Ineos created the Grenadier Station Wagon SUV to satisfy demand from buyers who felt Land Rover and its new Defender had abandoned them. Now it’s making another bunch of disenfranchised Land Rover fans happy with the launch of a double cab pickup version, the Grenadier Quartermaster.
Unveiled today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Quartermaster ute is much the same as the existing SUV up to the B-pillar but forges its own identity from there on thanks to a 12-inch (305 mm) wheelbase stretch. The rear doors are different, the wagon’s rear bodywork is swapped for a pickup’s, and the long overhang adds further space in a bed that measures 61.6 inches (1,564 mm) long and 63.7 inches (1,619 mm) wide, allowing it to swallow a standard Euro pallet.
The Quartermaster can handle a 1,676 lbs (760 kg) payload, offers the same 7,716 lbs (3,500 kg) towing capacity as the Grenadier SUV and the tough-looking tailgate can support 496 lbs (225 kg) of weight. Ineos says a robust frame and waterproof canvas canopy, lockable roller tonneau cover, and roof rack are all available as options to further increase practicality.
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Also optional are front and rear diff locks for buyers who think the standard center differential lock and two-speed transfer case won’t be enough to stop them from getting stuck. Ineos certainly seems confident about the truck’s off-road ability though, promising “class-leading” off-road skills and claiming that the 10.4-inch (264mm) of ground clearance, a 31.5-inch (800mm) wading depth and approach, breakover and departure angles are unrivaled by any other series production pick-up.
Power comes from the same 3.0-liter, six-cylinder BMW petrol and diesel engines already offered in the Grenadier SUV and driving all four wheels through a ZF eight-speed auto ’box. Go for the gas motor and you get 282 hp (286 PS), 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque, and a zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 8.8 seconds, while the 245 hp (249 PS), 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) diesel needs a second longer to hit the 60 mph yardstick. Those sprint numbers are identical to the figures Ineos quotes for the Station Wagon, as is the 99 mph (160 km/h) top speed stated for both engines.
The Quartermaster is on sale in the UK from today priced at £66,215 for the basic truck with either the petrol or diesel motor, which compares with a £65,000 starting price for the SUV-shaped, but work-minded Grenadier Utility wagon (the more luxurious Station Wagon starts at £76,000. Trailmaster and Fieldmaster versions of the new double-cab both cost £73,715, but the Trailmaster gives you diff locks and a 400 W power take-off as standard, while the more luxurious Fieldmaster instead brings a premium sound system and heated seats.
