INEOS Grenadier: Aussie testing begins

The INEOS Grenadier has commenced the Australian leg of its 1.8-million-kilometre global testing and development program, two days before reservations open to the wider public.

The same ‘2B’ prototype that was air-freighted to Australia last month has cleared customs and is now embarking on a local testing and customer demonstration tour.

Findings from the Aussie Outback test program will be fed back to the global development team before production commences next year and first Australian deliveries take place from July 2022.

Global public reservations for the all-new hard-core 4x4 off-roader will open from this Thursday (October 14), but early ‘hand raisers’ who sign up with a refundable $800 deposit before then will receive a guaranteed build slot.

Reservation holders – the first of which, worldwide, is an Australian – will also be given the exclusive opportunity to see and experience the Grenadier as it tours the country.

INEOS announced an indicative starting price of $84,500 for the two-seat commercial version of the Grenadier late last month, however carsales understands that five-seat passenger versions will command a premium of less than $1000.

Pricing and release timing for the forthcoming dual-cab 4x4 ute version of the Grenadier, which will feature the same high-tech interior, is yet to be announced.

INEOS said Aussie testing of the 2B pre-production prototype, which was personally signed off by its chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will take place “in plain sight” and a similar test schedule has now been confirmed for New Zealand in 2022.

It said the vehicle will undergo “a range of crucial development work over the coming months” including hot weather and durability testing to “ensure the final Grenadier product is fully fit to cope with the stresses of the Australian environment and demands of the local buyer”.

The British-based company said “key learnings” will be reported back to European product development teams for “ongoing product enhancements”.

We understand local durability testing will include extensive punishment on heavily corrugated roads in hot and dusty conditions, with particular attention to engine air filtration and fuel/water separation.

As we’ve reported, there will be 16 official retail outlets in place in Australia (plus four in NZ) before the INEOS Grenadier starts arriving here in numbers in the second half of next year, and service support will be provided by a network of Bosch Car Service Centres.

INEOS says it will be represented in all key metro areas and that 75 per cent of the Australian population will have convenient access to retail and aftersales support within its first year of operation.

It is forecasting about 1000 sales in Australia in the first 12 months and plans to grow to 28 the number of local outlets by its third year of operations.

The INEOS Grenadier is inspired by the long-lived previous-generation Land Rover Defender, with which it shares a similar exterior design.

However, the five-door off-road wagon is vastly higher-tech and will be available with the choice of BMW-sourced turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines for the same price.

Based on a new steel ladder-frame chassis with serious 4x4 hardware, the Grenadier will offer a 3500kg braked towing capacity and “class-leading” off-road capability.

It will come with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and roadside assist program, while a five-year service package will be available at additional cost.

But like all but the single-cab ute version of its most direct competitor, the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, the Grenadier will not come with a maximum five-star safety rating.