12 Capable Off-Roaders That Are Cheaper Than An Ineos Grenadier

Somehow Jim Ratcliffe actually managed to get his Land Rover Defender knockoff, the Ineos Grenadier, into production. Perhaps it had something to do with the whole "having $1.5 billion to spend starting a car company" thing. And recently, Ineos announced pricing. You're looking at a starting price of $71,500 for a stripped-out base version or $79,190 for a nicer trim.

As Harry Metcalfe recently found in his review of the Grenadier, you're paying a lot of money for an SUV that's pretty bad on the road. Sure, it's capable off-road, but that sure is a lot of money for a car you're going to hate driving every day. If you aren't going to actually use the Grenadier's extreme off-road capabilities, maybe consider buying one of these less expensive but still-capable off-roaders instead (in no particular order).

It's the old standard for a reason. The Jeep Wrangler is about as good as it gets when it comes to right-off-the-lot off-road capability. The four-door model also starts at $35,195, and the Rubicon is still under $50,000, giving you a ton of room in the budget for modifications.

Anyone who says Ford didn't knock it out of the park with the new Bronco is out of their mind. It can handle way more than even a lot of off-roaders will ever encounter, and while the four-door starts at $38,040, the more capable Bronco Badlands starts below $50,000.

There's a reason people still pay top dollar for the Toyota 4Runner even though it's old: It's still a fantastic body-on-frame off-roader. It starts at $40,155 and even a top-of-the-line 4Runner TRD Pro only costs $54,620.

It's totally fair to be concerned about the new Land Rover Defender's reliability, but we're not entirely confident that the Ineos Grenadier is going to have it beat in that department. You can also get a base Defender 110 for $60,600, and even if you upgrade to the 395-hp inline-six version, you'll still be spending less than you would if you bought a base Grenadier.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is more road-oriented than the Wrangler, but that doesn't mean it's not an SUV that you can take off-road. You can get a four-wheel-drive, two-row Grand Cherokee starting at $40,720, and if that's not enough for your off-roading needs, even a fully loaded Grand Cherokee Trailhawk with the V8 costs less than the Grenadier.

You probably don't want to take a base Ford Ranger too far off-road, but a Ranger Raptor? That's what it was built for. It also starts at $55,365, and since there aren't really any options beyond accessories other than paint and wheels, it tops out below $60,000.

Chevrolet offers several off-road options for the new Colorado. The Trailboss starts at $38,495, and there's also the Z71 that starts at $41,395. But the one you really want is the Colorado ZR2, which starts at $46,800. Even if you throw tons of options and accessories on it, you'll still likely top out in the mid-$60,000 range.

We're not going to pretend that the Chevrolet Tahoe is going to be able to keep up with the Colorado ZR2 no matter what trim you choose. But Chevrolet does sell a Z71 version of the Tahoe for $66,196 that you should be able to take impressively far off the beaten path.

It may be a Lexus, but no one who's familiar with the GX 460 is going to knock its off-road credentials. And since it starts at $59,275, you've still got room in that Grenadier budget to add accessories to make it even more capable than it is right out of the box. You could even upgrade to the Luxury trim and add the Off-Road Package and still barely spend more than you would to get a base Grenadier.

Yes, it's a Subaru. No, it's not remotely as capable as the Ineos Grenadier. But if you've never off-roaded a Forester, you'll probably be surprised just how much it can handle. You really have to go out of your way to find obstacles that are too much for a Forester, especially if you opt for the $34,320 Forester Wilderness.

Toyota still hasn't announced pricing for the redesigned Tacoma, but currently, a Tacoma TRD Pro starts at $47,685. Even with the new Tacoma's optional 326-hp hybrid engine, we don't expect the new one to be that much more expensive. And it's the same story with the one we're really excited about, the Tacoma Trailhunter. It'll probably be more than $50,000, but more than $70,000? That sounds highly unlikely.

When it comes to off-road bang for your buck, you really can't get much better than a side-by-side. Do you specifically need to buy the Can-Am Maverick X3 pictured here? No, you do not. But if you did, it starts at $21,599, and the most expensive Maverick X3, the four-door Max X RS Turbo RR with Smart-Shox 72, is still only $35,399. Even if you have to buy a used truck and a trailer to get it to the trail, you could easily still come out ahead versus buying a Grenadier.