Ineos Grenadier Pickup revealed at Goodwood FoS

Bold new car-making startup Ineos Automotive raised eyebrows earlier this year with the launch of its old-school Land Rover Defender-inspired Grenadier wagon, which we sampled in January in Scotland. Not content to sit on its hands, the British conglomerate, founded by eccentric billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is using this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed to showcase a dual-cab pick-up version of the INEOS Grenadier that provides superior load-lugging capability to that offered by its wagon sibling.

Dubbed the Grenadier Quartermaster, the pickup is claimed to offer “world-class off-road ability” thanks to 264 mm of ground clearance, an 800 mm wading depth and approach, breakover and departure angles that Ineos says are “unrivalled by any other series production pickup”.

Crucially, the Quartermaster’s stretched wheelbase has liberated enough space for a load bay that’s claimed to comfortably accommodate a standard Euro pallet (1200 mm x 800 mm).

The Quartermaster will be available to order in the MENA region from August 1, and Ineos Automotive says local pricing will be announced closer to the regional launch date.

As per the Grenadier wagon, the Quartermaster derives propulsion from a BMW-sourced 3.0-litre turbocharged inline 6-cylinder petrol engine mated to an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. The powerplant has been tuned to serve up ample pulling power at low revs, as evidenced by its 286 hp max output arriving at just 4,750 rpm, while peak torque of 450 Nm surfaces at a barely idling 1,700 rpm.

While the Grenadier Quartermaster shares most of its architecture and components with the existing wagon, its robust box-section ladder frame chassis is 305mm longer. This results in a large and versatile load bay, 1,564mm long and 1,619mm wide – large enough to easily carry a standard Euro pallet.

“With a payload of 760kg, the same 3,500kg towing capacity as the Grenadier Station Wagon, and a wide range of accessories available, the Grenadier Quartermaster is capable of carrying five people and the bulkiest of loads,” boasts Ineos.

Ineos says the Quartermaster was conceived as a durable workhorse, with standard features that include four tie-down rings in the load space (Utility Rails optional), a 400W power take-off, an integrated mounting bar, and a wide 1,280mm tailgate that can allegedly support up to 225kg when open.

A centre differential lock and two-speed transfer case are fitted as standard (front and rear diff locks are optional). The Grenadier Quartermaster also rides on the same heavy-duty five-link front and rear suspension and is equipped with Carraro-supplied solid beam axles, complemented by Brembo brakes and a recirculating-ball steering system.

The Bosch-supplied steering is one aspect we weren’t too thrilled with when we sampled the Grenadier wagon in January, as the fact it has 3.85 turns from lock to lock means copious wheel turning is required to thread the vehicle across country roads and tracks. Even so, we were impressed with the Grenadier’s off-road prowess and overall refinement and smoothness across all surfaces.

Ineos says the Quartermaster’s model line-up will mirror that of the wagon as it, too, will be offered in standard, Trialmaster and Fieldmaster trims. The vehicle will also be available with a wide range of accessories for drivers looking to customise their vehicles to their specific needs.

Among the available accessories is a robust frame and waterproof canvas canopy or a lockable roller tonneau cover for the cargo bay, while a roof rack further increases carrying capacity and can host a wide range of mounts to carry expedition essentials such as jerry cans, sand ladders and shovels.

The Grenadier Quartermaster will have its work cut out to capture a meaningful share of the pickup market in the GCC, as the segment is dominated by the likes of the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Nissan Navara, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Mitsubishi L200, Ram 1500, Ford F 150, Isuzu D Max, and Toyota Land Cruiser Pickup. Getting the pricing equation right will obviously be crucial to the Grenadier Quartermaster’s success.

Ineos also showcases Grenadier FCEV at Goodwood: The Grenadier Quartermaster isn’t the only new vehicle Ineos is showcasing at Goodwood, as the company also rolled out a zero-emission Grenadier fuel-cell EV as proof it’s working on alternative energy sources.

The Grenadier FCEV is, for now, purely a technology demonstrator. The zero-emission 4X4 uses the BMW Group’s latest hydrogen fuel cell powertrain, which the Bavarian carmaker launched earlier this year in the iX5 Hydrogen that’s initially destined only for a small number of test fleets.

Developed in partnership with Austrian engineering consultancy, AVL, Ineos claims the Grenadier fuel-cell vehicle has conquered trails in the Austrian mountains and the various offroad challenges around Graz.

Lynn Calder, CEO of Ineos Automotive, says: “Ineos produces 400,000 tonnes of hydrogen per annum and is committed to hydrogen as a key fuel of the future. The hydrogen-powered Grenadier demonstrator is an extraordinary vehicle, capable of doing everything a conventionally powered Grenadier can do but with zero emissions.”

The hydrogen Grenadier demonstrator is externally identical to the production Grenadier apart from a bonnet power bulge to accommodate the additional height of the fuel cell, but Ineos says this would not be present in a production model.

Ineos says the flexibility of the Grenadier platform allowed engineers to integrate the zero-emissions powertrain by modifying the ladder frame and rear axle, accommodating the electric drive units to deliver genuine torque vectoring drive control to each rear wheel.

The capabilities of torque vectoring result in what Ineos calls ‘gecko capability’ – outstanding control and manoeuvrability in all off-road conditions, as well as a tighter turning circle and enhanced on-road driving dynamics.

Keep track of the latest prices and specs in the INEOS buyer guide.