First INEOS Grenadier demo arrives in Australia

The first near-production example of the 2023 INEOS Grenadier five-seater has landed in Australia ahead of the all-new hard-core off-road 4x4’s official launch later than expected in November.

The arrival of the Grenadier prototype follows a brief local development program and marks the beginning of the marketing offensive to win over the hearts and minds of potential Aussie buyers.

This is despite the fact INEOS said last November, when it forecast a mid-2022 launch, that it had already received about 1000 local orders, accounting for the first year’s production allocation for Australia.

Spotted in the forecourt of a bespoke brewery in Wollongong, NSW on the weekend as part of the UCI Cycling World Championships event, the Grenadier prototype – known internally as a Production Tryout 2 or PTO2 – is 90 per cent production-ready, according to staff on hand at the event.

Some of the interior plastics are not production-spec, the engine bay presentation is not finalised and some panel fit issues were pointed out, but the black five-door five-seat 4x4 is largely as it will appear in Australia.

“Our marketing/coms is pretty straightforward. It’s really events, events, events – putting bums in seats and exposing people to the brand,” Asia-Pacific region chief for INEOS, Justin Hocevar, told carsales in a recent interview.

Hocevar confirmed that there are another 18 PTO2 vehicles on the way to Australia, which will be pressed into duty as local event marketing vehicles, demonstrators and press vehicles.

The PTO2 on display in Wollongong was not able to be driven by members of the public, and will be crushed once its Aussie promotional tour is complete.

Up close, it appeared to be very close to the final product, and INEOS staff had no qualms about the general public climbing in, on and under the PTO2.

“It's refreshing to work for an automotive company with this much transparency,” an INEOS staff member told us.

He also confirmed that the Grenadier will be offered in both two-seat and five-seat configurations based on the same five-door body, and that the ute version is slated for 2023.

The vehicle presented almost identically to the images released at launch, right down to the unique alloy rails built into the doors.

There was plenty of rear seat room, while the cargo area of the INEOS Grenadier was easy to access thanks to a pair of full-height rear barn doors.

The PTO2 was fitted with BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres on steel rims, with disc brakes front and rear and an overbuilt tow bar hitch speaking volumes for its utility.

Protective chequerplate panels adorn the top of the front guards and, interestingly, this version of the Grenadier was fitted with a bull bar and driving lights.

Inside, there is a tiny display screen in front of the driver, visible through a two-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel and complemented by a portrait-style central infotainment screen on top of the dash.

A BMW-style spring-loaded gear shifter to operate the BMW-sourced 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines resides next to what appears to be a manual high/low-range selector, while a terrain-mode dial is mounted next to a manual hand brake.

Rear passengers are treated to plenty of legroom, plus two air-vents and a pair of USB outlets, though the centre seat occupant’s leg room is compromised by a protruding centre console bin.

The Australian order book for the INEOS Grendier opened in May and the original Land Rover Defender-channeling off-roader will be exempt from luxury car tax and available in 12 variants via 32 dealers Down Under.

INEOS will use a combination of locally appointed service agents and Bosch Australia outlets after first customer deliveries finally commence in early 2023.

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