Ineos Grenadier Fieldmaster

We try the petrol-engined version of brand-new 4x4. Is it the pick of the range?

- Steve Walker

YOU might think that the modern car market is overloaded with identikit SUVs, but there's nothing quite like the Ineos Grenadier. Whether you'll see that as a positive or a negative rather depends on what you want your SUV to do.

The way it looks and the intense 'off-road utility vehicle' focus make it pretty clear where the Grenadier is being targeted. Yes, we're going to mention the D word early on. When Land Rover replaced its original Defender with the highly impressive but far plusher and pricier new Defender, Ineos identified a vacancy for something basic, tough and uncompromising - like the original, but with a splash of the newcomer's extra refinement. That is the Grenadier.

The firm envisages various use cases for its vehicle in different configurations for markets around the world. Most involve getting people and equipment across whatever treacherous terrain stands in their way, but Ineos would also like a little of the fashionable kudos enjoyed by other tough off-roaders - specifically the Defender and the Mercedes G-Class. The version that best encapsulates that ambition is this: the petrol Grenadier in plush Fieldmaster trim.

Ineos sensibly went to BMW to source the Grenadier's engines, a pair of 3.0-litre straight sixes. The diesel has 246bhp and 550Nm maximum torque, the petrol we're driving has 282bhp and 450Nm. Buyers might gravitate towards diesel purely due to the nature of the vehicle, but the turbo petrol mimics the lowdown grunt of the diesel successfully, with its maximum torque on offer all the way from 1,750 to 4,000rpm.