Ineos Quartermaster review

The basics of Grenadier Station Wagon and Quartermaster are the same, as are the two cars for their front two-thirds. There’s a strong ladder chassis with solid axles front and rear and, as a result, recirculating-ball steering (like in a Suzuki Jimny and Jeep Wrangler), because rack and pinion tends to provoke huge bump steer and steering wheel kickback when mated to a live axle. The engine is longitudinal – your options are BMW 3.0-litre petrol or, like our test car, diesel – mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission driving all four wheels permanently. There’s a standard low-range transfer box and locking centre differential, with optional front and rear locking diffs. But the Quartermaster’s wheelbase is 305mm longer than the Station Wagon’s, at 3227mm, while overall length is increased by 545mm by the pick-up bed to 5400mm. A chassis cab with no bed so that buyers can spec their own equipment will follow imminently. The length increase has some ramifications for the Quartermaster’s off-road credentials, which are the same as the Grenadier’s in terms of wade depth (800mm), ground clearance (264mm) and approach angle (35.5deg). But the breakover angle is down from 28.2deg to 26.2deg, and the departure angle reduced from 36.1deg to 22.6deg.

The bed itself is big enough for a Euro pallet (if you move the spare wheel), at 1564mm long, 1619mm wide and 485mm high at its maximum. The rear door is 1280mm wide and can hold 225kg when open.  The Quartermaster has a maximum 835kg payload, but that’s for the petrol variant with the lightest options. The heavier (2740kg) diesel in base form carries 760kg. But like the Station Wagon, they can all tow 3500kg.