INEOS Grenadier Diesel 3.0 TD Commercial Auto

Ten Second Review

We like the Ineos Grenadier SUV. But we can't help thinking that the car is actually at its best in this Commercial van form. Here, we're going to tell you why.

Background

For some van customers, only the very toughest kind of workhorse will do. These are people like farmers - or builders who work in the muddiest and most extreme kind of construction. For them, even a 4x4 pick-up might not really be tough enough. But this model might well be; the Ineos Grenadier Commercial. You might be dimly aware of the Ineos Grenadier. A luxury SUV inspired by the original Land Rover Defender and built by a company created by UK entrepreneur Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Ineos always knew it wanted to build a commercial version of this design and at the launch of the SUV model in 2023, also introduced a 'Utility Wagon' version - essentially a five-seat crew van. In 2024, the brand bought us a proper two-seat van version, this Grenadier Commercial. It's built in the same French Hambach factory as the SUV, but then gets shipped to the UK where the commercial conversion is carried out by British engineering firm EDC Ltd. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

Nothing's changed about the drive experience with this Grenadier Commercial of course, compared with the usual SUV version. Which means that there is the usual choice of BMW-sourced straight six cylinder 3.0-litre engines - a 286hp petrol unit and the 249hp diesel that all customers of this LCV will choose because it offers more torque (550Nm vs 450Nm). These powerplants are marshalled by eight-speed auto transmission and you can switch between 2WD and 4WD on the fly, with High and Low range available in 4WD mode. 0-62mph in the diesel we tried takes an academic 9.8s, but of much more significance are the off-road stats, aided by a hefty 264mm of ground clearance, which allows for 800mm of wading depth. The approach angle is 35.5-degrees, the departure angle is 36.1-degrees and the breakover angle is 28.2-degrees. There's 9-degrees of front axle articulation and 12-degrees of rear axle articulation. Off-road traction is outstanding, but the knobbly BF Goodrich K02 all-terrain tyres that partly facilitate that make an awful din on the highway. And the lack of self-centring steering at the heavy helm and the restricted turning circle are things you might initially struggle to adapt to. Towing capacity is the legal maximum of 3,500kg, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Maximum Gross Train Weight is a class-leading 7,000kg - which allows this Ineos to be loaded to its maximum, but still tow a 3.5-tonne trailer.

Design and Build

We'd nominate this as the coolest looking van you could buy, a big imposing piece of British designed, French-manufactured SUV metalwork. The SUV version's opening rear side doors are retained. As on the Grenadier SUV, there are an awful lot of old-style Land Rover Defender visual cues here: clamshell bonnet, flat windscreen, spare wheel on the tailgate, chunky door handles - tick, tick, tick, tick. What's underneath will be familiar to lovers of old Landies too, the ladder-frame separate chassis, here reinforced with flitch plates and side members up to 6-inches deep. Get up close and it's more obvious that the Grenadier has its own visual persona; and unlike the old (or new) Defender Hard Top van, there won't be a shorter short wheelbase version. It's just like an ordinary Grenadier at the wheel of course, except that thanks to the van conversion, over-the-shoulder visibility has become minimal thanks to the lack of rear side windows. So it's even more noticeable that, as on the SUV, your view out of the back is limited by the rear barn doors and the big spare wheel. It's just as well then, that the side mirrors are large. The front-of-cabin design is the same as the SUV of course and the robust wipe-clean plastics and vinyl surfaces seem more appropriate on this van version. The wipers are poorly designed, leaving the top half of the screen dirty and the doors take a bit of a slam to shut. In the driver's seat, you're faced with an ugly steering wheel and lots of chunky controls, one of which is a re-skinned BMW iDrive capstan that operates a re-skinned BMW iDrive centre screen. More buttons reside on the aircraft-style overhead control panel built into the roof. Little touches include a curious 'toot' button on the wheel, which operates a low volume 'parp' on the horn to let cyclists know you're there.

Market and Model

The Grenadier Commercial was priced at around £52,000 ex-VAT at the time of our test in Spring 2025, so it's by far the cheapest way to get yourself into a Grenadier. This model is viewed as a commercial vehicle by the HMRC, so you'll be able to reclaim the VAT after purchase. If you need a crew van-style format, the brand also offers the Grenadier in 5-Seat Utility Wagon form for around £65,000 (inc VAT). For reference, the normal Grenadier SUV costs from around £71,000 (inc VAT). INEOS pricing offers a big saving over pricing for this Grenadier Commercial's closest (and only) rival, the Land Rover Defender Hard Top van, which at the time of this review cost around £58,000 in short wheelbase 90 form and around £84,000 for the long wheelbase 130 model. Standard engineering features include an 8-Speed Automatic Transmission, Carraro Beam Axles Front & Rear, Heavy Duty Coil Suspension, Permanent Four-Wheel Drive, a Centre Differential Loc, a Two-Speed Transfer Case, Off-Road and Wading Modes, a Galvanised Steel Body and front & rear skid plates. Equipment features include LED Headlights, LED Auxiliary High Beam Lights, a full-size spare wheel, Pathfinder Off-Road Navigation, RECARO Seats, roof rails with roof protection strips and towing eyes front and rear. Standard ADAS safety features include Intelligent Speed Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking and Driver Drowsiness Detection.

Practicalities and Costs

Cargo access is via rear barn doors which open 70:30 like the passenger version, with a spare wheel mounted on the larger door and ladder mounting points on the smaller one (which is easy to open and access even when you've trailer hitched up). In the load area, the side windows have been replaced by aluminium panels and there's 2.1m3 of cargo volume (2,088-litres), which is about the same as a rival Land Rover Defender 110 Hard Top (2,055-litres); both figures are less than you'd get from a small van - but you'd expect that and two euro pallets will just about fit. Payload for the diesel is 796kg (about the same as the Defender), but the petrol Grenadier Commercial can take 871kg. The roof can take a further 150kg weight (50kg more than the Defender) and the cargo bay is full of useful tie-down eyes and mounting points for installing equipment. As for running costs, almost all customers will choose the diesel version we tried, though it's 23.1-26.9mpg rated combined cycle fuel figure isn't hugely better than that of the petrol variant (19-20mpg). At least the big 90-litre tank means you shouldn't be filling up that often - you should get over 500 miles of range. Servicing is needed once a year and Ineos says it's building up its dealer network so that all customers will be within 45 minutes of a franchise. The Grenadier has been designed so that minor maintenance can be done by hands-on owners (rare in the current market). And the bumper is in three parts so it's easy for individual knocks to be sorted. There's a five year warranty with no mileage cap.

Summary

Since launch, the potential sales niche for this Grenadier Commercial has expanded quite a lot. Its core market - the small number of self-employed farmers, site builders and country vets who need a really off-road capable 4x4 van - remains. But since April 2025, it's been joined by a new group of customers. People who previously bought a pick-up, but now need the much lower BiK tax rates that vans still enjoy. Those people will need to be happy about driving without rear seats. And they'll need to be able to stretch to this Ineos model's relatively high purchase price. But those who can do that will be getting themselves a tougher, much more capable vehicle that will last much longer. The Land Rover Defender Hard Top offers a similar proposition course. But ultimately, you might think that a Grenadier Commercial is a better bet. And we'd struggle to disagree.