As a general wellbeing precaution, I try to avoid the UK between early October and late May and, in almost two decades of being an expat, there has been only one event sufficiently irresistible to break my own self-imposed rule – the global launch of the Ineos Grenadier. 

Getting a first steer of this deeply intriguing new 4×4 in 2023 meant leaving the height of the Australian summer and travelling to Scotland in January, facing sub-zero temperatures and – the part everyone forgets – seven hours of daylight. But it was absolutely worth it to witness the arrival of one of the most dedicated off-road vehicles in decades. 

At the time, I was reminded that the pinch of arctic air, frozen toes and the palpable depression of sunset at 4pm were the main reasons I left this hemisphere all those years ago. But I was happy to tolerate the discomfort in the knowledge that the next time I drove a Grenadier it’d likely be blasting across an arid Australian desert or some idyllic white sand beach closer to home following its local launch.

So why is it that I’m at the wheel of the new Grenadier Quartermaster, heated seats blasting and watching its digital gauges tell me I’m heading up as steeply as the temperature is plummeting? Since it arrived Down Under, we’ve thoroughly examined the Grenadier and explored its breadth of ability as a recreational vehicle, and each time we take it for a steer it impresses with amazing standard equipment, unquestionable off-road ability and gorgeous driveline. But Ineos says its vehicles transcend the usual freedom machines and weekend warriors and is putting that claim to the test in one of the most extreme environments in the country.

About 1800m above those balmy beaches I was hoping for, Mount Buller provides one of the country’s premiere ski resorts to the backdrop of stunning scenery, perched at the ceiling of the Victorian High Country. Make the trip at any time of year and you’ll be spoilt by stunning views, excellent trails and some of the most unique and precious nature anywhere on the planet. But there are two sides to this mountain and in minutes, the awe striking beauty can turn into a savage, exposed environment that spares neither man nor machine.

Why Ineos brought the Grenadier to Mt Buller

That’s why, for about two years, Ineos has based a fleet of Grenadiers at the top of the world for one of the most honest and inescapable stress tests any aspiring rugged off-roader could imagine. And that’s why I’m here… in another Quartermaster.

Two Grenadier ‘wagons’ joined the Mt Buller team in late 2023 and when the Quartermaster utes launched in 2024, a brace of the dual-cabs were sent up the mountain to double the fleet. Since then the four fourbies have been earning their keep, not by simply ferrying sauced-up VIPs from one apres ski to the next (don’t worry – they do that too), but at the white-coal face working hard to keep the chairlifts humming, the snow cannons blasting and the lights on at one of Australia’s loftiest villages. 

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The altitude is where it begins and ends up here and although Buller’s 1805m summit might be the third highest peak in Australia – and comparatively tame by global comparison – the effects are far from negligible. At that height the air contains 20 per cent less oxygen than at sea level, temperatures have a habit of fluctuating wildly and can occasionally dip below minus -10°C, while the wind-chill strips the perceived temperature back to as little as three times lower. When the sun does come out, the relatively thin atmosphere and low humidity filter out less UV than in surrounding low lands so the attack of cosmic rays on people and things is ironically more brutal than many might expect. And the fleet of Ineos Grenadiers have to perform their duties in all of it. 

There’s no such thing as an average day on Buller and what might seem like routine duties to any of the mountain staff here would make for a very unorthodox set of circumstances in many other settings. My visit coincided with the final days of preparation for the 2025 ski season and the mountain was teeming with activity, not least from the Grenadiers. Over the previous weeks they had been hard at work toiling to get everything ready for the influx of snow bunnies which can peak at 10,000 in the various resorts, cafes, shops and restaurants on a single weekend, and as many as 450,000 over the full winter season. 

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There’s a serious amount of kit to move up here: lift assemblies weigh half a ton and get hauled up to the lifts in the back of a Quartermaster along with the wheels, axles and bearings to recommission the lifts after their summer slumber. There are nearly 300 snow guns on the mountain and a train of up to five can be hooked up and towed into place by a single Grenadier, while the hefty high-track cable equipment vital for servicing the 20 chair and T-bar lifts is no problem for an Ineos, says Mount Buller mountain operations manager Nick Reeves.

“We haven’t had the opportunity to do that before because the cars wouldn’t take the weight or get there,” he says when recounting previous operational vehicles. With 43 winters and summers spent on the mountain, the former landscaper (with tenures in French cuisine and the music industry) has seen it all at Buller… except for a vehicle quite like the Grenadier, he claims.

“I’ve seen a lot of car sponsorships on Mt Buller but I’ve never had a company approach us saying we want these cars specifically to be worked. Normally they go to the general managers, directors and marketing, but these guys were serious and they wanted the cars to be operational.”

How the Ineos Grenadier handles every task on Mount Buller

And operate they do. While the snow may melt and the chair gondolas pack away, the mountain is alive with visitors all year round and when Nick’s team isn’t battling cold conditions with the Ineos, the warmer months bring revegetation tasks, conservation work and even fire-fighting.

When they’re not loaded up with masses of frozen metal machinery and parts, Reeves converts one of the Quartermasters into a wildfire first-response vehicle complete with either 500L or 1000L water tank and all the associated pump and hose gear. Unlike the dedicated fire trucks stationed on the mountain, the Ineos is lighter on its feet, faster and more agile, reaching anywhere indiscriminate lightning can strike. It’s the same for virtually all duties says Reeves, including as an impromptu ambulance or for vehicle recovery.

“Having the power and torque and being able to isolate all the egresses you just feel a lot safer,” he says. “I don’t have any worries driving up the steepest runs – I can get to areas with no safety concerns at all.”

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It becomes clear that there really isn’t anything the fleet can’t turn its hand to. The recent addition of winches was immediately applied to hauling insulating fabric from the huge piles of manufactured snow ahead of the run’s opening, while the hose-out interior has been tested on numerous occasions when mud and ice has made an unwelcome visit to the cabins. Even the Ineos’s low-geared and heavily damped recirculating ball-type steering, which often attracts criticism on the road, is praised by the Buller team for its stoic resistance to fight the driver.

“You can really find your line on a pickled or steep rocky road. If you hit a rock it doesn’t kick the steering wheel back. We really like that, especially going to work in the morning when there’s deep snow and you have to stay in a wheel rut. It’s a beautiful car to drive on snow and ice – it tracks so nicely. I put it into manual and hardly ever brake.”

Of course, this is not the first time a manufacturer of off-road vehicles has partnered with a snow resort to showcase the suitability of their vehicles in the harshest winter conditions Australia can muster. Subaru currently has Perisher, Falls Creek and Mount Hotham, Land Rovers look after Thredbo, while Mercedes-Benz was the Buller partner before Ineos. Certainly any brand wanting to base a fleet above the snow line needs some bonafide go-anywhere ability and durability, but the Ineos stationing is easily the deepest we’ve ever seen a model immersed into mountain life.

Ineos support and servicing behind the Mt Buller fleet

Since introduction, the British brand has found a small but loyal niche in the Australian market and, although off-road credentials are not one of the things the Grenadier has struggled to prove, its Buller placement is a strong statement of confidence in its ability from the company. Just as important however, is the supporting network for customers to gain equal confidence that they will be looked after if something should need attention. For the Buller fleet, that support is provided by Shepparton BMW.

“I really like that we have good back up and maintenance,” says Reeves. “The guys at Shepparton Ineos/BMW have been wonderful. I think it’s important we use little north east towns and they’ve been awesome.”

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Yes, it’s a two hour drive from the mountain but when you consider the nearest Woolworths is in Benalla and you’ll need to drive to Seymour for a Bunnings, it’s about as convenient as any other main shopping precinct. BMW dealerships, as Ineos Asia Pacific MD Justin Hocevar explains, are the ideal existing franchises to take on the Grenadier as the workshops already have the special tools and experience to service the BMW drivetrains, while the bricks and mortar are often located in regional townships for better access. 

It’s not hard to see why people relocate to this part of the world. The cold is inescapable in winter so why not lean into the big freeze and enjoy the spectacle of a winter wonderland on your doorstep rather than the occasional treat at the end of a three hour drive? In the summer, locals are treated to a reprieve from the scorching lowlands heat and even bushfires are given a hard time up here. With a network of about 300 snow guns, 200 megalitres of water, head pressure on water lines and state-of-the-art computer controlled valves from a central control room, Buller has a formidable firefighting arsenal – it just happens to make snow in the winter. 

Ineos Grenadier proves its strength hauling heavy loads at altitude

As I’m lost in thought considering a relocation myself and captivated by the endless view to the south east, I’m snapped out of the trance by another Ineos at work, this time dragging a snow bus toward the summit.

I’m assured it’s not a marketing stunt arranged just for me but, honestly, it wouldn’t matter if it was. The grenadier is pulling a 4.5-tonne caterpillar-tracked machine up a 16 percent incline. “We do that when the things break down,” laughs Reeves.

Talk to any of the mountain community and they all have something to say about the Ineos, from the local bobby who claims “It has a military feel – seriously fit for purpose,” to the countless intrigued visitors who Reeves always invites to sit in for a closer look. 

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The Ineos and Mt Buller partnership continues to bring mutual benefits to both parties. On the one hand, Ineos has possibly the most authentic demonstration of its vehicle’s hostile environment capability, while the Buller team has a fleet of machines that make every day on the mountain safer, easier and more idyllic all year round.

I’m personally hopeful the relationship continues and that my next visit to this stunning natural escape may be with my mountain bike loaded into the Quartermaster’s tray once the lush green alpine peak is revealed from under its white winter blanket. I know the Grenadier is good in winter but I reckon it would be even better up here in the summer.

Exploring High Country trails before the snow sets in

The flanks of Buller and surrounding areas are a labyrinth of high country trails with good accessibility for the day tripper or more committed camper.

During our visit however, we were given access to something a little more off limits. Leaving Buller Village via Number 3 track and dropping over to Pineapple Flat, the track connects to sister Mount Sterling and the gateway to the High Country trails. Depending on the climate, these byways normally close the Thursday after King’s Birthday and in line with DECA, but this year that date was being brought forward in anticipation of the first decent snow. After that, it’s strictly skidoos only. 

Unfortunately our visit was just a few days too early for the most exclusive piste pass and, although the mountain had been dusted by the season’s first flakes, we missed out on a significant snowfall. While we were privileged to pass through beautiful trails, negotiating them blanketed in snow is something you ordinarily have to be on the Buller or DECA payroll to experience.

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Regardless, the trip offered a chance to remember what makes the Grenadier unique. Its 3.0-litre BMW straight-six diesel (or have a petrol if you like) bolted to the eight-speed ZF auto is still the standout with accessible torque sent though three lockable diffs and an unrivalled level of sophistication and refinement. Coil springs on twin live axles offer a good balance of comfort, load lugging and wheel articulation, while the various drive modes have been clearly well thought out. 

Traction is simply never a worry even on standard mud and snow tyres. Any minor squeaks and rattles from the original vehicles have been comprehensively banished and even prolonged corrugations couldn’t provoke an unwelcome report from a poorly fitted trim or insufficiently secured panel. 

Yes, there’s the same slow steering that requires angle to be wound on and off with a resistance to self centre, but it only takes a little adjustment. Less easy to forgive however is the simply galactic 14.5m turning circle with many of the region’s tight switchback turns requiring a couple of bites at to negotiate.

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The lack of instrument cluster is another unorthodox feature along with a reversing camera that doesn’t function when in off-road modes, and rain-sensing wipers would be nice too. But we can forgive the Grenadier a lot for its switchgear which manages to be functional, robust and looks extremely cool.

The somewhat commercial driving position is tolerable when jacked high in the cabin which is best when negotiating trails, but still a bit strange on-road. Before we had time to complain, our journey concluded at the iconic Craig’s Hut on one of the most perfect days we’ve ever seen it.

Clear blue skies, views all the way over to Mount Buffalo and not a breath of wind. Perhaps we’ll get snow next time.

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