By John Ferronato
To modify or not to modify? That’s the question. If you’re an off-road enthusiast this is a stupid question, right? Not really when it comes to the INEOS Grenadier. Factory and dealer installed options lists are deep and cover almost all of the essential components for capable, reliable, and relatively damage-free off-roading. Like, the first mods I always do, Rock Sliders, a true off-road tire and 17-inch wheels are all available from the factory. Next-level components include a winch, roof rack and ladder and dual batteries and inverters and wiring and switches for every possible off-road light and accessory imaginable. Mine even came with a front 2-inch receiver hitch for a winch, or how about this, backing a trailer into the garage without backing.
I was perfectly happy with how my Grenadier Trialmaster, the off-roady model, came off the lot. It had everything I could ever want, but for your sake, the sake of my favorite reader, I jumped head first into researching the options for modifying these badass rigs. I sacrificed my psyche, time, and my bank account for your benefit so you can see what the aftermarket is doing to make the Grenadier even better and more expensive. I took no pleasure in the shopping, deciding, buying, or installing any of these modifications…honest. But, before we get into my specific build, it’s important to understand what you get when you buy a Grenadier and the options that are available for personalizing and modifying these rigs.
Growing Aftermarket Support
The aftermarket has rushed to the Grenadier platform and is offering some really innovative and useful stuff—ha, I almost said “kit,” good thing I didn’t, because I would of had to kill myself. The odd thing is that though there are some venerable Jeep mod companies and some usual suspect fabricators in the 4X4 community like White Knuckle and Rival that have jumped on product development for the Grenadier, most of the significant modifications are coming from the Sprinter Van guys like Owl Outdoor and Agile Off-Road. For one reason or another, many cite the fact that Sprinter Van wheels are a direct fit for the Grenadier. So they have embraced the INEOS and are really taking the platform to the next level. Any gap between the old guard manufacturers and the Sprinter Van guys is rapidly being occupied by new, younger, innovative companies like GP-Factor and LFD Off Road.
The Australians and South Africans have not rested on their laurels either and are rapidly developing bar work and auxiliary fuel tanks, sliders, and skids. Europe is even getting into the game with companies like LeTech and Black Sheep Innovations, offering innovative and quality products, though at a premium price, especially considering shipping. The list of aftermarket companies providing kit, uh oh, for the Grenadier is seemingly growing with every Google search I make, and that is exciting too.
What Options You Want and Don’t From Ineos?
First and foremost—by a long shot—are lockers. Not every truck needs lockers and the Grenadier’s capabilities find me rarely wanting, let alone needing, to engage lockers, but as a factory option, especially compared to some others, the American Eaton E-lockers are the best value-for-money option I have ever seen from any car company, ever. Contrasting the lockers is the factory Red Winch; it’s expensive and has substandard usable rope length. Long story short though, the Red Winch is awesome; there are less expensive, better options from LFD’s Warn Winch-compatible mount to GP-Factors’ fantastic hidden winch that retains all of the Grenadier’s factory bumper parts and aesthetic, but gives you more usable rope with a quality winch by ComeUp.
“Safari Windows,” doesn’t that sound like something you just have to get. Well, not really; they are cool and well executed and very useful if you’re in an African game preserve that doesn’t allow you to get out of the car while viewing wildlife. But they are an expensive option with little practical use in North America, and I’ve already covered mine up with insulated quilted canvas covers by the Overland Gear Guy. They haven’t been removed since.
The INEOS Rock Sliders are a true slider and do everything a slider should do. They can be dealer installed and are reasonably priced. Aftermarket solutions are worth a look, because for about the same money or a bit more you can get sliders that are biased to your preferences like more ground clearance with the Agile Off-Road offering or the various designs by White Knuckle, like the ones I have installed that provide maximum panel protection and double as a generous step for accessing the roof.
Light ‘Em Up
Lighting is a good-news-bad-news story. The factory “off-road lights” are kind of a joke. They are not very bright, and you have to have be in off-road mode with various off-road elements deployed—probably to be compliant in some country or state, I don’t know—but they are lame for the most part. The fact that the Grenadier’s headlights are exceptional only makes the off-road lights lamer.
Good news is standard “Auxiliary Charge Points” are adequate for most of us normal people wanting to add a driving or fog light. If you are less than normal with the “Highload Auxiliary Switch Pannel” that isn’t cheap but worth every penny, you can turn night into day while stationary at camp or moving on down the trail. The Grenadier’s electrics are extremely well thought out and more useful than I ever expected, making it just plain simple to add lights, inside and out.
Everything else is pretty standard and personal preference stuff, like, leather or cloth, heated or not seats, compass and altimeter. But one option is very surprising, and for this car when you think about it is probably pretty unnecessary, but nevertheless available, and that’s carpet. Yes, carpet is a $285 option. Sir Jim, seriously? Standard you get a heavy rubberized mat system easily that easily removes for pressure washing, and access to the bungs strategically located in the floor so you can hose out the interior of the car. Yes, INEOS will tell you you can judiciously hose out your car.
