The INEOS Grenadier is put to the test in the most extreme conditions: 1,300 metres below ground

The INEOS Grenadier is becoming one of the most demanding off-roaders on the market. Its designers have made sure that it is capable of operating in the most extreme terrain and carrying its occupants to the most unexpected places. That is why it has now been put to the test under very special conditions.

To demonstrate all its capabilities, the INEOS Grenadier has travelled to the K+S potash mine in the municipality of Zielitz, in central Germany. These mining facilities will subject it to extreme conditions, and it will have to prove that it can withstand the harsh conditions not only of the terrain, but also of the environment it breathes in there.

The environment inside the mine is extremely salty, which means there is a high rate of corrosion that the bodywork as well as the rest of the vehicle’s components must resist. Every day around 45,000 tonnes of salt are extracted, so you can imagine the pace of work and the demands of the site.

The mine covers an area of 61 square kilometres and has a depth of 1,300 metres. To move across this hostile terrain, the Grenadier comes with a very robust standard protection, but it has also been prepared with an electrophoresis treatment, wax sealing of all the existing openings in the bodywork, and an electrostatic paint coating on the exterior.

This test adds to all the others carried out with the off-roader. The INEOS Grenadier has covered 1.8 million kilometres, across places where it has faced temperatures as extreme as 35 degrees below zero. It has also been put to the test climbing large mountains, including the Schöckl mountain in Austria.

The version taking on this test uses a 3.0-litre turbocharged engine, with an original six-cylinder inline configuration BMW. There are other variants of the model, such as the Grenadier Station Wagon, the pick-up Quartermaster and the Quartermaster Chassis Cab. All of them will be manufactured at the Hambach plant, in the French department of Moselle.