The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster ute has been snapped wearing no disguise.
Images of an undisguised prototype have been shared on Facebook, revealing its tough looks. The car is registered in Germany, but it’s not clear where the photos were taken.
Although the front end is unchanged from the Grenadier wagon, the dual-cab body sits in front of a high-sided tub with chunky sports bars running its length.
Although Ineos has confirmed the Quartermaster name will be applied to the ute, there’s prominent Grenadier branding stamped into the tailgate.
The Grenadier Quartermaster will debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next week. It’s a big deal for the company’s Australian division – its fourth-largest market by sales so far.
The startup just started delivering its Grenadier wagon to Australians after months of delays, but for many buyers it’s the dual-cab ute that’s of greater interest.
“Its importance for the Australian market is immense… I think that we’ve got something that’s quite a unique proposition as well,” Ineos Automotive Asia Pacific boss Justin Hocevar told us last week.
Given the pricing of the wagon, the Quartermaster is likely to cost similar money to entry-level versions of the Ram 1500 in Australia. Based on what we know of the wagon, the ute should be a very capable beast off-road relative to its rivals.
The Grenadier dual-cab ute also shapes as a modern competitor to the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series dual-cab – the rugged but basic icon that’s currently off sale due to a huge backlog of orders.
“We don’t have the legacy of their story, but we’ve certainly got a big investment in high-quality equipment and I think that people have been really drawn to that,” Mr Hocevar claimed.
The Grenadier Quartermaster will share most of the same specs as the wagon – such as engines, axles, front-half panels, interior. But it will also offer a longer wheelbase and a higher payload than the wagon’s 932kg stock maximum.
Power in the Grenadier wagon comes from a pair of BMW inline-six engines. The diesel packs 183kW of power and 550Nm of torque, while the petrol has 210kW and 450Nm. An eight-speed automatic transmission and 4×4 system with low range will feature.