INEOS GRENADIER

CHEMICALS GIANT INEOS BECOMES DEFENDER OF THE FAITH

- DANIEL GARDNER

THERE'S NO START button to coax the new T Ineos Grenadier into life, just a traditional ignition key. Give it a turn and the 12.3-inch central touchscreen welcomes occupants with a message: 'Keep your eyes on the road, your hand upon the wheel.'

Sage advice given we're about to tackle two days of hardcore off-road action through Scotland's central Highlands in the depths of winter. But in this simple handshake act with an intriguing new all-terrain vehicle, the Grenadier beautifully summarises its unique position in the automotive landscape. The key represents traditional simplicity, the large digital display and proprietary operating system highlights a paradoxically modern side, while the opening lyrics to The Doors' 'Roadhouse Blues' is the first of many delightful features that wait to be discovered, and a hint to how consistently well thought-out this challenger vehicle really is.

There's more than just a hint of Land Rover Defender about the Grenadier's styling and it's definitely no coincidence. In fact, after chemical giant Ineos CEO Jim Ratcliffe's request to buy the rights to Land Rover's boxy icon was firmly knocked back, he made it his mission to design something that JLR not only wouldn't make but probably couldn't. That's the car waiting for me as I try to massage a little blood flow back into my fingertips on a dark and icy morning. Had this been a previous-generation Defender, I would have continued to be cold and uncomfortable after boarding, but as the Grenadier has virtually nothing in common with the now defunct Landie, it offers a surprisingly welcoming cabin. There are no ventilation flaps at the bottom of the windscreen to allow a draft through the interior regardless of whether they're open or not, the front Recaro seats appear to have been designed for a 90 percentile humanoid rather than a quadruple amputee, and once on the road it gets even better.