JOSHUA TREE, Calif. – Subjectively, the 2025 Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is a deeply lovable truck. It’s dripping in character, from the financial institution of cockpit-style switches on the sprint and ceiling console to the title itself. You realize you’ve obtained one thing fascinating when answering “What automobile is that?” stretches to 10 syllables. For these eager for a fair easier, extra analog off-roader than the Wranglers, Land Cruisers and G Wagens of this world present, it proudly flies its old-school flag packing entrance and rear stay axles, recirculating ball steering, excessive and low vary chosen with a sturdy shifter, and a number of locking diffs. Should you see some sand forward and really feel the necessity to flip a dial to an icon with a bit of cactus on it to get you thru, the Quartermaster isn’t your truck.
Objectively, nevertheless, the Quartermaster in all probability gained’t be your truck for a complete lot of different causes. Worth is the large one. It begins at $86,900, or $15,400 greater than the Grenadier SUV or “Station Wagon” as Ineos calls it, inevitably to the confusion of each American. You possibly can learn extra about that model in our Grenadier first drive evaluate. The rationale for the Quartermaster premium has little to do with the body and wheelbase that’s a foot longer, nor the 61.5-inch-long mattress that stretching accommodates. No, the blame goes to West Germany, Lyndon B. Johnson and chickens.
Again within the early Sixties, the Johnson administration responded to French and West German tariffs positioned on quite a lot of American merchandise, most notably chickens, with a 25% import tax. The United Auto Staff, in the meantime, needed to curtail the importation of West German-made Volkswagen industrial vans and pickups, and successfully negotiated with the Johnson administration to use the hen tax to such industrial automobiles in change for not putting. The auto trade would proceed to foyer for its utility lengthy after hen tax tariffs had been lifted on different merchandise, thereby making it a lot more durable for Japanese corporations, significantly within the Eighties, to import its small vans.
Corporations have circumvented the tax in numerous methods over time, however Ineos doesn’t really feel the necessity to take action for the Quartermaster, which is inbuilt Hambach, France, in an previous Good manufacturing unit. The result’s a pickup that’s not solely far dearer than its almost equivalent SUV sibling, however one that may simply stretch previous $100,000 with an inexpensive collection of choices. It doesn’t really feel prefer it ought to. Admittedly, there’s no different pickup of its dimension and energy supply (gasoline versus electrical) in that value vary, nor does one other off-roader of that price ticket provide a pickup mattress. Nonetheless, it’s a tricky tablet to swallow.
A minimum of right here in the USA. In Australia, the Quartermaster shouldn’t have any downside discovering houses. Its comparatively slim width and quick mattress, not-palatial crew cab and old-school off-road functionality completely match the fashionable definition of the Aussie “Ute.” Certainly, Ineos anticipates 80% of Grenadiers offered Down Below shall be both Quartermasters or the chassis cab variant we gained’t get.
The American venue chosen to showcase the Quartermaster may actually be mistaken for Australia, albeit with beige dust as an alternative of crimson, and Joshua bushes in lieu of eucalyptus. We’re tackling dusty, rocky trails simply outdoors Joshua Tree Nationwide Park, usually at an honest clip that has the sturdy Grenadier proving resilient to the vicious vibrations attributable to washboard surfaces and the stable thwacks of massive heaves.
The recirculating ball steering rack is the Grenadier’s most controversial component, a reality telegraphed by how usually the parents at Ineos appear to convey it up. There have been potential prospects who mentioned “no thanks” after giving it a attempt, little doubt discovering the useless on-center really feel, lack of self-centering and stiff turn-in disconcerting and completely completely different than fashionable rack-and-pinion techniques, usually with electrical energy help. Youthful drivers specifically, who might by no means have pushed a automobile with out EPS not to mention a recirculating ball setup, ought to discover it significantly international. In addition they might discover it novel, simply one among many throwback, analog sensations anticipated for not solely the Grenadier however off-roaders normally.
I personally didn’t discover it that massive of deal, and it’s actually not as agricultural as I used to be anticipating. The largest challenge is on-center corrections at freeway speeds, in addition to sudden turns. There was a degree whereas driving at a better velocity in convoy with different Quartermasters that the mud forward cleared to disclose a sudden right-turn and a metallic fence past. Fast choice! I yanked the wheel to the precise to be met by a wall of resistance that wouldn’t be there with different steering techniques. I muscled the two-spoke wheel even additional and more durable, whereas hitting the long-travel brake pedal. Fence prevented, worst case skilled.
So why trouble with ye olde steering? Effectively, we additionally did some mountain goating. I’ve lengthy been skilled to not wrap my thumbs across the steering wheel spoke whereas off-roading, as sudden kickback can, properly, break them. That’s a rack-and-pinion factor. It’s far much less more likely to occur with recirculating ball, and certainly, our rock-crawling stints had been easy-cheese from a steering perspective.
The throttle might be tough to modulate in such conditions, nevertheless. There’s not a lot response with preliminary throttle tip-in and the delay in response created some nervousness that I’d over-gun it and launch the Quartermaster right into a boulder. I didn’t, however finer pedal really feel or a change in throttle utility could be appreciated.
Maybe that is associated to the Quartermaster sharing its powertrain with automobiles which are nearly the other of a body-on-frame, stay axle pickup truck. The three.0-liter turbocharged inline-six is by BMW (it even says so on the hood) and the eight-speed transmission by ZF, each of which go collectively in umpteen BMWs. Output stands at 281 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque, and though the 0-60 time is estimated to be a slow-by-modern-standards 8.8 seconds, it actually doesn’t really feel as gradual as I used to be anticipating. Out on the open street, it will get on top of things neatly with ample low-end torque. The smoothness and sound you’d count on from the Bavarian Motor Works is actually current, too. That mentioned, the ZF transmission is simply too fast to upshift whereas driving at velocity uphill. In anattempt to compensate, I instinctively slapped the BMW-sourced transmission lever over to the left to pick out the Sport mode promised by the M/S marking, however found there is no such thing as a S. Solely M.
Higher than nothing, I suppose, but it surely’s a curious little bit of half-assed elements bin pilfering for a cabin that’s in any other case shockingly bespoke. All the opposite buttons, toggles, stalks, and many others. are Ineos items. The toggles specifically are super-cool, because it’s laborious to not flip the automobile on (through a switchblade-style key, BTW) and instantly flick two or three unconnected auxiliary toggles within the ceiling simply to really feel like an astronaut. I might not be Buzz Aldrin, however I play one on the way in which to Lowe’s.
Talking of such journeys, the Quartermaster mattress has a payload capability of 1,889 kilos, which is about 500 greater than a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, which is sort of clearly the closest factor in idea to the Quartermaster (though the Jeep has a special body than its personal SUV sibling). The 61.5-inch-long mattress is an inch longer than a Gladiator’s, in addition to 6.9 inches wider at its biggest level (63.7 inches). In fact, a Gladiator doesn’t have its spare tire taking on area within the mattress, which the Ineos does. It’s cleverly sunk into an indentation on both aspect of the mattress (you might stuff two spares again there should you’d like), but it surely takes up area nonetheless. The tailgate can be not damped, a standard truck characteristic these days, which means it simply uncouthly slams down.
As with the common Grenadier, there are seize handles/tie-down factors above the rear doorways, distinctive movable tie-down factors on the doorways, and out there “safari” home windows over the entrance seats. There are quite a few customization choices, together with a singular contrast-painted ladder body (there was a Quartermaster painted Britannia Blue with a Halo Pink body and Scottish White roof that was significantly cool) and quite a few equipment reminiscent of an built-in entrance winch and detachable rear winch. Ought to make for a enjoyable tug of warfare.
The cabin ahead of the entrance seats is widespread between SUV and Quartermaster, although the truck’s rear seat again is notably extra upright and it certain looks as if passengers will tire rapidly of using alongside bolt upright. Legroom is iffy, too, particularly if these up entrance take full benefit of the admittedly appreciated huge seat journey. In the event that they do, hope you want sitting cross-legged. Moreover, using the fold-flat rear seatback for storage requires you to first flip ahead the rear seat backside which in flip pushes the driving force seat far ahead. Both means, not splendid.
Different niggles embody double-sealed doorways that just about by no means shut on the primary go except you get within the behavior of slamming them. As soon as inside, there are Tesla-style devices baked into the middle touchscreen, with a panel in entrance of the driving force solely dedicated to the flip indicators and numerous warning lights that go bonkers if you interact Off-Highway mode. The touchscreen itself, which is a singular consumer interface that comes outfitted with wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, additionally washed out all through the day within the intense desert solar. Whereas its placement is sensible for a British firm making an attempt to reduce prices by not creating two completely different angled heart stack designs for left- and right-hand drive markets, there may be undoubtedly a draw back.
Finally, given the Quartermaster’s lofty hen tax price ticket, compromised again seat and the Gladiator’s lackluster gross sales in comparison with the Wrangler, it appears doubtless that the Grenadier “Station Wagon” will discover much more takers. It has simply as a lot allure (and higher rear-end seems I would add), together with the inherent advantages and downsides of Ineos’ purposeful, throwback idea. Then once more, should you’ve obtained the cash, have further room within the storage, and are already properly accustomed to paying extra tax than you suppose you must, why the heck not? The man with the Bronco Badlands down the road shall be so jealous.
