When billionaire businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe unveiled his Defender rival in 2022, it was headline making.

The Ineos Grenadier went from a sketch on a pub napkin to front-page news at 100mph speed thanks to the high-profile legal dispute with Jaguar Land Rover over the trademark shape of the old-school Defender that dragged through 2021 and 2022. 

Ineos won, eventually.

But once the court room dust settled and the Grenadier was launched as a legitimate product, sales have been steady, to say the least.

Last year, just 263 Ineos vehicles were registered in the UK. In 2024, total sales in Britain was just 350.

Why hasn’t it been the instant sales success Sir Jim was hoping for? Partly because it costs over £60,000. But also due to widespread poor reviews in the hands of the motoring press.

While the Grenadier received praise for its undisputable off-road capabilities, it gained a reputation for being a tricky beast to drive day-to-day on the road – where most of its clientele expect to use it. 

Now, four years after its debut, the brand has decided to do something about it.

Ineos Automotive, the 4×4 Defender successor brand owned by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has updated its Grenadier and Quartermaster models for 2026. Are the changes noticeable? We test drive them to find out

For 2026, both the Grenadier Station Wagon and Quartermaster pick-up have been given a wholesale upgrade in a bid to make them more mass-market friendly. 

To find out if it has resolved the gremlins from its past – namely its vague on-road steering and clumsy driveability, Daily Mail and This is Money motoring reporter Freda Lewis-Stempel has driven the facelifted Grenadier and Quartermaster in West Sussex.

What’s new about the MY26 Grenadier? Improved steering for a start…

Improving the on-road driving characteristics of the big 4×4 has been top of the check list for Ineos’ engineers and development team.

It had become quite a big issue for many people and has been deflecting from the Grenadier’s incredible off-road prowess since it launched.

I was among a very small fraternity who actually enjoyed the on-road driving – mainly because I grew up on a farm driving 4x4s with no power steering. 

Swinging a 2,700kg Grenadier around rural roads like you’re turning the tiler of a boat isn’t for everyone. But, for me, it felt oddly familiar.

So, what has Ineos done to correct the problem? 

The manufacturer has introduced a new steering box with a variable ratio for the first time. 

In plain English, this means is that the central steering position has a lower ratio which keeps the steering tighter, firmer and more precise.

The steering should feel more sensitive based on driver input and is quicker to respond, especially at high speeds. 

Ineos says this will ‘increase confidence in high-speed straight-line driving, lane changing and overtaking’. 

Ineos has introduced a new steering box with a variable ratio for the first time, meaning the central steering position has a lower ratio which keeps the steering tighter, firmer and more precise. It aims to improve on-road driving at higher speeds and it does

I say you should embrace the Grenadier’s on-road driving feeling because on the flip side it’s the reason it is so brilliant off-road 

Essentially, it should be better on motorways and A and B-roads. 

And is it? Well, yes it is. 

There is a noticeable improvement. 

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At slow speeds, like manoeuvring in a supermarket car park, it starts to feel more like the popular, road-bias, SUVs most people drive and not a heavy-duty 4×4 designed to do most of its work away from the tarmac. 

On higher speed roads, the steering is more direct, more responsive and you only to have to gently guide it to maintain the line you want. It’s softer and smoother.

But you do still have to persistently correct the wheel. A quick turn off a B-road onto a single lane and it will still need to be swung back into line. Not as much as before, but still more than most people are accustomed to.

Frankly, I think that’s something people will just have to get used to – it’s an element of the car’s character and part and parcel of it being so brilliant off-road. 

To have that off-road capability, it will drive a bit like a 1980’s Land Rover. In my mind, customers who really want a Grenadier should embrace that. 

Both models see their turning circles reduce – this is the other steering related change Ineos has made to the Grenadier and Quartermaster. The Grenadier has a 5% reduction and the Quartermaster now matches the Grenadier’s old turning circle

Other changes for the 2026 Grenadier

A reduced turning circle is the other steering related change Ineos has made to the Grenadier and Quartermaster – a five per cent reduction to be exact. 

This might not sound like a lot but it’s a marked difference. 

The turning circle is about a metre less for the Grenadier, and the Quartermaster now roughly matches what the Station Wagon was before.

This huge 4×4 is now able to turn on a tight radius, to the point it feels like the turning circle of a much smaller, niftier SUV. 

Considering how large the car is, it’s very useful both on-road or off-road to be able to manoeuvre so easily.

The advanced driver assistance safety systems (ADAS) have been upgraded too in order to meet the latest safety regulations. 

There’s now a Driver Drowsiness camera keeping an eye on you at the wheel to make sure you’re not distracted (this can’t be switched off) and Lane Keep Assist (previously only Lane Departure Warning was required by law) and Emergency Braking, which recognises pedestrians. 

During the press briefing, COO Hans-Peter Pessler explained the idiosyncrasies of what it takes to meet new safety requirements, including what constitutes as an ‘annoying’ enough sound for the speed warning system to be passed by regulators. 

Better them than me dealing with that one.

Ineos says it ‘has worked incredibly hard to make them as unobtrusive as possible’, and the hard work has really paid off. 

Compulsory Intelligent Speed Assist (a speed limiter warning) is easy to silence – a tap on the home screen shortcut and you can turn it off. However, the noise is so gentle that I didn’t even feel the need to turn it off. 

The Lane Keep Assist is also the least intrusive system I’ve come across. 

Instead of suddenly shunting the car back into lane through the steering wheel, the Grenadier system works with the brakes and wheels to slowly usher the car back into lane. 

If there are no white lines it doesn’t come on. And if the lanes are closer than around 2.3 metres, then it is switched off automatically, which makes a lot of sense for a car like this.

Other car makers should take note of what Ineos has done when it comes to ADAS to stop motorists losing their minds with the incessant bonging and dinging telling them to drive better. Please!

Ineos says it ‘has worked incredibly hard to make [ADAS additions] as unobtrusive as possible’ and the engineers have definitely succeeded with the new functions being very easy to get along with

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Overall driving – what kind of car is the Grenadier to drive?

Cossetted, the Grenadier certainly isn’t. And nor shout it be for a vehicle designed for agricultural work.

That said, wind noise and road noise is much quieter than a Jeep Wrangler and it’s really not loud considering the size and weight.

And the noise of the engine is, in my opinion, glorious. 

The distinct roar of the BMW 3.0-litre, six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines is heaven. Delivery of 245bhp from the engine is very consistent and smooth, too. 

The rest of the driving is much the same as it was before, and we’ve reviewed the Grenadier’s and Quartermaster’s driving ability on multiple occasions, so we’d urge you to look at those for full analysis. 

From this launch, a big takeaway for me is how incredibly safe you feel in both vehicles because of how high they are, the size of the bonnet, and how solidly it is built. 

It gives you sense of being as indestructible as if you were in a tank.

Cossetted, the Grenadier certainly isn’t. And nor shout it be for a vehicle designed for agricultural work. That said, wind noise and road noise is much quieter than a Jeep Wrangler

Aesthetic updates to the Grenadier and Quartermaster

A new ‘Driver’s Pack’ has been added to the option list and it’s a worthwhile addition given the upgrade in interior quality.

This upgrades the standard Nappa leather to the choice of tan or black saddle leather, the latter previously only an option on the rare 1924 variant.

The back of the front seats have new storage nets for guidebooks and maps, and there’s a new rear-view mirror, which is now auto-dimming and frameless. 

Very minor exterior changes include a new headlight design – simplified with two rings – and optional 17-inch diamond cut alloys on all models.

Very minor exterior changes include a new headlight design – simplified with two rings -, optional 17-inch diamond cut alloys on all models, updated tyres to the latest generation from both manufacturers and branding on the spare wheel cover

Do the improvements mean there’s a price hike?

No – and that’s a good pull. 

The Grenadier and Quartermaster are expensive – a prime reason why they will always be a niche choice with buyers – but at least now you get an improved product which has more mass-market driving appeal than it did before for the same price.

The range continues to start from £51,930 excluding VAT for the Grenadier Commercial.

The Quartermaster pick-up costs from £62,495, while the base model Grenadier costs £62,495 as well.

The taller Trialmaster, designed for the most extreme off-road conditions, and Fieldmaster, made for exploration and escapism with a more classic, refined design, both cost £69,995.

The exclusive Black Edition starts from £71,995. There’s no limit to volume but there will be a limited production window for this model. 

Explaining Ineos’ sales performance in the UK

In 2025 Ineos sold just 263 cars. That puts Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s brand at just 0.01 per cent market share in the UK. 

It’s a contraction from 0.02 per cent in 2024 when Ineos sold 350 vehicles and represents a of year-on-year change of -24.86 per cent.

For context, Maserati sold 372 vehicles last year, Abarth sold 291, Chinese newcomers Xpeng and Geely sold 900 and 478 vehicles respectively. 

On the other end of the spectrum, BMW, who supplies Ineos with its engines, sold 122,723.

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Ineos is not shifting many cars, but when its targeted pre-launch price point of £50,000 ballooned, it was immediately out of reach of farmers and construction workers and so those sales didn’t materialise. 

As such, it became a car for the deep-pocket buyers with a penchant for country pursuits. Or adventures with a fat bank account or some serious sponsorship. And there’s only so many of them out there – or at least yet to convert in Britain.

On the other hand, North America, a majority and critical market for Ineos, has had a much more enthusiastic reaction to the Grenadier, with Ineos shifting 8,000 units in 2024. 

As a result, Ineos was targeting ‘close to 50 percent growth’ in U.S. sales in 2025. That was before Donald Trump announced excessive tariff on vehicle imports in April last year. 

It could be then that the Grenadier and Quartermaster are fine to continue as an enthusiast car in the UK, with sales propped up by a hungrier overseas markets.  

In 2025 Ineos sold just 263 cars. That puts Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s brand at just 0.01 per cent market share in the UK. It has become an enthusiast car

Cars & Motoring Verdict: Are the Grenadier updates enough to appeal to a new kind of buyer? 

You have to applaud any manufacturer who listens to customer feedback. 

The Grenadier community is a strong, fierce one and they know what they’re talking about. So, praise to Ineos for listening to them and delivering noticeable improvements.

Because the changes do improve both the Station Wagon and Quartermaster, and should make it easier for people on the fence, wanting to get something that isn’t a Land Rover, Wrangler or Land Cruiser, to be more open to the idea of a Grenadier.

You have to be less enthusiast now to buy it – but it’s never going to drive like a large, luxury SUV of the Range Rover or new Defender ilk so don’t buy it expecting that. If that’s what you’re after this isn’t your lot.

Instead, we say buy it for the hearty, true 4×4 experience it will give you. And then go find some wet and wild green lanes to enjoy it thoroughly.