- Ineos gets ready to reveal Grenadier Quartermaster pickup at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
- The four-door model will join the Grenadier SUV, which has been in production in Europe since last fall.
- The 4×4 maker plans to begin US sales of the Grenadier SUV later this year, in the fourth quarter.
Grenadier SUV production began last October, even though we have yet to see them go on sale stateside. But the Grenadier SUV is only one part of the model range intended for the near future.
In a few days, Ineos will take the wraps off the Grenadier Quartermaster—the four-door pickup version of its rugged but modern 4×4. The petrochemical giant that ventured into light truck production will use the Goodwood Festival of Speed to reveal the upcoming model, and has shared the teaser image above as an appetizer.
What can we expect from Ineos’ second Grenadier bodystyle?
A longer wheelbase, for starters, as the automaker plans on offering a very usable bed in the pickup intended as a spiritual successor to the long-running Land Rover Series and Defender trucks that didn’t make the transition into the current Land Rover lineup.
Ineos wants the truck to be just as roomy as the SUV when it comes to second-row seating, which means the rear axle will have to be shifted a bit further back to accommodate the bed, as in the Jeep Gladiator. This also means we’re likely to see rear doors of a different, perhaps rectangular design.
We expect the bed itself to be at least 60 inches long, for a total vehicle length of about 220 inches thanks to a longer wheelbase and a more generous rear overhang. This should give the Grenadier Quartermaster a curb weight of just over 6000 pounds.
When it comes to engines, it’s logical to expect the Grenadier truck to carry over the BMW-sourced turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six, good for 282 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, paired with an eight-speed ZF automatic.
It will be interesting to see just how big of an audience the Grenadier Quartermaster can carve out for itself in various markets where very capable 4×4 trucks are still needed for their actual abilities, rather than lifestyle tasks.
The Grenadier SUV is still expected to go on sale stateside by the fourth quarter of this year, but we don’t have high hopes for seeing the Quartermaster here for a couple of reasons.
One of them is the ever-present Chicken Tax, which has cemented itself into the economic fabric of the country in fashion similar to a Constitutional amendment. And the other is that we have too many pickups here already, including the aforementioned Gladiator.
Rather, the French-made Quartermaster will try to make its case to those who’ve been driving Land Rover Defender or Toyota Hilux pickups, and really do need them for their ranch or farm. At least that’s the plan.
Could the Quartermaster sell well here, or would there be too many challenges stateside, including the number of competitors and the size of the sales and service network? Let us know your thoughts.
Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.
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