An INEOS Grenadier has been selected by Nith Inshore Rescue as its new search and rescue vehicle.

Based in Glencaple on the estuary of the River Nith near Dumfries in Scotland, Nith Inshore Rescue is one of the busiest lifeboat stations and its team of 24 volunteers help protect life and property under threat from the sea and flooding. It was founded in 1981 in response to a tragic situation when a local man drowned. When called upon by HM Coastguard Rescue Co-ordination Centre, the charity deploys its lifeboat and search and rescue vehicle to help the local community. It is one of the busiest stations in Scotland and on average, it attends 30 callouts a year.

Previously the charity had used a Land Rover Defender and the new vehicle represents the first blue-light emergency response Grenadier in the UK. Funded jointly by the Coastal Communities Fund and St John Scotland, the 4X4 was unveiled alongside the fully refurbished St John lifeboat. Emergency One, a specialist search and rescue equipment provider, took advantage of the Grenadier’s ‘plug and play’ wiring set-up to customise the vehicle to Nith’s specification including putting in a powerful extendable roof mounted camera.

British in spirit but with reliable and rigourous German engineering, the INEOS Grenadier 4X4 styles itself as a vehicle capable of going anywhere off-road but with the comfort of a luxury car. It is now being seen as one the modern day alternatives to the Defender and is powered by BMW’s 3.0-litre revised and recalibrated turbocharged inline six-cylinder petrol or diesel engines. With its ladder frame chassis and heavy-duty solid beam axles, it also has a variety of practical features and can be tailored to an owner’s specific requirements, as can be seen on the search and rescue vehicle.

Having proven popular in Europe, winning ‘4X4 of the Year’ in French based 4X4 Magazine’s 2023, production has already began in bringing the INEOS Grenadier to Europe, with 7,000 orders placed as of September this year.

“We deal with life-and-death situations, very harsh weather, and challenging terrain, so when it came to evaluating the options for a new support vehicle, there were few options and the Grenadier stood out, ticking all the boxes,” says Peter Bryden, secretary of Nith Inshore Rescue. “We were very impressed with the way it has been engineered and built to last, as well as how straightforward it was to convert it for this role. Together with our revitalised lifeboat, we expect it serve our team for the next 40 years.”

The Nith Inshore Rescue’s retired Land Rover Defender is be auctioned to raise funds for the rescue service: see https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2004-land-rover-defender-110-td5 for further details.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: INEOS Automotive