazines throughout the years. He was the editor in chief for the best automotive websites in the region and presented lots of YouTube videos on multuple channels and TV.

And most importantly he has an unprecedented passion for cars since he was born.

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