Brilliant Looks, With an Ugly Price Tag

Ineos has finally released their new Grenadier configurator with pricing. After what seems like years of “pricing coming soon,” we finally have an idea of where this car fits in the market. Tearing off the Band-Aid right away, I will tell you this car starts at just over $70,000. As the average price of cars climbs higher and higher every time we blink, I suppose I should have seen this coming. But the problem is that the whole identity of this car is, in their own words “…stripped back, no-nonsense workhorse that is Built on Purpose for the world.” 

I don’t think anything has ever been described as such whilst having “starting from $71,500” in the same text box. In fairness, the Defender isn’t exactly cheap either, but there is around a $10k difference between starting prices, even with the recent increase from Land Rover. To think this car was marketed as a rough and ready worker’s vehicle is unfortunate, but despite this, there is no doubt that it will sell tremendously well. 

There is a huge audience for this type of car, and with the hype around it, I don’t think the high price will deter many potential buyers. My only concern here is that the idea of stripped-back utility is becoming a luxury in and of itself, somewhat reminiscent of the ways that manufacturers like Porsche often charge more for less with their GT cars. You pay for that desired aesthetic. 

The pricing aside, I think this is a fabulous design with undoubtable capability. The beauty of this car is that it is actually impossible to configure it badly. The color options are all stupendous, with none looking out of character. I’m partial to the Eldoret Blue, which is so charming and has a bit of a throwback vibe to it. This coupled with a white contrast roof and the safari windows is absolutely brilliant. You really do have to give Ineos a round of applause for how they have thought about the way they want to present this car. 

It is certainly something of a “greatest hits” album for the world of cool off-roaders. Every color combo, every accessory or option just makes sense. They make you think you need the $90 “Heavy Duty Shovel”. Again, you are buying an aesthetic and a potential lifestyle with this car, and they present that to you in a very effective way. Even the interior does its part in this effort. Buttons and aircraft-like switches really go a long way with a car like this (especially with a compass and altimeter combo!) 

My only gripe with the car is the price, and don’t think those awesome accessories come cheap either. Expect to pay an extra $10k for those, because you will want to. My spec came out to $80,675, and I thought I was being conservative with my choices. At the end of the day, there is a clear market for the car, and I can see customers paying that extra premium over the Defender just for the classic looks. It will be very exciting to see these hit the states sometime this fall.