Ineos Grenadier News

Modern 4x4s are packed with clever tech - but at what cost?

Ineos’ CEO Lynn Calder has scolded the European Union’s mandate banning the sale of cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE) by 2035, telling Top Gear customers deserve to be able to choose the type of car they want to purchase.

If you don't love this ute, you can give it back - but there's a catch.

The 2025 Ineos Grenadier will be exempt from having car-to-car Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) fitted as standard, despite new Australian Design Rules (ADRs) mandating all new vehicles must be sold with the safety technology from March 1.AEB works by using car-mounted radars to measure the distance between a your vehicle and the car in front. The system autonomously brakes if the distance between you and and that car suddenly starts to shorten.Ineos was awarded the exemption under ADR 97/00 on the grounds of its Land Rover Defender-inspired off-roader being classified as a Medium Goods vehicle with a GVM exceeding 3.5 tonnes, but not 12 tonnes, that is “designed for off-road use.”Asked by CarsGuide why Ineos sought the exemption, even as AEB is fitted on Grenadiers sold overseas as well as the brand’s new Quartermaster ute, an Ineos spokesperson said the technology wasn’t sought after by Grenadier customers.“In Australia at present, this category of vehicle does not have a high demand for this technology. We remain open to the possibility of adding it to our local program in future, however, this will be led by market demand. We continue to carefully review our active customer feedback alongside all government requirements to ensure we provide the most compelling and compliant vehicle.”“Exemptions are available based on specific vehicle classification and this includes the Australian-homologated INEOS Grenadier, a specialist 4x4, reinforcing our commitment to delivering the ultimate vehicle to 4x4 enthusiasts who appreciate a back-to-basics, driver-centric approach.”Toyota did not seek an exemption on its 70 Series LandCruiser, the Grenadier’s main rival, which is also classified as a Medium Goods Vehicle. It now comes standard with AEB.Meanwhile, the passenger car equivalent mandate, ADR 98/00, saw the end of the Mitsubishi ASX, Eclipse Cross, Pajero Sport, as well as the Suzuki Vitara, Ignis and Swift Sport, among others.In response to new rules, Kia moved in January to fit AEB as standard on its Picanto, Australia’s cheapest car, which starts at just $18,290, before on-road costs.The Grenadier was launched in 2022 as the brainchild of British billionaire and chemical engineer, Sir James Ratcliffe, as a no-frills, utilitarian off-roader designed to occupy the gap left in the market by the departure of the Land Rover Defender.It is built on a relatively simple box-section ladder frame chassis, with heavy-duty Carraro beam front and rear axles, paired to a five-link coil suspension from Eibach and anti-roll bars.Powering it is the choice of a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol or diesel engine from BMW, which sends either 210kW/450Nm or 183kW/550Nm, respectively, to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission pulled from a BMW 7 Series.It starts at $102,000, before on-road costs, for the 2 Seat Utility, rising to $123,600, before on-road costs, for the top-spec 1924 Station Wagon.Ineos doesn’t publish its local sales, so it is uncertain exactly how many cars the brand has sold since Grenadier deliveries commenced in 2023, although Australia is considered an important market for the brand.

New Australian Design Rules (ADRs) will begin to bite from March 1, 2025, requiring all new vehicles to be sold with auto emergency braking (AEB) systems. The rules mean major withdrawals from the Australian new-car market but they aren’t quite as widespread as you might imagine, with some manufacturers putting in the effort to keep their cars on the right side of the law. Falling in line with United Nations safety protocols, ADR 98/00 — Advanced Emergency Braking for Passenger Vehicles and Light Goods Vehicles requires the fitment of AEB, a life-saving technology that can automatically apply the brakes if a car senses an impending crash. These systems have various levels of effectiveness but the latest rule change is concerned with being able to detect other cars on the road. The systems must function at least between 10-60km/h and be able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop on a dry road from 40km/h. They must also switch on every time the car is started. This applied to new models of passenger car, light and medium commercial vehicles from March 1, 2023 and will cover all new vehicles imported into Australia from March 1.Mitsubishi is the hardest hit by the new rules, no longer able to sell the Pajero Sport off-road SUV or Eclipse Cross small SUV. The long-running ASX is also affected but Mitsubishi’s small SUV will be replaced by a new model this year.Next casualty is the cut-price Suzuki Ignis, which is not fitted with the technology. A new model, the Fronx, will replace it but probably not at its bargain price. Entry-level Vitaras will also be affected, though the brand did not respond to our query. The Porsche 718 would have been hit by the rule change, but production ceased in September with a new electric generation coming equipped with AEB. Another affordable brand slugged with the need for AEB is LDV, its cheap V80 large van is not equipped with the technology but, like the Porsche, production ended last year and all that’s left is existing stock. The entry trim T60 ute and all G10 van trims also lack AEB. CarsGuide was informed by a spokesperson that both “will meet the upcoming requirements for ADR 98/00”, with more news to share in the coming months. The Toyota Granvia people mover has also been given the chop. Onto the, perhaps unlikely, candidates that are equipped with AEB. Despite their age, these vehicles remain important sellers for carmakers, so it was clearly worth investing.There is none older than the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, over 40 years old its mid-life crisis (or glow-up) saw Toyota add crucial AEB including pedestrian, cyclist and motorcycle detection. Toyota also, a little sneakily, bumped the GVM beyond 3500kg to 3510kg in 2023. The value of this is that the 70 Series becomes reclassified as a medium goods vehicle, allowing it to dodge the latest side impact regulations that would’ve seen an imminent sales stop. The Toyota Fortuner, current HiLux and GR86 manual are all equipped with AEB that permit sale in Australia up to, and beyond, 2026.Another ageing model due for replacement is the Nissan Patrol, though the new version is not due until 2026 the Y62’s many life-cycle updates saw ‘Intelligent Emergency Braking’, an AEB system that can detect cars and pedestrians, way back in 2019.Also worth noting is the British Ineos Grenadier off-roader, the first batch does not have AEB. Cheekily, orders opened in May 2022 (before the mandate for all-new models) but customers didn’t receive cars in bulk until the first quarter of 2023, and Australian media only sampled the cars in December of that year. CarsGuide understands that all Grenadiers and Quartermasters will be equipped with AEB from March onwards.The Australian Government has launched a review into ADRs going forwards now there is no longer local manufacturing to legislate (and protect). The next big active safety ADR change (revised as ADR 98/01) is due in August 2026, when all cars sold must have AEB systems that can intervene if a pedestrian is detected in the path of a vehicle. Some carmakers, including Nissan and Mitsubishi, have called for this to better align Australia’s laws with Europe, Japan and the USA promoting greater affordability and fast-tracking of more efficient models. 

I feel like 2024 was the eye of the storm. It’s the year, which sits between a big surge of electrification, yet before our market will be hit with a big shake-up with at least 12 new manufacturers entering the fray in 2025.

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