Ineos Is Proving Grenadier Reliability By Testing It In A Salt Mine

Ineos is ready to show the world that its Grenadier SUV is as rugged as it is good-looking by sending it on an extended trial program underground in the K+S potash plant in Zielitz, central Germany. This potassium-salt mine is one of the largest of its kind in the world, extracting 45,000 tons of raw salt a day for use in fertilizer, products for industrial applications, as well as feed and food products.

At 23.5 mi² in size and with some parts reaching 1,300m below the earth’s surface, it’s the perfect place to test the durability and engineering of an off-road vehicle. Although the vehicle has already experienced 1.1 million miles of testing in conditions as high as 8,000 feet and as cold as -31 degrees Fahrenheit, Ineos wants to continue to prove it’s one of the best adventure vehicles on the planet.

A Salt Mine Is A True Durability Test

Durability testing comes in all shapes and forms, whether that be driving your vehicle for hours in 100+ degree heat or dropping your vehicle from the sky in the name of safety. One obstacle rises above the rest, having destroyed more vehicles than anything else combined, and that obstacle is salt. Every year, millions of vehicles slowly whither away thanks to our efforts to keep our roads clear in the winter, so what better way to prove your vehicle’s durability than by long-term testing it in the stuff?

Add CarBuzz to your Google News feed.

The vehicle’s ladder frame and vital components are protected by front and rear guards and a fuel tank guard. Everything has been either electrocoated or powder coated with wax sealing in the cavities to keep moisture out of all the crevasses.

A Vehicle Built To Last

When the Grenadier was conceived, the idea wasn’t to overcomplicate it like the Land Rover Defender that had inspired it. This is why it sits on a full box-section ladder frame chassis with heavy-duty solid beam axles. A two-speed transfer case with up to three locking differentials helps it to get through some sticky situations, and the powerplant is the proven turbocharged 3.0-liter BMW inline-six mated to an 8-speed auto that produces 282 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque.

Related

Limited Edition Ineos Grenadier 1924 Celebrates 100 Years Of Clothing Brand Belstaff

This limited run Grenadier gets an extra dose of style from Belstaff.

The company has taken every possible opportunity to prove the SUV’s ruggedness, and it’s ready to do the same with the Quartermaster pickup and the rest of the models that will arrive in the next couple of years. If the company is willing to send their vehicles through the wringer, you should too, so don’t forget to use them how they’re meant to be used, and not just to flip it in a few months.