2026 Ineos Grenadier First Drive Review: Making the Most of Minor Changes

• The 2026 Ineos Grenadier gets new advanced driver aids, an updated climate control system and styling tweaks.
• A revised steering system makes the Grenadier much more pleasant to drive.
• It's still powered by a 282-horsepower BMW-sourced turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six.
• Prices start in the low $70,000 range.

The major upgrade

Ineos addressed one of the biggest complaints we had with the Grenadier: the steering. The SUV now uses a variable steering ratio, making it easier to drive just about everywhere. The variable ratio makes the Ineos more responsive to small steering inputs, like changing lanes, and makes navigating a twisty backroad much less of a chore. But the steering still retains some quirks. At low speeds, it still takes some muscle to turn the wheel, and once you turn it, you need to manually turn it back because the steering does not self-center. That can, and will, catch out drivers new to the Grenadier, but it becomes second nature after just a few hours behind the wheel. In the end, it's just another part of the Grenadier's personality.

Personality to spare

It's not just the steering that gives the Grenadier a little something different compared to other off-road SUVs. From manually adjustable seats to its large banks of physical buttons to its manual handbrake and transfer case selector, the Grenadier possesses a simplicity not usually found in a new vehicle. Ineos says this is very deliberate and follows the brand's "fix it in the field" mentality. Despite being a very new car company, Ineos has made deliberate choices to maintain as much simplicity as you can have in a modern vehicle. As a result, the Grenadier won't be for everyone.

You can get leather upholstery, but Ineos has eschewed the usual luxury trappings of most upmarket SUVs and gone for a more practical and durable approach. In fact, Ineos brags about the Grenadier's relative lack of complexity and touts its longevity and ability to function even if some of its systems fail.

Here's an example: The power windows don't have a one-touch up or down feature because the engineers found that this can fail in icy conditions, leaving your windows open and you freezing. Here's another one: The buttons on the center console have a little wiggle to them (something a luxury brand would absolutely not tolerate) to allow for water to run out of the switch and not short-circuit should the Ineos take on a lot of water fording a river. This has been designed to an entirely different standard. Oh, and it still uses a traditional key — no start button here.

Shining in the dirt

Living in Southern California means I have a myriad of off-road environments within just a few hours of my house. That also means needing to drive several hours to get there, and this is where the Grenadier can feel a little stiff over Los Angeles' concrete freeways. Once off-road, the ride is a pretty good trade-off for this SUV's capability. Its torquey turbocharged six-cylinder engine isn't the smoothest, but it never needs to work hard to get the Grenadier up a grade. Another bonus is the Grenadier's comfortable Recaro-made front seats. The same cannot be said about the rear seats, though, which are pretty snug for any adult, but if you don't need them, you can option the Grenadier without them. 

Once on a trail, I appreciate the straightforward and manual engagement of the Grenadier's off-road systems. Moving the transfer case into low range, which is usually handled by a rotary knob or button, is done via a robust selector that returns a satisfying clunk when moved into position. The Grenadier's dedicated off-road mode does use a button, but it allows the driver a quick way to relax the stability control system and allows for some of the advanced driver aids to be bypassed. Not having your truck beep at you when you're off-roading is a huge selling point. The simple off-road mode runs counter to the trend of off-roaders featuring a whole bunch of different settings for different terrains (mud, sand, gravel, etc.) and reminds you that navigating a challenging trail in the Grenadier is entirely down to you and your skill. For some buyers, that challenge is part of the enjoyment of off-roading, and the Ineos is happy to oblige.

If you opt for the locking front and rear differentials, which aid in serious off-road traction, those buttons are located on the overhead console, which is pretty cool in and of itself. If you find yourself well and truly stuck, Ineos offers a winch mounted to the front bumper and even has the space to mount one to the rear bumper; each of its recovery hooks can hold well over a ton. The rugged look of the Grenadier is more than just an appearance package. From its significant ground clearance to its beefy axles to the other off-road hardware, the Ineos is the real deal.

Capability costs

The Grenadier isn't cheap, but it isn't a toy either. When the company was formed and the production was greenlit, engineers were told to raid the off-road parts toy box. Beefy Carraro-made axles, the kind usually found on tractors, were sourced and mated to robust differentials, and the aforementioned transfer case was sourced from the transmission wizards at Tremec — the same company that makes the gearboxes for the Ford Mustang GTD and the Chevy Corvette ZR1. On top of that, or rather all around that, is a bespoke, beefy steel ladder frame, the kind you'd find in a heavy-duty pickup. And while the whole Grenadier package is far more utilitarian than a modern Land Rover, or even a Toyota 4Runner, you must remember that Ineos is a small company that makes a lot of its own parts and does its own development; there's no corporate parts bin to get your major components from. 

The Grenadier Station Wagon (the one that looks like a standard SUV) starts at $71,000, while the Quartermaster (the pickup truck) starts at $84,000; neither price includes an unknown destination charge. From there, Ineos allows you to tailor the Grenadier to your needs. Starting with the frame, which you can even have painted (red would be my choice), you can opt to keep it simple or kit it out with locking differentials, leather upholstery, a better audio system, and those cool pop-up safari windows on the roof. (I'd get those, too.)

In a world where SUVs are more and more homogenous every year, the Ineos Grenadier is refreshingly different and dripping with personality. From the way it looks, to the way the interior functions, to the way it drives, it does what it does because it can do what it can do. It's definitely not for everyone, but the Grenadier will certainly appeal to buyers interested in driving rolling nostalgia without the hassle.