An Analog Car? The Appeal of the INEOS Grenadier

Inside today's cars, buttons keep disappearing. Climate control, drive modes, and sometimes even frequently used functions are buried in menus on a giant screen. Yet there is a new car that pushes head-on against this trend. Built by the British chemical company INEOS out of frustration that "a proper 4X4 had vanished," it is the INEOS Grenadier.

Why AnalogWhy It Looks Like an "Analog Car"

The reason people call the Grenadier an "analog car" isn't simply its retro design. It's that the core controls were left as switches and levers you can feel in your hand, rather than icons on a screen. Toggle switches you can press while wearing gloves, a differential lock you engage yourself, and the solid feel of a ladder frame and beam axles. The Grenadier is a car that prioritizes the feeling of being decisively operated over convenience.

If today's SUVs speak of lifestyle through sleek curves and big displays, the Grenadier speaks of purpose through angular steel panels and exposed bolts. That doesn't mean one is more correct than the other. But when everyone is running in the same direction, there is undeniable appeal in a car that turned its wheel the opposite way.

The Grenadier's appeal lies not in being old, but in the certainty of having exactly what you need right under your hand the moment you need it.

The OriginThe Lost Defender, and a Stubborn Idea Born in a Pub

The Grenadier's story is tied to the end of classic Land Rover Defender production in 2016. Jim Ratcliffe, the INEOS chairman who loved the Defender, lamented the gap it left, and is said to have shared the idea of "then let's build it ourselves" with colleagues at his regular pub, The Grenadier, in Belgravia, London. That is also where the car's name comes from.

A chemical company building a car sounds reckless. So rather than make everything alone, INEOS chose to bring together proven partners. BMW supplied the engine, Magna Steyr handled vehicle development and engineering, ZF provided the transmission, and Carraro supplied the beam axles. Production takes place at the former Smartville plant in Hambach, France, acquired from Mercedes-Benz. In other words, the Grenadier is less a car built on romance alone and closer to a project that recombined proven automotive technology to fit a purpose.

Mechanical HeartA Car That Proves Itself Mechanically

The Grenadier's real appeal begins underneath the body. At its core is a full-box ladder-frame chassis. Rather than the monocoque most SUVs use today, it places the body on a rigid, truck-like frame. It's heavy and rough-hewn, but the way it supports the body over rough terrain is unambiguous.

On top of that, both front and rear combine solid beam axles with coil springs. You can't expect a more refined ride than independent suspension, but it still holds clear advantages in off-road traction, durability, and ease of maintenance. The heart is a BMW 3.0L inline-six turbo engine. Add a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, a two-speed transfer case, permanent four-wheel drive, and a center differential lock along with front and rear differential locks. This doesn't mean there's no electronics — it means the car's basic fitness is built first through mechanical structure.

Form Follows FunctionDesign Follows Purpose

Round headlamps, a near-vertical grille, an angular box-shaped body. The Grenadier's exterior is closer to revealing function than showing off. Short overhangs secure approach and departure angles, while a flat roof and roof rails make it easy to load gear directly. The safari windows above the driver and passenger seats, and the 30/70 split rear doors that are easy to open and close even in tight spaces, follow the same logic.

The numbers make the direction even clearer. Based on the official station wagon: 264mm ground clearance, 800mm wading depth, 35.5° approach / 28.2° breakover / 36.1° departure angles, and 3.5-ton towing capacity. These figures speak the language of a genuine off-roader rather than an urban SUV.

The Analog CockpitA Cockpit Operated by Feel

The moment the Grenadier feels most "analog" is when you sit in the driver's seat. On the ceiling sits an overhead control panel resembling an aircraft cockpit, where you directly handle the front and rear differential locks, off-road mode, wading mode, and auxiliary power switches. The switches are large and widely spaced, easy to operate even with gloved hands.

The red button in the center of the steering wheel is another Grenadier-like detail. Instead of a loud horn, it's a "Toot" button used to gently signal pedestrians or cyclists. The floor can be configured as a heavy-duty utility floor designed for hosing down, and the Recaro seats and grab handles create an atmosphere closer to a "work tool" than a "pretty SUV."

Switches that press accurately even with gloves on. This is where the Grenadier's idea of "true convenience" begins.

That said, it isn't a car that rejects its era. It also has a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the Pathfinder off-road navigation. But it draws a clear line: core controls go to physical buttons, while information and connectivity go to the screen. This selective analog approach is the Grenadier's clever point.

Tested for RealReliability Confirmed at the Extremes

Embracing an analog feel doesn't mean the testing stayed old-fashioned too. During development, the Grenadier underwent long-distance testing across a wide range of environments worldwide, and official and importer materials emphasize a test program of about 1.8 million km across 15 countries with 130 prototypes. Deserts, mountains, ice, and unpaved roads were put through repeatedly to verify the car's basic fitness.

The photos make its character even clearer. The sand dunes of the Sahara, Austria's Schöckl mountain, the ice of Sweden's Arctic Circle, the unpaved roads of the US Rockies. This is a car that cares more about "can it come back" than "how far can it go."

Who It’s ForWho It Suits

The Grenadier doesn't aim to be an SUV that's comfortable for everyone. If your top priorities are a quiet commute, low fuel consumption, and a soft ride, there are many better-fitting options. Instead, it appeals strongly to people who love trips that begin at the end of the road, who load gear on the roof and drive off-road to set up camp, and who want to treat a car as a tool.

The fact that it can be tailored to its use with accessories like a tow bar, side runners, a roof loading system, and an auxiliary battery also captures the Grenadier's character well. Rather than a finished lifestyle product, it's closer to a platform that the user completes in their own way.

SpecificationSpecs Summary (Gasoline)

ConclusionAnalog as a Choice

The Grenadier is not the fastest car, nor the quietest, nor the most efficient SUV. Instead, it pushes the idea that "a car is most beautiful when it's a tool" all the way to the end. While everyone else enlarges screens and smooths out curves, it deliberately keeps the buttons and thickens the frame. That seemingly inefficient stubbornness is this car's greatest appeal.

So the affection people feel for the Grenadier is a little different from simple nostalgia. It's not a car that imitates old things, but one that revives, in today's way, the mechanical sensation you can press with your hands and understand with your body. In an age when cars increasingly resemble electronics, the Grenadier still speaks through metal, levers, and switches. Anyone who responds to that voice will find it hard to simply pass this car by.