UK Drive: Is the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster a pick-up for every adventure?

Share current article via FacebookShare current article via PinterestShare current article via TwitterShare current article via LinkedInlead-art-block.fullscreen-enterExpandIneos Grenadier Quartermaster There’s plenty of torque available whenever you need it By Jack Evans, PA Motoring ReporterSeptember 23, 2026 at 3:18pm BSTWhat is it?Reliable engines from BMW are used across the range The Ineos Grenadier might still feel like something of a new member of the UK motoring scene, but it’s actually been around since early part of 2023. Introduced as the brainchild of Ineos CEO Jim Ratcliffe, it was designed from the outset to be a no-nonsense, go-anywhere SUV capable of tackling the very worst of conditions.

This model – the Quartermaster – introduces a large, spacious truck bed that aims to make the Grenadier even more useful. We’ve been testing it out.

The Quartermaster recipe is pretty simple. Take your standard Grenadier, add a large load bed at the back while retaining a standard cabin area with enough space for four to sit comfortably, or five at a push. As a result, the Quartermaster measures in at just over 5.4 metres long, some way longer than the 4.9 metre long Station wagon. That does mean you lose some of the Grenadier’s excellent departure angle, but largely down to the Quartermaster’s large tow bar.

Elsewhere, things are kept pretty much the same, with recent updates to the Grenadier’s steering also implemented here. Ineos has seen to make the truck’s recirculating ball steering more intuitive than before and, essentially, just better – it had been quite wayward before.

Ineos hasn’t tried to reinvent the wheel – or engine – with the Grenadier. It’s why you get tried-and-tested engine options underneath the bonnet, sourced from BMW. So there’s the 3.0-litre turbocharged diesel or 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol, the former that we’ve got equipped on the Quartermaster.

You get 256bhp and a useful 550Nm of torque, and with this truck is all about the low-end performance required for towing and off-roading. It does miss out on the one-tonne payload – the Quartermaster will manage 760kg in total – but it does get the full-whack 3.5-tonne towing capacity.

The Ineos Grenadier driving experience won’t be for everyone. The steering is heavy and relatively low in assistance, and even now that it’s been refined, it’s far from what you might expect in a ‘modern’ car. However, this steering setup helps to make the Grenadier far easier to drive off-road, with very little kick-back when you’re tackling the rough stuff.

It’s when the Grenadier is off-road that everything makes sense. The traditional ladder chassis underneath provides stability and with locking differentials at front, middle and rear, it really is a truck that’ll go everywhere. When you’re on the road, the Grenadier isn’t too bad either – the new steering means it’s much more relaxing to drive on the motorway.

There’s obviously been some inspiration taken from older four-wheel-drives with the Grenadier – there’s more than a hint of classic Land Rover Defender to it – but it’s all been brought up to date nicely. It’s fair to say that in huge Quartermaster specification it’s an imposing thing on the road, and wherever you go it turns heads.

Our test truck, in ‘Magic Mushroom’ exterior paint, certainly got people talking and on many occasions we had to field questions about the Quartermaster’s details.

Inside, there’s been a real focus on functionality. It’s why there’s a nearly endless supply of buttons and controls to use, for a variety of aspects of the car. The idea is that with chunky controls, you’re more easily able to adjust settings while still wearing gloves. The only issue is that some controls are quite similarly shaped; the volume and heater knobs, for instance, are easy to get mixed up.

But it’s all put together nicely and it’s a refreshing switch from the screen-heavy layouts that you’ll find in most new cars today. Space-wise it isn’t bad, though rear-seat legroom is quite tight for taller passengers. Of course, with the huge truck bed you’ve got loads of storage space, though we’d add the tonneau cover to help keep things safe and secure.

The Quartermaster starts from £70,010, and with a smattering of options, ‘our’ test truck came in at £85,117 and whichever way you cut it, that’s an expensive pick-up. Of course, much of that cost is going into the mechanical features of this vehicle which make it so accomplished off-road and will also mean it’ll do well as a solid commercial vehicle, too.

The BMW-sourced infotainment system which is equipped on the Grenadier as standard, might look a little small by modern-car standards, but it’s got all of the functions you could want and can be operated via a rotary controller too.

The Quartermaster won’t be for everyone. For starters, its sheer size makes it a challenge if you’re tight on space and its rather agricultural handling means it probably won’t be the easiest if you’re mainly driving around town.

However, you get the sense that Ineos has properly engineered the Quartermaster to go where few other vehicles can go. If it’s out-and-out capability, even in the very worst of conditions that you’re after, then the Quartermaster is unlikely to let you down.