You Can Now Buy A Supra-Powered Spiritual Successor To The Iconic Defender

What do you do when an established car company turns down your offer of their tooling for a car that they’ve just discontinued? You build your own interpretation of it!

You really only have the choice of two cars if you are after a go-anywhere offroader that is European in origin. And both of these iconic cars, the Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes G-Wagen, have been thoroughly redesigned inside out, to suit the needs of the 21st centure clientele.Whilst they are both still brutally capable off-road, there’s a sense that both JLR and Mercedes have pandered to the wants of the masses (nothing wrong, they need to turn a profit afterall!), sullying the purity of the old school, off-roading experience.

In an increasingly digital world, the chaps at INEOS Automotive have decided to create an analogue machine. A refreshing change of pace, and a bold move the buck the trend then, it seems.

BMW Propulsion

Whilst the vast majority of the INEOS Grenadier was developed in-house, the power plant was lifted from a source that is Germanic in origin. You’d soon also realise that the 3.0-litre inline six that resides under the bonnet of the Grenadier wears a familiar engine code - the B58.

Yes, this brute of an SUV has the same engine that you’d find in a Mk5 Supra, a motor that has already been proven to be capable of four digit power figures reliably and with only mild modifications - refer to the picture below!Not that we’re suggesting you heavily tune your Grenadier. This is no soft roader; it has a ladder frame chassis, permanent four-wheel-drive, three locking differentials and solid beam axles. Supremely capable when the going gets tough then, though you wouldn’t take yours on a spot of B-road bombing.

Pricing And Availability

For two reasons. The car is very clearly not designed for spirited, performance driving. And you can’t actually bring your car to a Malaysian B-road, as there are currently no plans to officially sell the INEOS Grenadier in Singapore. Still, with a strong support base for the iconic Defender locally, and with most units currently nearing the 20 year statutory commercial vehicle life cycle (most Defenders are G-plated locally), it really is only a matter of time before these spiritual successors are parallel imported.

The lowest-priced Grenadier, designated by INEOS as a commercial vehicle, starts from £52,000 (around SGD$84,000), with higher spec passenger car models starting from £59,000 (around SGD$100,000).

How We’d Spec Ours

You can't really go wrong with a retro hue, with a white roof, and a colour-contrast nosecone wrap. We've optioned our ideal INEOS Grenadier to go toe-to-toe with the new Defender and G-Class. This means all the luxury mod-cons, as well as several LTA-friendly off-road specific optional extras, just in case we'd ever want to modify our car to go deep off-road!

As optioned, the render as shown above will set you back £67,339 (around SGD$116,000). If you are a Defender die-hard in search of a spiritual Defender successor, the order books for the car have been opened, so configure yours here, and work with a reputable car importer to bring it to our shores!

Read More: New Range Rover Sport Unveiled With Epic Dam Spillway Climb

Download the Motorist App now. Designed by drivers for drivers, this all-in-one app lets you receive the latest traffic updates, gives you access to live traffic cameras, and helps you manage LTA and vehicle matters.

Did you know we have a Motorist Telegram Channel? Created exclusively for drivers and car owners in Singapore, you can get instant info about our latest promotions, articles, tips & hacks, or simply chat with the Motorist Team and fellow drivers.