Our Ineos GrenadierS
Overview
Kelley first came across the INEOS Grenadier while researching a cap for our recently purchased 2024 Toyota Tundra. What began as practical research quickly turned into curiosity, and then something more. The Grenadier stood apart from anything else we were seeing. It felt purpose-built, unapologetically utilitarian, and designed with a very different mindset.
Over the months that followed, we kept coming back to it. We read, watched, compared, questioned, and debated. The appeal was not about luxury or trends, but about intent, durability, and a return to function-first design. Eight months later, that curiosity became ownership.
This page documents that journey. Not as a review or endorsement, but as a personal record of how and why the Grenadier became part of our lives, and how we are using it now.
How We Found INEOS
In the summer of 2024, we were vendors at the Rutland Farmers Market. Our long-time market vehicle, a 2002 Mercedes E320 wagon, had reached the point where repairs were becoming costly and parts increasingly difficult to find. Around the same time, all of our vehicles were over 20 years old, and reliability was becoming a real concern.
To support the market and daily driving, we purchased a 2024 Toyota Tundra Platinum. The goal was practical: a dependable truck that could haul our booth setup and protect our work during Vermont’s unpredictable weather. Kelley began researching caps for the Tundra and came across Dirtbox Overland, a company known for building rugged truck caps and camper systems.
While exploring Dirtbox’s work, she watched a video created by one of the owners, Jay Couch, featuring a vehicle we had never seen before: the INEOS Grenadier. That video was the first time INEOS entered our world.
About three months after purchasing the Tundra, we added the LC250. We wanted a capable SUV and a true second vehicle for peace of mind, especially if one of us needed to be away for an extended period of time. The goal was simple: two reliable vehicles we trusted, each capable in its own way, so travel never felt constrained by logistics or uncertainty.
At the time, we genuinely felt like we had our dream combination. Both the Tundra and the LC250 were capable, reliable vehicles, and owning them gave us the confidence to start imagining longer trips and broader travel. For the first time, we weren’t thinking about whether we could travel, but how we wanted to do it. Those vehicles opened the door to a new way of thinking about exploration and mobility, even though we didn’t yet realize where that thinking would eventually lead.
That plan did not last long. The LC250 lacked features we expected, even in higher trims, and it never quite felt as durable or purpose-built as vehicles we had owned decades earlier, especially a 1977 Land Cruiser FJ55 that had left a lasting impression. The LC250 felt capable, but it also felt compromised.
As I started researching camper options for the Tundra, including aluminum camper systems, it became clear that serious modifications would be required to safely carry the load. Even then, the truck would remain limited by two-wheel drive, steering constraints in four-wheel drive, and the absence of advanced traction systems.
By this point, we had watched nearly every INEOS Grenadier video we could find. The dealer was several hours away, and we had never seen one in person. Then, by chance, we found ourselves only an hour away from a dealership on a Saturday afternoon. Kelley suggested we stop.
We test-drove both the Grenadier Wagon and the Quartermaster. The Quartermaster was impressive, but the interior space did not quite work for me. The Wagon immediately felt right. Solid, intentional, and built as a true four-wheel-drive vehicle rather than an SUV with added capability. It reminded me of that old FJ55 in the best way.
At first, I walked away. We had made several vehicle purchases in a short period of time, and the idea of another trade felt irresponsible. But I could not stop thinking about it. A week later, Kelley encouraged me to at least see what the numbers looked like. The quote came back at a level I could live with, and Graham joined our driveway.
Not long after, Kelley began exploring steel wheels and larger tires for her LC250 and ran into its limitations as well. She had also fallen in love with the Grenadier’s interface, power, ride, and overall sense of durability. It became clear that if one of us was going to own a Grenadier, it probably made sense for both of us to.
That led us to Gretchen, the Quartermaster. The closest one available in our desired build was at Warner INEOS in Salt Lake City, a dealership well known for Grenadiers and their modifications. Instead of shipping vehicles back and forth, we decided to turn it into a road trip and make the experience part of the story.
What started as a practical search for a truck cap led us to vehicles that felt aligned with how we want to travel, explore, and live now. Purpose-built, durable, and honest. Not polished for mass appeal, but designed to work.
