THE FUTURE MEETS THE PAST(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 36

The spirit of the old Land Rover Defender returns in this car, the INEOS Grenadier. Refreshingly, it's very much an old-school SUV prioritising trails over tarmac. If those are your priorities too, you'll probably love it.

Background word count: 183

There was nothing quite like the old, original Land Rover Defender. But there is now. In the form of this car, the INEOS Grenadier. In the metal, you might mistake it for that old Land Rover (discontinued in 2016) but it is very much its own car, brainchild of Lancastrian chemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who thought there was a niche in the market for a big SUV that put off roading first and tarmac transport second. Contrary to visual expectations, there's been no help from Jaguar Land Rover in creating the finished product (quite the opposite), so Ratcliffe and his team had to put together the various elements of design, engineering and production like a complex jigsaw; 4x4 system from Austrian specialist Magna, the axles from Carraro of Italy and Gestamp of Germany for the chassis frame. The engines and transmission are borrowed from BMW. And it's all screwed together in the old Daimler factory in Hambach, Eastern France, which used to produce little smart cars. Only the name draws on any vestige of Britishness, 'The Grenadier' being a Ratcliffe-owned Belgravia pub.

Driving Experience word count: 268

There are two engine choices, both 3.0-litre straight six cylinder units sourced from BMW, so both come mated to the Bavarian maker's usual transmission choice for these powerplants, an 8-speed ZF auto gearbox. Choose between the twin turbo 245bhp diesel or the single turbo 281bhp petrol that improves the irrelevant 0-62mph sprint time by 1.3s to 8.6s, en route to a top speed (which you'd never really want to approach) of 99mph. The performance stats that matter here of course are quite different ones; ground clearance of 264mm, a wading depth of 800mm, an approach angle of 35.5-degrees, a breakover angle of 28.2-degrees and a departure angle of 36.1-degrees. Towing capacity is up to 3.5-tonnes and the vehicle can winch up to 5.5-tonnes. You might get near some of these stats with a properly kitted-out new Land Rover Defender or non-AMG Mercedes G-Class, but you might end up damaging the vehicle trying. The engineering here is pretty familiar stuff for old-school off roaders; ladder-framed chassis, solid axles, permanent four-wheel drive, a locking centre differential and a 2-speed transfer case that gives a set of crawler gears for really gnarly tracks. Plus there's Hill descent control and vast wheel articulation. Surprisingly though, specialist off-road tyres and locking front and rear differentials cost extra. You won't be expecting too much from the tarmac driving experience (and you shouldn't) but it's OK as long as you accept what you're getting here from a car that's got its off road priorities right. If you really must use your Grenadier for the school run, the much more refined petrol version's a better bet.