WE ALL HAVE KNOCKED BACK a pint at the local bar while mulling how to build a better car than the one in our driveway. Daydreaming about perfecting cars is universal, but Jim Ratcliffe apparently takes it more seriously than most. He's the British billionaire who tried to buy the tooling for the Land Rover Defender (the old one, not the new one) so he could update it to meet modern regulations. When Land Rover passed, he did the costliest "Hold my beer" we've ever heard of and created the Ineos Grenadier.
It looks familiar. From some angles, the body-on-frame Ineos is all Defender 110 (again, the old one). From others, it screams G-wagen louder than an influencer upon being asked, "What's the first thing you're gonna buy with all of that YouTube money?" The Grenadier has a 115.0-inch wheelbase, five seats, and, in Fieldmaster trim, two standard safari windows that can vent open or be removed, should you want to eliminate the security that glass offers while you take in Serengeti wildlife. The base version of the Grenadier starts at $73,100, less than half the starting price of a Mercedes-Benz G550 and about 10 grand more than the least costly new Defender 110.
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AN AMERICAN TOURING SCOTLAND IN AN ENGLISH CAR BUILT IN CHINA
In Dornbach, Scotland, Kitman walks past a modern MG and a Morris Minor, its distant relative. From left: Motoring through the Scottish Highlands; lobster traps in Dunbeath; taking on electrons at Gridserve; traversing the North Sea coast.
THE MAD SCRAMBLE
AN 814-HP V-12 THAT SCREAMS TO 9400 RPM IS JUST THE START OF THE INTENSE EXPERIENCE THAT IS THE LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO.
2022 Rivian R1T
This EV pickup proves to be E-Z to live with.
Spite Defender
Ineos Grenadier HIGHS: Dapper off-road style meets genuine off-road capability, wonderfully smooth powertrain, built like a brick outhouse. LOWS: Incessant warnings, sloppy and slow steering, noisy on the highway.
The Revivalist
The Nissan Murano emerges fresh-faced and revitalized from a long-overdue redo.
ELECTRICAL CONNECTION
The Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, and the Hyundai Sonata all take different approaches to hybridization, but which one does it best?
The Achilles Kneel
Mercedes-Benz W123 wagons doing the Carolina Squat can get their droopy self-leveling rear suspension back up to snuff courtesy of a Californian.
Dollars to Donuts
Despite the high cost, automakers are still drawn to racing.
G to the Power of E
Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology HIGHS: Quicker than the old G550, improved handling, better braking. LOWS: Cubist shape torpedoes highway range, cramped inside, dorky name.
The Best Odds
The cars I recall most fondly were neither the prettiest nor the quickest. Certainly not the most expensive. They were machines that emerged willfully peculiar and intractably idiosyncratic.
