This New SUV Pickup is an Incredible, Retro-Inspired Off-Roader

The story of upstart automaker Ineos begins with beers in a pub. (Talk about our kind of car company.) Apocryphal or not, apparently the billionaire owner of a multinational petrochemical corporation called Ineos loved the classic Land Rover Defender, but hated the revamped plasticine Defender that Land Rover debuted in 2020. So just like any rational-minded executive would, Jim Ratcliffe decided to sink his money into a brand-new car company that builds retro-inspired trucks.

The newly formed Ineos Automotive then released the Grenadier just a few years later, as an SUV named after that very same pub. The controversial Grenadier’s upright and boxy design clearly harked back to the original Defender, and its solid front and rear axles combined with a steering system that does not return to center—leaving even grizzled off-roading enthusiasts absolutely baffled by how to classify this new “old” truck.

Now throw in an interior with an aerospace/nautical aesthetic, rugged switchgear, and even a courtesy “toot” horn. All this in an era when the new Defender switched to independent rear suspension, electronically controlled drive modes that make four-wheeling functions accessible only via a massive touchscreen, and even computerized air springs that can individually push the tires down to regain grip. Suffice to say, the contrast of Ineos versus Land Rover could not be more stark today.

In fact, the Grenadier might drive too much like a truck for too many modern consumers, but I learned to drive behind the wheel of heavy-duties, so maybe the Ineos engineering brought out some of my early latent preferences. Because for true off-roading, I found the steering works absolutely perfectly. Just point and shoot, and the Ineos goes there. And I dig the functionally straightforward interior design, though I can of course admit that highway driving to and from a trailhead lacks the confidence of most modern machines, due in large part to that unusual steering system.

Related: This Is the Ultimate Overlanding Upgrade for Off-Road Aficionados

Following a Tried-and-True Recipe

But now, the second Ineos model takes the Grenadier SUV, stretches the wheelbase, and adds a short pickup truck bed. Think Gladiator versus Wrangler, which made a major improvement to that iconic Jeep’s driving dynamics. Much like the Gladiator, the Quartermaster’s 12-inch longer wheelbase adds significant stability while driving at higher speeds. Off-road, the same suspension setup makes for a supple and compliant ride, without sacrificing body roll or causing any additional loss of confidence. Note this is not a high-speed desert flyer, though, because that’s very clearly not what Ineos believes customers want. Instead, this truck perfectly caters to safari-style adventures and camping in the modern overlanding type of exploration.

Unlike the Gladiator, the Quartermaster also comes with the same outstanding interior as the Grenadier, which makes this British pickup far nicer to actually live with. At six-foot-one with long limbs, I fit in the driver’s seat quite comfortably, with plenty of head and legroom—plus a good view of the small but sufficient 12.3-inch touchscreen, on which I ran OnX Offroad via wireless Apple CarPlay.

In town and off-road, I appreciated the excellent visibility out over the hood, which so many modern behemoths of the pickup truck world entirely sacrifice in the name of bold front grille designs. And overall, the Quartermaster’s exterior proportions change enough to allow the truck to look lower and wider than the SUV’s more upright posture. I prefer the design, without a doubt, and the Quartermaster attracted much more attention than any Grenadier I drove previously. 

Pulling into a state park, one of the park rangers even did a slow walkaround taking in all the details—same for a pair of Cybertruck bros as I unloaded my dirt bike later on in the day. Somehow, more people seem to know about Ineos now. Maybe popular recognition has grown over the past couple of years, or maybe the Quartermaster just turns heads because Americans prefer pickup trucks anyway.

Pros and Cons of a Pickup

That exterior features all kinds of available accessories to bolt onto roof rails and door panels, in prototypical safari Defender fashion. Just don’t ask about the multiple lawsuits that Ratcliffe has faced from Land Rover, all of which Ineos has won—so far. And don’t ask Land Rover about Ineos’ recent advertising campaigns that specifically poke fun at the new Defender. At least these billionaires at play are more entertaining than Elon Musk trying to overcompensate for the conceptually flawed—and realistically even more flawed—all-electric exoskeleton Cybertruck debacle.

Speaking of corporate relations, the same BMW-sourced B58 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission powers the Quartermaster, too, providing plenty of torque and smooth shifts throughout the rev range. So this truck gets up to highway speeds no problem, and then can now hold a steady line with ease. I actually adjusted to the unusual steering much quicker this time around, perhaps thanks to this being the third Ineos I’ve driven, but I give as much credit to the Quartermaster’s longer footprint.

As a plus, the stretch also makes speed bumps smoother, though in fairness, whether the extended wheelbase helps or hinders during any serious off-roading depends more on the trail itself due to sheer physical geometry. Sharing the front end with the Grenadier keeps the Quartermaster’s approach angle the same, at 36.2 degrees, but the stretched wheelbase results in a breakover angle of 26.2 degrees (versus 28.2 for the SUV) and the tail of the bed stretches out further than the Grenadier’s rear bumper, reducing the departure angle from 36.1 to 22.6 degrees.

The solid axles articulate fairly well, but without disconnecting sway bar(s), it’s still easy to get a wheel (or two!) off the ground. Aftermarket kits exist by now, but for serious rock crawling, the Grenadier SUV will work better—that’s not really the point, though, and I found the Quartermaster pickup handles most situations with more steadiness than the SUV. I never dragged the tail because I stayed away from those kinds of steep climbs and chose my lines with purposeful care. But I’d still step up a size from the stock 265/70R16 tires, which translates to a big 31-incher, since at least a 33-inch which should fit without rubbing—and from BFG’s venerable K02 all-terrains to the new, and spectacular, K03s.

Without revisions to the components, the longer pickup truck’s turning radius does increase versus the SUV, which makes for more of a difference in town while trying to navigate parking lots than it does off-road. And the short bed actually measures wider than it does long, at 61.5 inches long and 63.7 inches wide. This allowed my full-size dirt bike to just barely squeeze in diagonally, despite Ineos clearly forgetting about the spare tire situation until the last minute, which means that the Quartermaster ships with a full-size spare in the truck bed. Packing a weekend’s worth of camping gear should still fit fine without stressing the 1,889-pound payload rating. Total legroom also makes the backseat a little vestigial, so I’d save it more for secure interior storage volume in this case than long-distance passenger comfort.

Living the Retro Dream

I strongly suspect that Ineos will also produce a short cab and long bed version eventually, though much like the diesel versions sold abroad, whether that ever arrives in the United States seems fairly unlikely. If so, I might even put in an order personally, and find either a box or a rack for the bed to up the pickup truck utility and overlanding credibility—not to mention moving the spare tire out of the bed.

That is, I’ll place an order if the next few years prove both the Grenadier and Quartermaster can reliably take a beating. The purposeful simplicity that Ineos baked in should help, and same for the BMW powertrain. By the time I might want to make a purchase, we should also know how well Ineos as a brand stands behind the company’s 5-year 60,000-mile warranty, too. So far, I’ve already noticed a marked improvement in build quality, as this Quartermaster rattled less on the inside than either previous Grenadier, with less wind noise intrusion as well as smoother panel gaps on the exterior.

For effectively a startup, Ineos priced the Grenadier and Quartermaster surprisingly low. It’s definitely not cheap, but still closer to the Jeeps than a Mercedes G-Wagen—just about the only other true comparable on the market today. Quartermasters recently jumped up to a new starting price of $92,900 but that may change in the near future depending on the existing chicken tax and whether potential tariffs evaporate, since Ineos builds the trucks alongside the Grenadier in the former Mercedes-Benz plant at Hambach, France. Much like the classic Land Rover Defender, hopefully the tariff situation falls by the wayside, leaving the Quartermaster free to fulfill Ratliffe’s ale-induced fantasy of a new era of simple, retro off-roading pickup trucks.

2025 Ineos Quartermaster Specs

• Engine: BMW 3.0L, straight-six
• Transmission: 8-speed automatic with manual overdrive
• Horsepower/Torque: 282 hp/332 lb-ft
• 0-60: 8.5 seconds
• MPG: 15 city/15 highway
• Price: From $92,900

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