The Ineos Grenadier is rolling up to dealerships to troll Land Rover
The world loves a good grudge match. And Ineos knows it. Ineos is an automotive startup founded by fans of old Land Rovers who are unhappy with the latest Defender. So they designed their own. Now, Ineos is publicly challenging Land Rover–at Land Rover dealerships.
What the truck is an Ineos Grenadier?
Ineos is a multinational chemical company crossing into the automotive world. Its based its first vehicle on the outgoing Land Rover Defender and bought an engine from BMW. The name “Grenadier” is borrowed from the pub where the founders first hatched the idea.
While technically impressive, the latest Land Rover Defender redesign looked far too posh for many hardcore fans. One such fan was Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos Chemicals. He and company decided to take a swing at a better modern Defender. Head of Design Toby Ecuyer penned a modern take on the classic, boxy Defender. The Ineos has a grille reminiscent of a G Wagon. Under the hood is a 3.0-liter, turbocharged, BMW I6. Customers can order gasoline or diesel variants.
What’s the beef between Ineos and Land Rover?
Ineos is still very much a startup. So while it might list the current Defender as the Grenadier’s main rival, Land Rover would probably ask, “Ineos who?” So with its latest ad campaign, Ineos is bringing this “rivalry” right to Land Rover’s doorstep.
Ineos posted to X (formerly Twitter) “In the age of soft-roaders and jelly mould cars, it was about time we let people know that the Ineos Grenadier is different.” The post includes an image of a Defender and Grenadier parked nose-to-nose. The Defender looks pristine, the Ineos is covered in mud. The caption? “Let’s take this outside.” But Ineos didn’t limit its campaign to the internet. They actually took it outside.
In the age of soft-roaders and jelly mould cars, it was about time we let people know that the #INEOSGrenadier is different. Time to stand out. #BuiltForMore pic.twitter.com/CbZagHPWcC
— INEOS Grenadier (@INEOSGrenadier) April 7, 2025
Next, Ineos bought huge billboards and plastered them with the image. Did “soft-roader” drivers waiting in traffic get the point? Perhaps. But Ineos decided to shift its feud with Land Rover into overdrive.
Ineos built its own billboard, atop an aluminum trailer. Then it hooked the trailer to a mud-covered Grenadier. Finally, it began parking the rig in front of Jaguar / Land Rover dealerships. That’s right, the Ineos Grenadier is rolling up to Land Rover’s doorstep to troll the Defender.
I imagine Land Rover employees aren’t thrilled with the move. There may be heated exchanges, demanding Ineos move these billboards. But if the Grenadier in question isn’t on private property, Land Rover salespeople will have a hard time forcing it to move. We’ll have to wait and see if Land Rover can muster a snarky comeback. In the meantime, you can see a review of the Ineos Grenadier in the video embedded below:
