The Ineos Grenadier is what hardcore Land Rover Defender aficionados wish the new one still was. We’ve driven and admired the Grenadier’s SUV variant for its old school, no-nonsense, ladder-frame utility, a contrast to the unibody crossovers sold by Land Rover itself. Staying true to the original’s roots, Ineos looks poised to offer a pickup version of the Grenadier SUV soon, as new spy shots reveal.
The spy shots were captured while the Grenadier pickup was winter testing on snow-covered trails somewhere in Scandinavia. No surprise, but the front end appears essentially identical to SUV. From the C-pillars back, however, an open pickup bed takes the place of the cargo hold. At the very back, the 70/30 split barn doors have been replaced by a traditional bottom-hinged pickup tailgate. The spare tire, which resided on the rear door of the SUV, is now mounted vertically against the left side of the bed.
The commonalities with the original Defender 130 pickup cannot be overlooked. The cab retains four whole-sized doors and two rows of seats. the cab’s rear, though, is straight-cut rather than molded with the classic’s curved C-pillars. On the Grenadier, a roll bar is added just behind the cab for what is likely both structure stiffening and safety.
There’s no reason to suspect any major hardware changes. Grenadier sources its engines from BMW, the tried and true 3.0-liter B58 inline-six making around 283 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque, delivered through an eight-speed ZF automatic. Naturally transfer cases and locking diffs are part of the package, while the steering goes through an old school recirculating ball steering box.
Based on how complete and undisguised the vehicle looks — it even has a URL on the back — it seems Ineos will make an official announcement soon. It makes sense for Ineos to offer a double-cab pickup as its second model, as the structure is closest to that of the SUV. Down the road, it’s possible that a single-cab may be offered as well.
