INEOS Grenadier Commercial

Company vehicle benefits

Price 

£51,930 ex Vat

Performance

Top speed is 99mph & 0-62mph takes 9.8 seconds.

Fuel economy

Don’t expect a lot. We topped out at 28.7mpg in our week on board but a huge 90 litre fuel tank means visits to the petrol station aren’t as regular as you’d expect. 

Comfort

Whilst some have waxed lyrical about the Grenadiers drivability in town we’d err on the side of caution. Yes the seats are comfortable & the cabin is spacious too with plenty of room up front. Even the coil spring suspension is soft enough when on smooth tarmac & brilliant over speed bumps & pot holes. But make no mistake, this is not a Land Rover Defender or even a Toyota Landcruiser, this is an all-terrain vehicle & should be treated as so. And of course with no rear seats it’s just a two-seater so is practical as a commercial but not so much as a people carrier.

Driving 

Cross the Serengeti tick, traverse the Atlas Mountains tick, experience the green lanes of North Yorkshire tick, or tow a trailer across rough, wet or uneven ground & the Grenadiers got you covered. I’m sure Top Gears adventures on continents would have been particularly dull if the presenters had driven Grenadiers. But in town & at under 30mph it’s a heavy beast with whiplash light steering so easy to oversteer. Accelerate briskly & the engine roar is palpable but it takes a second or two to get going before the full torque is released, so best to pick a decent gap in traffic before you pull out. 

Over a few days it gets easier & you begin to understand the Grenadier & adapt to its idiosyncrasies even starting to relax a bit & go with the flow. On the motorway it’s a decent performer with not a lot of road or wind noise spoiling the ambience inside. I found the seats comfortable & easily adjusted although the steering wheel only goes up or down & not forward & backwards.

An off-road adventure day in North Yorkshire provided my Northern Group colleague with the chance to put the Grenadier through its paces in it’s natural habitat where the Grenadier Commercial really comes into its own. Green lanes- muddy tracks, gravel, rocks, water – are dealt with easily & if your business requires a go anywhere, durable 4X4 then the Grenadier is the solution. Towing is effortless & the BMW powertrain shines in these conditions & as a product for your outward bound business, sheep farm, boatyard or construction company it’s ‘Top of the Pops’. “ Where a modern pick-up can do a lot, the Grenadier Commercial’s been built to such an exacting level of durability it we’re sure will stand up to the harshest conditions time & time again. 

Pros

Bomb proof. Looks the part. Hugely capable & goes where nothing else does. Low-ish BIK & VAT reclaimable. Way, way better than the old Defender.

Cons

Thirsty. Un-precise steering. Heavy to handle & to park. Lack of instrumentation. Expensive when you add things on.

Verdict

We see the Grenadier Commercial as a halo product, something to be bought to promote your business whilst doing the stuff nothing else can do. We imagine it as the de-facto CV at a wet music festival, winching everything else out of the muck whilst delivering the tents & tables to wherever they are required. Whilst it does work as a day to day vehicle, its usability has to be tempered by its old-fashioned driving feel; heavy & a little cumbersome even with power steering. Many older customers will take it in their stride but young un’s may find it challenging. Talking of which Ineos told CC&V they expect every single model to work flat-out for at least 20 years so a 20-25 year life cycle brings its cost into perspective. And we haven’t mentioned how much Joe Public seems to like the Grenadier. Everyone we met thinks it looks fantastic. I imagine that Ineos will take that.

A quadruple espresso 3.5/5