The dust was still hanging in the air when we pulled into Moab’s rodeo stadium. Ahead of us were row after row of Grenadiers and Quartermasters—bone-stock, lightly kitted, and fully built. We’d just made the thousand-mile sprint from North Idaho to be here, and this was the moment we realized it was worth it: the Ineos Grenadier Oktoberfest, the largest Grenadier gathering yet.
Two days earlier, our friend Alex from Buzz Overland had called from the UK. He’d planned to be at Oktoberfest himself, but after breaking his foot, he couldn’t make the trip. His Grenadier was parked at our place, his entry spot confirmed. Rather than let it sit out the event, he offered it to us. It was last-minute, but we didn’t hesitate. Forty-eight hours later, we were rolling into Moab just in time for Thursday night’s cutoff, joining a sea of rigs and a community still in the making.
The Road South
It wasn’t our first time behind the wheel of a Grenadier. On our 2023-2024 Trans-Africa trip, we’d driven one in Botswana and South Africa. But this was the first time we really lived with it—long highway stretches, technical trails, and camping with it for multiple nights along the way. It gave us the full picture: not just how it drives, but how it works as a base for real-world adventure.
The highway was the first surprise. Purpose-built 4x4s often punish you on long drives. Not here. The Grenadier simply cruised—quiet, composed, comfortable even at 80 mph. A thousand miles later, we stepped out with far less fatigue than expected.
Moab brought the real test. Over the weekend, we tackled Hell’s Revenge and Fins and Things, trails that expose weaknesses fast. The Grenadier didn’t flinch. It climbed, gripped, and stayed planted in terrain that makes even seasoned rigs work hard. We dropped down 32-degree descents and leaned into 28-degree side tilts without that unnerving tippy feeling. It was capable, confident, built for this.
That said, the Grenadier isn’t without quirks. The first time we tried to engage off-road systems such as diff locks, low-range, and modes, we fumbled. Buttons often require holding for two seconds, then pressing again. At first, it felt frustrating, especially when we were out of cell service. But over the weekend, it clicked. Once you learn the logic, it becomes second nature. It’s not a rig you can judge from a short test drive; it takes time to appreciate.
Yes, its silhouette is a nod to the Defender. But much like the Land Rover Series once borrowed from the Willys Jeep before evolving into something new, the Grenadier is carving its own path. A blend of utility and refinement, with echoes of a Defender, a G-Wagon, and a 76 Series—but undeniably itself.
Six times on the trail, strangers stopped us to ask: “What is that?” For a truck not yet a household name, that curiosity alone speaks volumes.
The People Behind the Truck
What impressed us just as much as the rigs was who showed up. INEOS didn’t just send vehicles—they sent the people who built them, including Vice President of the Americas George Ratcliffe and Hans-Peter, one of the lead engineers and employee number two. Alongside them were INEOS operations and customer service teams. They weren’t there to stand on a stage; they were there to connect.
Instead of the polish you expect from an auto executive, George spoke candidly about the realities of launching a new automaker—the steep learning curve, the setbacks, and the drive to keep moving forward. What gave his words weight was the life behind them. His family has run the Namibian coast, crossed Southern Africa in Grenadiers, and even tackled pole crossings on foot. The Grenadier wasn’t conceived in a boardroom—like all good ideas, it was born in the pub, sketched on the back of a beer mat, shaped by people who actually live the kind of adventures they’re building vehicles for.
That authenticity was unmistakable, and it matched the spirit of the weekend.
A Community in Formation
Walking the rows of rigs and trails, you could see the mix. First-time trail drivers parked next to globe-trotting veterans. Some had just picked up their Grenadiers; others were already kitted for international journeys. Around the campfires, none of that mattered. What bound them together was belief in a new vehicle and excitement for where it could take them.
Compared to traditional expos, Oktoberfest felt raw and personal—less about products, more about people, less transactional and more connective. It didn’t feel like a sales pitch. It felt like the start of a culture.
Looking Ahead
The Grenadier is still young. But Moab proved it’s already more than a vehicle—it’s a movement. To gather 150 rigs this early on is no small feat. To do it with leaders who are listening as much as they’re talking is rarer still.
Next year, the Grenadier Oktoberfest shifts east to Tennessee with new terrain, new trails, and another chance to grow the culture that’s beginning to take root. If Moab was the proving ground, Tennessee will be the next chapter in a story that’s only just beginning.
Final Reflection
We don’t own a Grenadier. But we’ve been following the story for seven years—back when it was just a rumor in Houston, whispered at the INEOS chemical plant. Since then, we’ve seen it in Africa, driven it across 2,000 miles of American highway, camped in it under desert skies, and watched it grip the slickrock of Moab.
When I first climbed inside, I wasn’t sure I could fully get behind it. At $85,000, I expected something closer to a Range Rover or Lexus-level interior. But that’s not what the Grenadier is trying to be. There is no push-button start or luxury veneer, just mechanical honesty and raw capability, built on a platform designed to go the distance. It took me a little time to see it, but the Grenadier isn’t here to be compared, rather to be understood. It isn’t borrowing a legacy, it’s building one that is uncompromising in design and rooted in adventure—and it’s only just getting started.
The next Ineos gathering in Moab will be in spring 2026, registration is open.
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Images: Mary Hannah Hardcastle
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