Ineos Grenadier vs Land Rover Discovery

What's the difference?

The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is best regarded as a charming old-school oddity in an increasingly cookie-cutter dual-cab ute market.

In the same vein as the Suzuki Jimny, Jeep Gladiator, and Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, this ute is for those of us who really like driving to be a fully immersive experience and don’t mind a few sacrifices and some discomfort along the way.

Good on Ineos for giving it a crack.

The Land Rover Discovery 35th Anniversary Edition drives beautifully, with effortless power and a composed, comfortable ride. It’s elegant and well-equipped for its price, though the technology often frustrates, and it’s not as spacious as some seven-seater rivals. Small quirks in everyday use prevent it from fully standing out in a competitive segment but it does enough to be considered.

The Quartermaster is 5400mm long (with a 3227mm wheelbase), 1943mm wide, and 2019mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2718kg and a 14.5m turning circle.

I’m always reluctant to talk about any vehicle’s design but it’s easy with something like this ute.

The Quartermaster has a distinctive look. It’s blocky, hard lines everywhere, and it’s straight up and down, old school.

Substantial side steps/runners, exterior utility belt (a integrated feature by which you can attach accessories, tools, or cargo to the Quartermaster’s exterior), and BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 all-terrain tyres on 17-inch alloy wheels add to this ute’s presence.

It certainly catches everyone's attention, for better or worse because some people like it, some people don't. I happen to be part of the mob who actually like the look of the Quartermaster and its sibling, the Grenadier station wagon, and the design pretty much works overall.

Extras like the black contrast roof, safari windows and raised air intake further set this Quartermaster apart from most other modern dual-cab utes on our roads.

The interior is somewhat spartan but well laid-out and comfortable. It has lots of controls and quirky styling to keep everyone inside occupied and while, at first, it’s all a confusion of buttons, knobs and dials, it soon takes on a more familiar feel as you become accustomed to everything.

The Discovery remains a handsome SUV. It isn’t as boxy or rugged-looking as some of its rivals, but it still carries a quiet confidence and a hint of adventure in its stance. The 35th Anniversary Edition gets a few subtle touches to help it stand out, including 21-inch black alloy wheels, roman-numeral anniversary badging and slim LED lighting signatures that give it a clean, sophisticated look.

Inside, everything feels solid and thoughtfully put together, with soft-touch materials in all the right places. Some of the trim finishes lean a little synthetic, but the leather upholstery is beautifully done and the dual sunroofs bring in plenty of natural light, which helps elevate the cabin ambience.

The 11.4-inch media display takes pride of place on the dash and looks premium, and there are enough physical buttons and dials to satisfy those who like some tactile-functionality. That said, the cabin doesn’t quite deliver that sense of occasion you might expect at this price. It’s nice, it’s just not especially distinctive.

In terms of practicality, it's pretty good news inside the Quartermaster cabin when you first climb in. As mentioned, there is a confusion of dials, buttons, knobs, everything in front of and above you. But give yourself some time to locate controls and understand how to best use them, and you'll be absolutely fine.

As alluded to in Design, the cabin looks really good but it also functions quite well as a work or travel space. Once you are underway and you have a firm understanding of everything, it all feels comfortably familiar.

There are hard plastic surfaces in the cabin, leather accents, as well as plenty of quirky styling cues around the cabin, including port and starboard markings, aircraft cockpit-style controls and more, and you'll have fun discovering those.

The floor has drain plugs and the buttons and switches have an IP54K rating (protected from limited dust ingress and water spray from any direction) with the idea being that, worst comes to the worst, you can always hose out the interior if it gets really dirty.

The Recaro seats, front and rear, are very comfortable. There's not a whole lot of room in the rear seat. You don't get much leg and knee room, especially if you are tall, but the seats are raised for optimised visibility to the front and otherwise, with big glass everywhere and safari windows, it’s an airy and useable space. 

The auxiliary battery is under the rear seat.

All in all, it's a functional and comfortable interior.

Anyway to the business end. The tub is 1564mm long, 1619mm wide (1137mm between the wheel arches) and 485mm deep. It has a sturdy tub liner, four-tie-down points, a load-space light, power socket.

The full-sized spare was located in the rear left-hand corner of the tub and while that’s not ideal and certainly doesn’t optimise the load space, it can be shifted elsewhere – on the roof perhaps – and it’s not as much of an eye-sore as the spare in the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV tub.

The spare tyre also has the optional lockable storage box ($490) attached to it, so you can throw a bit of gear inside there and keep it secure during your travels.

The Discovery’s cabin is an interesting mix - at first glance it seems to offer the right balance of space and features, but once you settle in, a few small disconnects between technology and layout become apparent.

Up front is where you want to spend most of your time. The powered seats are well-padded with long bases and excellent lumbar support. There’s plenty of room for tall drivers and passengers and elbow space is generous. The only annoyance is the heated seat function, which is buried behind the menu system and the fiddly climate dials.

The middle row highlights the Discovery’s tall-but-narrow proportions. Adult passengers can feel a little cramped side-to-side, though the flat floor gives decent leg and foot room. The third-row surprises with wider seats and deeper footwells than expected, so knees aren’t pressed against chests. Access, however, is more suited to children than adults.

Storage is abundant and thoughtfully positioned. Up front, there are dual glove boxes (one lockable), a hidden cubby behind the climate panel and underneath the sliding cupholders, a tray housing the wireless charging pad (which, in our test car, didn’t work), and the middle console fridge which is a handy touch for keeping snacks or drinks cool on long trips. The middle row gets map pockets, cupholders and bottle storage, while the third-row benefits from hinged cubbies on each wheel arch.

The boot is the standout, offering a massive 1137L when the third row is folded. Its tall and deep shape makes it practical and features like the powered tailgate, adjustable boot-lip height via air suspension, a full-size spare and a 12 volt socket round out its friendly usability.

Access is a simple step-in and step-out scenario thanks to the Discovery’s 'Auto Comfort Access' mode which, when activated, lowers the vehicle when parked. That said, the doors are heavy and need a firm push to latch properly.

Technology is a bit of a mixed bag. The media system is somewhat intuitive once you spend time with it, but newcomers may find the layout confusing. It includes sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, though in our test car, CarPlay occasionally showed music playing without sound but re-pairing my iPhone 15 Pro Max fixed the issue. The dual-use climate dials, which control temperature, fan speed and seat heating, can feel finicky, and one rear door locked itself for four days despite troubleshooting. The rear seat fold controls also worked inconsistently.

On the plus side, amenities like four-zone climate control, multiple air vents per row, and seven USB ports scattered throughout the cabin are thoughtful touches.

Since the launch of the 35th Anniversary Edition, the Discovery line-up has shifted, now trimmed to five diesel-powered grades. Originally based on the Dynamic SE, this special edition is based on the Gemini variant which is second from the top of the range.

Pricing starts from $132,090 MSRP, placing it above key rivals like the Lexus GX 550 Luxury ($112,607) and Toyota LandCruiser Prado VX ($87,400). In other words, it’s priced right in the middle of the family-luxury SUV battlefield.

Inside, you get heated and powered chairs up front with four-way lumbar, plus heated outboard second-row seats. There’s no heated steering wheel or front seat ventilation, which feels like a miss at this price point, but the equipment list remains generous. Standard highlights include an 11.4-inch media screen, satellite navigation, dual sunroofs (one fixed), wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a premium Meridian sound system.

Family practicality is well-covered with a hands-free powered tailgate, adjustable load height, full-size spare wheel, 360-degree camera system, five USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, two 12-volt sockets and directional vents in every row. You also get seating flexibility and family-friendly safety points: four ISOFIX mounts and five top-tether anchors across the back rows.

The Anniversary Edition builds further with rear privacy glass, a Wi-Fi-enabled media system (with data plan), colour head-up display, power-tilt/fold second-row seating, tow pack (including hitch receiver and tow assist), anniversary badging, black roof rails, centre console 'fridge' and four-zone climate control.

Our test vehicle also features the 'Capability Plus Pack' ($4910), which adds meaningful off-road hardware like a rear differential lock, twin-speed transfer case (high/low range), multi-terrain modes (including 'Grass', 'Gravel', 'Snow', 'Mud-ruts' and 'Rock Crawl') and a wading sensor. Land Rover’s 'All-Terrain Progress Control' (essentially a low-speed, off-road cruise control) is also included.

It offers a well-rounded feature set that keeps it competitive, though a handful of additional premium touches would elevate it to a more commanding position in the segment.

The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is available with either a 3.0-litre inline-six turbo-petrol engine (producing 210kW at 4750rpm and 450Nm at 1750-4000rpm) or a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – producing 183kW at 3250-4200rpm and 550Nm at 1250rpm-3000rpm.

Both engines are from BMW. Our test vehicle has the diesel.

This Quartermaster has an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and a dual transfer case (high- and low-range 4WD), as well as a front, centre and rear diff lock.

This is a nicely refined engine-and-auto combination, offering up a decent punch of power and torque across a broad rev range when it’s needed.

The 35th Anniversary Edition runs a hefty 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, twin-turbo diesel paired with a 48V mild-hybrid system. Together, they produce 257kW and 700Nm. It’s brisk, too, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.3-seconds, which is impressive for such a large 4WD.

Towing is rated at 3.5 tonnes and wading depth sits at 900mm, reinforcing its credentials as a proper adventure vehicle. Our test vehicle also features the 'Capability Plus Pack', which brings low-range gearing, rear differential lock and multiple terrain modes.

Not too bad for something that looks more like a school-run luxury SUV than some of its rivals.

Official fuel consumption is 10.5L/100km on a combined cycle.

On this test, I recorded 12.3L/100km.

The Quartermaster has a 90-litre fuel tank so, going by that fuel figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 730km from a full tank. However, long-range fuel tanks are available, so there’s always that option.

The 35th Anniversary Edition has a claimed combined fuel figure of 7.8L/100km, and with its 89-litre tank you’re looking at a theoretical driving range of around 1141km. In the real world, I saw 9.0L/100km - that’s with one longer highway run mixed into a week of school runs and suburban errands.

It’s a touch thirstier than I’d hoped given I wasn’t towing or carrying heavy gear, but it still sits comfortably within expectations for this segment and size of vehicle.

First things first, just to put your mind at ease – the Quartermaster is not absolutely terrible to drive on road, in fact it’s actually quite nice: planted, comfortable (on coil-spring suspension), and refined (for a ute).

It’s no surprise that a long four-wheel-drive ute does really well on-road, even if it is a heavy solid axle vehicle and not particularly dynamic.

What's also not surprising – because on paper this is an off-road beast – is that the Quartermaster is very capable off-road.

It has three diff locks (front, centre and rear), off-road mode, hill descent control and more, so it's an effective mix of traditional mechanicals and driver-assist tech. That's the dual range transfer case, but it also has electronic traction control. The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine and the eight-speed automatic transmission work well in on-road situations and it's also a clever smooth combination in off-road scenarios.

So there's plenty to like about this ute when it comes to 4WDing.

Be aware though: this is a big, heavy vehicle with a long wheelbase, so it takes considered driving to steer around – it has a big turning circle at 14.5 metres – but that's not to say those dimensions and those characteristics ruin it off-road because they don't. The Quartermaster simply requires a bit more thought when you're driving it.

If you haven't spent a lot of time or any time in vehicles like this, such as the Toyota LandCruiser 70 series or of that sort of ilk – big long old-school four wheel drive utes – then you may have a bit of an issue with the steering. It is slow, and there is a lot of play to it, especially off-centre. It does feel floaty and it takes a lot of effort and constant micro-corrections when you're driving to keep it on track and to keep it going where you want to. Put it this way: it’s not self-centred so you have to work at getting it back on track once you’ve taken on a turn.

But I like that, because four-wheel driving should be an entirely immersive experience, you should be always directly involved in the process and in this ute you are.

There’s plenty of power and torque across a nice rev range, with plenty of torque down low, which is crucial when off-roading.

And while the stretched wheelbase makes the underbody vulnerable to knocks and scrapes, especially over more severe 4WD-only terrain, the Quartermaster actually manages quite well.

Its approach, ramp breakover and departure angles – 36.2, 26.2 and 22.6 – are reasonable for something of this size and with 264mm of ground clearance and 800mm of wading depth, this ute has the measurements to cope with most off-road challenges you could throw dirt at.

Another thing I like about the Quartermaster is the fact it retains an old stubby stick, that’s working off the dual-range transfer case, to put the vehicle into low range and that's a welcome touch and a practical nod to the past, rather than a button or a dial.

As mentioned earlier, it has live axles, so there’s flex through the front and rear, although it'd be even better with a swaybar disconnect system onboard (as in the Jeep Gladiator).

This Trialmaster gets the BFG KO2s and where the standard tyres on a contemporary ute may not be up to scratch in off-roading terms, the KO2s work really well. It’s impressive what a difference decent all-terrains make, and if you want to get into the sloppy stuff, then you might consider getting some mud-terrain tyres.

So the Quartermaster is a very capable four-wheel-drive ute and there's a lot to like about it, but the issue with a vehicle like this is that people may come into it not understanding exactly how it rides, how it drives and how involved you actually have to be and the fact that there are lots of compromises, indeed some sacrifices.

You're not getting as much driver-assist technology as you get in other utes, and it doesn't drive as precisely or perhaps as comfortably as some other utes – but that's missing the point.

The Quartermaster is about that all-encompassing off-roading experience. And if you get in one of these things, you have to be all-in, ready for the bumps and the discomfort and the effort it requires but all of those things add to the appeal of this ute, rather than detract from it.

And that's a major point of difference with this ute over others in the market: in being faithful to the spirit of old-school 4WDing, Ineos has been willing to forgo those things which people have come to expect and as a result it may only draw the faithful, the committed, who are all-in for off-road adventure.

Where the Quartermaster falls short, however, is in terms of practical use because its payload is 832kg in the diesel version and that’s disappointing, especially when a 2.8-litre LC70 GXL dual-cab can cope with 1325kg.

It is rated to tow 750kg unbraked, and 3500kg braked and with a kerb weight of 2718kg it has a GVM of 3550kg and a GCM of 7000kg.

Power delivery in the Discovery feels effortless, with none of the laggy, heavy character you can get from some big diesels. It responds quickly when you need it to, whether you're merging into traffic or overtaking and always feels like it has plenty left in reserve.

Ride comfort is excellent. The adaptive suspension absorbs bumps and settles the body confidently through corners without feeling floaty or wallowy. Steering has a reassuring weight to it - not too light, not too heavy - which helps the Discovery feel sure-footed and composed on the road.

The cabin is impressively quiet, making it easy to chat with passengers across all three rows and reducing fatigue on longer drives. Visibility is generally strong and the high seating position gives a good command of the road. The only drawback is the middle-row headrest, which blocks the rear view. A digital rear-view mirror would be a helpful addition, especially when the car’s full.

Despite its size, the Discovery is surprisingly easy to manoeuvre, with a fairly forgiving 12.7-metre turning circle. Parking is straightforward thanks to a clear 360-degree camera system, although the display itself could be larger. Even in tight shopping centre car parks it never feels unwieldy.

The new Discovery hasn’t been tested by ANCAP yet and is unrated but it does come with a large suite of safety features and eight airbags which is good to see on a large 4WD.

Standard equipment includes autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitor, driver attention monitor, lane keeping aid, rear collision alert, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, speed limit warning, intelligent seatbelt warning, powered child locks, front/rear parking sensors and a 360-degree view camera system.

The adaptive cruise control is well-calibrated as it slows smoothly behind traffic and confidently builds speed again once the lane clears, without the hesitation some systems have. The only safety feature which is intrusive is the speed limit warning and unfortunately you have to slough though some menus to mute it.

There are four ISOFIX and five top-tether anchor points spread across the rear rows, which should delight families.

The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty, not the best in terms of years of coverage, but on par with the likes of the LC70.

A 12-year anti-perforation warranty – covering body sheet metal panels and chassis frame against inside-to-outside corrosion caused by defective materials or workmanship – applies to this ute.

No capped-price servicing is available and service intervals are scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs soonest, and total cost for the five years is $4626 for the diesel and $4896 for the petrol.

At the time of writing, Ineos has 25 sales and service centres, two sales-only centres and 55 service-only centres spread throughout Australia with a focus on regional and rural areas.

The Discovery 35th Anniversary Edition is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is fairly standard for vehicles in the luxury SUV segment. However, it's worth noting the Nissan Patrol is offered with a 10-year (conditional) warranty.

Land Rover offers a pre-paid, five-year service plan for around $3500, which is cheaper than paying for each service individually. Service intervals are well spaced at every 12 months or 20,400 km, whichever comes first. There are approximately 71 authorised Land Rover centres across Australia, so even if you live regionally, you should be able to service your Discovery fairly easily.