One wrong move – about 30cm to the right – and it’s a 200m free fall down to the jagged rocks below. I’m not going to lie, I’d be feeling a whole lot less comfortable if I wasn’t behind wheel of the new INEOS Grenadier Quartermaster – a car built specifically for arduous terrain.
I’m currently up a mountain somewhere in the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. The reserve – a protected world heritage site – is as beautiful as it is brutal. Aside from dirt roads that wind up the faces of cliffs, I’m told that it is home to 20 percent of Africa’s plant species, as well as the suitably perilous wildlife including the Cape cobra, mountain zebra, red hartebeest and its most famous residents, baboons (Editor: Baviaanskloof translates to “valley of baboons”). When it comes to testing the mettle of INEOS’ new off-roader, there might not be a more suitable place on Earth to do so.
INEOS is a relatively new car marque. If you are yet to hear of it, you might be more familiar with its owner – the British billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliff, who recently bought a controlling stake in Manchester United. The story has it that while enjoying a pint at the Grenadier pub in London, Ratcliff was bemoaning the lack of a truly functional, no-nonsense, utilitarian 4X4 in today’s car market. So, he went and did something about it.
With more than enough wealth generated from the vast scale of his multinational conglomerate, INEOS, Ratcliff hired some of the best minds in the business, bringing together British designers and German engineers to create INEOS Automotive. Production started in Hambach, France, at a site formerly owned by Mercedes-Benz. The company rolled out its first vehicle in 2022, the aptly named, INEOS Grenadier.
I am not in that car. Two years on, I am sitting in the second variation of the INEOS Grenadier: the Quartermaster – a twin cabin pick-up that is a foot longer in length. Named for the British military rank of a regimental officer whose responsibilities include conduct, discipline, looking after supplies and administering the barracks, this was built to be tough. Seriously tough.
Coming in three variations of trim: Standard, Trialmaster and Fieldmaster, each is equipped with a BMW-sourced B58 inline-six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, that produces 280hp with 450Nm of torque. The eight-speed ZF gearbox also comes from BMW, the breaks from Brembo and the seats from Recaro. As chunky as it is, it can still hit a top speed of 160kph.
The Quartermaster has two drive settings: Off-Road and Wading – both of which are activated from the overhead panel, just like an aircraft. I can vouch for both, in particular the Wading, which was used to cross through several rivers. Although the specs state up to 80cm we certainly pushed it to 100cm and in pitch dark.
We could not think of a better vehicle to conquer some of the most challenging yet exciting roads in South Africa, but the Quartermaster with its unique utilitarian character. For those who may want a more refined experience, the Arcane Works by INEOS is a division that creates limited edition personalised hand-finished 4X4s for the discerning off-roaders. But for those wanting to revel in the joys of what a real purpose-built beast feels like, this is the one.