Family Car Review: 2026 Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster Trialmaster

How much does the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster cost and what are the options?

The price of the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster Trialmaster is $120,000 (excluding rego, stamp duty, etc.). Both the petrol and diesel engines (made by BMW) are the same price across all versions.

The Quartermaster range includes four grades. The base Quartermaster at $107,000 comes with 17-inch steel wheels, heavy-duty utility flooring with drain valves, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and Recaro seats as standard. The Trialmaster I'm testing here is the off-road focused trim and adds front and rear differential locks, all-terrain tyres, a snorkel, front parking sensors, a load bay tub, a fixed towball with electrics, an auxiliary switch panel for accessories, a premium sound system with subwoofer, a lockable central stowage box, power heated mirrors and carpet floor mats.

The Fieldmaster at the same $120,000 price is the comfort-focused option, swapping the off-road hardware for heated front seats, leather trim, safari windows and 17-inch alloy wheels. At the top of the range, the Black Edition comes in at $123,000.

You can also get a Grenadier Station Wagon five-seat SUV from $107,000 and Chassis Cab for fitting your own tray or canopy setup (from $104,000).

All Grenadier models come with a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty.

How big is the tray of the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster?

I didn't have my full range of prams and shopping bags with me for this test, so the detailed tray space testing (shopping bag counts and pram fit results) will be updated in a future review. Join our email newsletter or follow on social media for that!

What I can tell you is that the tray of the Grenadier Quartermaster comes with a load bay tub as standard on this Trialmaster model (it's a $1,590 option on the base Quartermaster). There are tie-down points in there and grooves behind the wheel arches on both sides, which could be handy for stashing smaller items like kids' muddy shoes after sport.

As with all dual-cab utes, the tailgate comes down at children's head height so be careful when opening it with little ones standing behind the vehicle!

There are no sockets or power outlets in the tray, which is a shame for families who want to plug in a fridge or charge equipment when camping. If you need a 240-volt outlet in the tray, the Kia Tasman has one.

The rack above the tray houses the spare tyre and can also be used for tying down jerry cans or other gear that doesn't fit in the tray below.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don't want to move around while I'm driving such as my daughter's lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it's not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don't move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum's life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually measurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

How good is the storage in the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster for families?

The interior of the Grenadier Quartermaster is unlike anything else I've driven! It feels like the cockpit of an aeroplane, with rows of toggle switches and dials across the dash and overhead console. Everything is physical controls and hardly anything is hidden in the media screen, which is fantastic for parents who want to quickly adjust settings without taking their eyes off the road for too long. As long as you remember which switch is where!

In the front, there are cup holders down in the central console that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup. There's a central console box (lockable as standard on the Trialmaster) and the glove box is a good size.

There's nowhere for your sunglasses in the ceiling because the overhead space is taken up by all those wonderful toggle switches. The front visors do not have lit vanity mirrors either.

In the back, there are air vents in the back of the central console box, so rear passengers can be kept at the right temperature while driving along. The Trialmaster comes with auxiliary charge points as standard, which is handy for keeping devices topped up on long drives.

The front door bins are a reasonable size. Across the dash, air vents sit in the centre and one at each end.

How many child seats will fit in the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster?

This is where the Grenadier Quartermaster has advantages for families as its one of very few utes on sale to have anchorages for three child seats. The dual-cab has ISOFIX in the two outer rear seats. They are within plastic guides and are really nice and easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchorages for all three rear seats. You bring the seat backs forward (they're split 60:40) and the top tether anchorages are on the back of the seat backs. Having that 60:40 split makes it easier when you're installing more than one child seat in the back.

I could fit three child seats across the back really nice and easily. Which is fantastic news for families because you can't do that in many dual-cab utes anymore! Most modern utes like the Kia Tasman, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max only fit two. Other utes that can fit three across are in this handy article here.

Unfortunately legroom is tight. With three forward-facing child seats installed, you could fit a 180cm+ driver or passenger in the front.

However, with a rear-facing child seat behind the driver, I could only just fit there, and I'm 163cm tall. So if you've got more than one rear-facing child seat in the back, space in the front becomes a real squeeze.

There is a large hump in the central-seat footwell, so any passenger sitting in the middle will need to straddle that with their legs. The good news is that I could fit an adult passenger in between or beside two child seats.

How comfortable is the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster for families?

The rear passengers are kept comfortable with air vents in the back of the central console box.

There are handles above both rear doors where you can hang a toy to keep little rear-facing passengers entertained while driving along. There's also a light in the ceiling, so you can see what you're doing when putting kids in and out at night.

I have found our daughter does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it's really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON'T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a 5-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it's not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

Up front, the Recaro seats are comfortable and supportive. One thing to note is there's a large footrest underneath your left foot in the driver's footwell, which reduces the available space. Combined with a rear-facing child seat pushing the driver's seat forward, it can feel cramped even for me at just 163cm, with not much room for my left foot, so taller drivers will find it even tighter with a rear-facing seat behind them.

Heated front seats are not standard on the Trialmaster (they're a $715 option or standard on the Fieldmaster). The steering wheel is not heated either. If cold-weather comfort is important to you, the Fieldmaster trim may suit your family better.

The media system in the Grenadier Quartermaster sits on a narrow landscape screen in the centre of the dash. You navigate it using a list down the left side of the screen, and you can access the off-road display, audio, phone, and settings from there.

It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is great for accessing your phone's navigation, podcast, messaging and music apps while driving. Your vehicle speed, fuel, gear selection and temperatures are displayed on the instrument cluster to the right of the steering wheel.

Through the settings you can customise things like display brightness, volume levels, and acoustics, which is handy for families who want to dial down some of the alert sounds either for sensory kids or sensory-overloaded parents! A lot of the controls you'd normally expect to find buried in a touchscreen are on the dash as physical toggles and buttons, including climate control, heated seats (if fitted), the auto engine stop-start override, and the parking sensor button.

When you put the Grenadier into reverse, the camera image is pretty small and pixelated, which is a bit disappointing at this price. You can see the tow ball for hitching up, which is handy, and you can turn the parking sensors on and off with a button on the dash. The screen also shows a useful visual of which seats have seatbelts fastened.

How safe is the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster for families?

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster has an NB1 truck classification, which means it is exempt from certain mandatory passenger-vehicle safety features that are standard on most other family vehicles.

The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is also not ANCAP crash tested. Unlike the majority of utes sold in Australia (including the five-star rated Ford Ranger, Kia Tasman, Isuzu D-Max and Toyota HiLux), there is no independent crash test info available for the Grenadier.

The Grenadier does not have autonomous emergency braking (AEB) or lane keep assist (LKA), both of which are now standard on most competing utes. Given these are safety features that can prevent or reduce the severity of crashes, their absence is a worry when it comes to choosing your family's vehicle.

The Grenadier Quartermaster has six airbags as standard, including dual frontal, front side and curtain airbags. Most competing utes now offer seven or more airbags (including curtain airbags that extend to the second row), so families should be aware of this difference.

Safety features that are fitted include electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock braking system (ABS), front and rear parking sensors (front sensors standard on Trialmaster), and a reversing camera.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub's asleep!

What is the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster like to drive?

The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster feels like it would be much happier crawling up the side of a mountain than crawling along in school-zone traffic. This is a serious off-road machine that just happens to carry your kids to school.

Under the bonnet is a choice of powerful petrol or diesel) BMW engines that both come with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Trialmaster has permanent four-wheel drive and low-range plus front, rear and centre differential locks for really tough off-roading as standard. Ground clearance is 264mm and it can wade through water up to 800cm deep (with wading mode turned on). The whole thing is super heavy duty!

The braked towing capacity is 3.5 tonnes, so it will have no problem with a big caravan, camper trailer or boat. Payload is up to 857 kilograms. An optional 5.5-tonne integrated winch is also available for $5,395 if you're super adventurous.

The interior is a fun place to be. All those switches and dials make it feel like an adventure vehicle, and the special off-road navigation system is a good feature for families who like to get off the beaten track.

The reversing camera, as I mentioned, is small and pixelated, so you'll want to rely on your mirrors and the parking sensors when manoeuvring in tight car parks. The parking sensors can be turned on and off with a button on the dash, which is handy.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and the kids have either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful.

Additional Information:

Ineos offers a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty for the Grenadier range.

The heavy-duty utility flooring comes standard with drain valves, so you can hose the interior out after a muddy day (carpet floor mats are included on the Trialmaster if you prefer).

The Trialmaster also comes standard with an exterior utility belt, a raised air intake for deep water crossings, BFGoodrich all-terrain tyres, an advanced anti-theft alarm and immobiliser, and a fixed towball with electrics.

Optional extras include heated front seats ($715), leather trim ($3,900), safari windows ($2,900), 18-inch wheels (from $1,580), and a spare wheel lockable storage box ($525). Paint options range from standard Britannia Blue (no cost) to metallic colours at $1,520, with contrast roof and ladder frame colours also available.

Compare the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster:

The Grenadier Quartermaster is unique in the dual-cab ute market as it's more expensive than a LandCruiser 70 Series and up there with big American pick-ups like the Ram 1500, Ford F-150, and Chevrolet Silverado, all of which make even top-spec versions of mainstream utes like the Ford Ranger, Kia Tasman and Volkswagen Amarok look like bargains.

For families who need three child seats in a ute, the Grenadier Quartermaster of on a very short list of dual-cab utes that can do so.

If off-road capability is the priority, the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon is the closest competitor in spirit. It also has anchors for three child seats and but like the Grenadier Quartermaster those built 2026 onwards have no ANCAP rating. Gladiators built prior to 2026 only have a three-star ANCAP rating (80% child occupant protection) and also like the Ineos there isn't much room up front with rear-facing child seats and infant capsules installed.

With the lack of ANCAP safety rating, AEB and lane-keeping technology, that's something families need to weigh up carefully if they are considering an Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster.

BabyDrive Verdict on the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster Trialmaster

To sum up, the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster Trialmaster is a very fun and very cool family ute that does some things brilliantly and falls short in other areas that matter for families.

The big win is fitting three child seats across the back row, with top tether anchorages for all three positions and ISOFIX within easy-to-use plastic guides for the two outer seats. That's fantastic news for families, and it puts the Grenadier in a small and exclusive club of utes that can manage this.

However, the legroom with rear-facing child seats is minimal! At 163cm, I could only just fit in the driver's seat with a rear-facing capsule behind me. If your family is still in the rear-facing stage, this is something to test for yourself before committing. With forward-facing seats, there's plenty of room for a 180cm+ driver.

The absence of an ANCAP crash test rating and the lack of AEB and Lane Keep Assist are the biggest considerations for safety-conscious families. Six airbags is fewer than most competing utes offer, and the NB1 truck classification means the Grenadier is exempt from safety standards that other family vehicles must meet. For a vehicle at this price point, that's hard to overlook.

If your family lives for off-road adventures and camping trips, and you need three child seats in a ute, the Grenadier Quartermaster is worth a look. It's built like a tank, it can wade through 800mm of water, tow 3.5 tonnes, and the interior is exciting to sit in. Just go in with your eyes open about the safety and make sure you test the rear-facing legroom before signing on the dotted line.

Key Pros:

• Fits three child seats across the second row
• Top tether anchorages for all three rear seat positions
• ISOFIX within plastic guides, easy to connect
• 60-40 split seat backs make child seat installation easier
• Serious off-road capability with front, rear and centre diff locks
• 3,500kg braked towing capacity
• 800mm wading depth
• Galvanised steel body built for durability
• Physical controls for climate, parking sensors and vehicle settings
• 5-year unlimited-kilometre warranty
• Pathfinder off-road navigation for family adventures
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Key Cons:

• Not ANCAP crash tested (NB1 truck classification)
• No AEB or Lane Keep Assist
• Only six airbags (fewer than most competing utes)
• A 163cm driver barely fits in front of a rear-facing child seat
• Expensive at $120,000 for the Trialmaster
• Reversing camera is small and pixelated
• No lit vanity mirrors in sun visors
• No sockets or power outlets in the tray
• Tailgate drops to children's head height
• Large hump in central rear footwell
• Large footrest reduces driver's footwell space
• Heated front seats not standard on Trialmaster ($715 option)