The images from Hurricane Helene’s devastating visit still sends shivers down my spine. So many flooded, impassible roads with water two, three, four feet deep. Trees down, debris everywhere. Cars with water up to their windows.
That, to me, goes a long way in justifying our love affair with tall-riding, four-wheel-drive SUVs. Need an escape strategy when your street turns into the Hillsborough River, select 4×4 and power your way out.
I know Helene is going to be influencing a lot of car buyers’ decisions in chosing their next new vehicle. Words like ‘ground clearance’ and ‘wading depth’ might take precedence over cupholders and Apple Car Play.
Just before Helene came a calling, I spent a day with a new, truly fascinating, tough-as-nails 4×4 that was surely designed to brush off the Apocalypse and get you and your family to safety.
It’s called the Ineos Grenadier, it was designed in the UK, it’s being built in France and looks like a cross between an old Land Rover Defender and Mercedes G-Class.
Interestingly, Tampa Bay boasts the only Ineos dealer on Florida’s West Coast – Crown Ineos in St. Pete. It was general sales manager Brittany Redenz who kindly tossed me the keys to this cool Eldoret-blue Grenadier Fieldmaster version for a drive.
To know more about this new Grenadier you have to go back to 2015 when Jaguar Land Rover made the decision to end production of its beloved, boxy Land Rover Defender. It’s replacement would be the softer, gentler, safer and significantly more capable New Defender.
That’s where British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe comes in. He’s head of the UK-based Ineos petrochemical empire and a passionate Land Rover owner and fan.
When Land Rover called it quits on the Defender, he was far from happy. Using some of his estimated $17 billion personal piggy-bank, he offered to buy the old tooling with a view to continuing Defender production. When JLR politely declined, he decided to build his own.
So in 2016 he created Ineos Automotive, acquired the former Mercedes-Benz Smart-car factory in Hambach, France and called in Austrian 4×4 specialists Magna Steyr to engineer the thing.
See the Grenadier in the metal and its visual links with the old Defender are unmistakable. Same flat fenders, same slab sides, same flat, upright windshield.
Underneath there’s a chassis with more structural rigidity than the Eiffel Tower, plus coil-over suspension and beam axles. It may sound old-school, but it’s what you need for ultimate off-roading. And ultimate flood water wading. This thing can punch through water over 32 inches deep.
Powering the beast is BMW’s trusty 3.0-liter inline turbocharged six-cylinder cranking out 281 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque. Coupled to a super-smooth-shifting eight-speed ZF automatic, it pushes the near-6,000-pound Grenadier from standstill-to-60 mph in a leisurely 8.9 seconds.
So how does it drive? Slightly old-school, just like you’d expect of a modern-day classic. Its focus however, is squarely on pounding up a rocky trail or wading through raging rivers, which does result in a few compromises. Like the steering.
As with Jeep Wranglers and farm tractors, the Grenadier uses a so-called recirculating ball system designed for its unbreakability. But in the Ineos, the system’s shortcoming is that it really doesn’t self-center.
Turn out of a parking lot and you have to unwind the wheel manually. Staying in your lane on the freeway requires constant adjustment. Yes, you do get used to it, but it’s always a chore.
But you’ll love the creamy-smoothness and refinement of that BMW straight six. That, and the surprising smoothness of the highway ride. And despite the Grenadier’s top-heavy look, it carves curves with poise and balance.
Model-wise, take your pick from the base Station Wagon at $76,700 or the off-road-focused Grenadier Trailmaster, or more upscale Fieldmaster. Both are similarly-priced, starting at $84,700.
Of course this retro-styled Tonka Toy won’t be for everyone. But it’s a high-style 4×4 that will take you on a road less traveled or flooded side street without breaking a sweat, as well as turn heads in the sand-bag line.
As for the comfort of knowing that when the next hurricane comes you’ll have a real escape strategy? Priceless.
