Ineos Grenadier arrives in Aus for local testing

THE hotly anticipated Ineos Grenadier off-roader has arrived in Australia to commence its local torture testing in a bid to make the production versions as tough and well suited to our conditions as possible.

Forming a key element of the Grenadier’s 1.8-million-kilometre testing campaign, the Grenadier 2B prototype will be heading for the outback in the coming weeks to undergo some of the most extreme hot-weather conditions on the planet with no plans to try and disguise the car.

“Operating in plain sight, this vehicle will conduct a range of hot weather and durability testing, helping to ensure the final Grenadier product is fully fit to cope with the stresses of the Australian environment and demands of the local buyer,” an Ineos spokesperson said.

The key findings of the testing will be reported back to the European product development teams before the test mule makes the jump across the Tasman to New Zealand early next year. 

First deliveries of the Grenadier are slated for the second half of 2022.

Ineos’ move to test the vehicle without any form of disguise forms part of the brand’s plan to offer reservation holders the chance to both see the car in the metal as well as in action, but also experience it, with the car set to tour the country as the testing moves from region to region.

As previously reported by GoAuto, the Grenadier is powered by either a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine or a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel (six) with outputs rated at 210kW/450Nm and 183kW/550Nm respectively.

Both engines channel their power to all four wheels via a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission with Ineos promising price parity between the fuel types – $84,500 (plus on-roads) a piece for the two-seat commercial wagons “with a modest uplift for the five-seater passenger wagon”.

When the production version arrives Down Under, it will initially be available from 16 retailers around the country with another four in New Zealand.

According to the spokesperson, the brand aims to have 28 retailers across the two countries by its “third year of local operation”.

Order books will open to the public (globally) this Thursday (October 14) with all versions set to be backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.