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Ineos is inviting customers to purchase a Grenadier Quartermaster ute and return it within six months if they're not happy, but it is not a free refund – and has strings attached.
British off-road brand Ineos has introduced a "return and refund policy" for its Grenadier Quartermaster four-wheel-drive ute, intended to allow customers not happy with the vehicle to hand it back within six months and 15,000km.
However, it is not a straight refund policy, and customers will be on the hook for vehicle depreciation incurred over the period based on the kilometres covered in their Grenadier – or any damage beyond "fair wear and tear".
Ineos says its "usage charge" of $1500 per 1000km driven – up to a maximum of 15,000km and $22,500 – is more generous than the regular depreciation a customer would incur if the vehicle was traded in regularly.
The terms and conditions on Ineos' website show value of on-road costs such as stamp duty and dealer delivery is also not paid back to the customer – as most of these go to the government, not Ineos.
The offer does cover any genuine Ineos accessories fitted – including Norweld trays – but not the cost of non-genuine accessories.
And the brand says it will contribute up to $1500 towards covering any break clauses or penalties on finance or leasing arrangements.
An example supplied by Ineos shows that a Grenadier purchased through finance for $118,000 drive-away – accumulating 6000km on the clock – would equate to a $103,500 buy-back, a cost to the customer of $14,500.
It assumes no damage above what Ineos deems to be "fair wear and tear", and is based on $7000 in on-road costs and $9000 in usage charges not returned to the customer, but a $1500 finance break clause credit.
Justin Hocevar, Ineos Asia-Pacific region boss, told Drive the depreciation cost as part of the program – which runs separately to Australian Consumer Law – is based on how much it would cost to rent a comparable vehicle.
"We've got to be commercially savvy about how we approach it as well, we can't just sort of open ourselves up to anybody coming in, buying a car and then returning it in all sorts of condition, etc, etc," he said.
"So there are some terms and conditions ... The first thing is, there is some depreciation, but it is not based on a normal depreciation curve of new vehicle buying.
"It's basically benchmarked against what it would cost if you had gone out and hired a vehicle, a similar vehicle in this category, for that period of time.
"So if you brought it back in one month, or if you bring it back at the end of the six-month period ... what you would have forked out on renting a vehicle during that time is roughly equivalent to [the offer's] depreciation."
He said Ineos will accept vehicles back "with any of our own accessories on it. We're not interested in other people's accessories, of course."
"And if they've got any break clauses on their finance, for getting out early on their finance contract ... we'll pay up to $1500, which is pretty much at the higher end of what most people would pay to get out of their finance contract anyway."
Hocevar said the brand is handing over about 100 Grenadiers a month, but the vast majority are the wagon, not the Quartermaster.
“We really feel like we are in a David versus Goliath battle in the dual-cab market, particularly when you get into that ladder frame, solid axle part of the territory," he said, identifying the Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series as the Quartermaster's sole local competitor.
Only three four-wheel-drive utes are offered in Australia with a solid front axle – the Ineos, 79 Series, and the petrol-only Jeep Gladiator, which doesn’t offer the same towing and payload capacities as the Ineos, let alone the LandCruiser.
The Ineos Grenadier can match the 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity of the 79 Series LandCruiser, thanks to a choice of turbocharged six-cylinder petrol or diesel BMW engines matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
However, where the LandCruiser offers almost 1.3 tonnes of payload in cab-chassis GXL trim, the relatively high kerb weight of the diesel-powered Grenadier Quartermaster means its payload is up to 832kg, depending on specification.
The petrol-powered Quartermaster offers more payload – 907kg – thanks to a slightly lower kerb mass.
“Those people that are in the know, that do go out and buy them, love them,” Hocevar said of Quartermaster customers.
“Sure, they are with their quirks and their differences and character, but they really do love their vehicles. Probably in the same way that Toyota owners get passionate about 79 Series LandCruisers.”
While the Ineos Grenadier station wagon continues to sell well in the Australian market – averaging around 100 vehicles per month – the Grenadier Quartermaster four-wheel drive ute is struggling to find sales traction.
Hocevar sees it as an "awareness" issue for the Quartermaster in Australia, who says levels of enquiry for the Ineos ute are low.
“We just need to do more to let people know about it, and get it on their shopping list.”
“And because there are some very well-known and trusted players in there, there is a bit of a rite of passage to play in getting on the shopping list. And so, we are still on that journey.”
The Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series recently dropped its much-loved diesel V8 engine from the line-up, with a 2.8-litre four-cylinder engine now the sole choice.
The four-cylinder engine – shared with the likes of the Toyota HiLux and Prado – develops 1kW less power and but up to 70Nm torque than the 4.5-litre V8, despite significantly less displacement.
With four-cylinder power now the choice in the LandCruiser, Hocevar sees this ‘identity crisis’ as a good opportunity for the Grenadier Quartermaster to gain a foothold in the market.
“We want to present ourselves as being an alternative… when people can’t get that vehicle, they want six cylinders and 550Nm from a twin-turbo, then we are the one to offer it.”
Sam Purcell has been writing about cars, four-wheel driving and camping since 2013, and obsessed with anything that goes brum-brum longer than he can remember. Sam joined the team at CarAdvice/Drive as the off-road Editor in 2018, after cutting his teeth at Unsealed 4X4 and Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures. Off-road writer of the Year, Winner - Sam Purcell
