There’s little question that the Ineos Grenadier has been a huge success for the global chemicalcompany. It’s a “modern throwback” of a vehicle that features retro-styling, a pragmatism-over-technology attitude towards off-road driving, and is essentially the logical place for Land…
There’s little question that the Ineos Grenadier has been a huge success for the global chemical company. It’s a “modern throwback” of a vehicle that features retro-styling, a pragmatism-over- technology attitude towards off-road driving, and is essentially the logical place for Land Rover Defender owners to gravitate towards now that the new Defender is not, well, all that Defenderish. The aftermarket is keen on the solid-axled, ladder framed Ineos too – with Sydney-based Aussie legends and pop-top camper specialists Expedition Centre unveiling the world’s first Mulgo Pop Top roof for the Grenadier – enabling owners to transform their vehicle into a go-anywhere camping bus that blurs the lines between comfort and capability.
The Mulgo Pop Top is built from aluminium, keeping the weight and rust resistance to the minimum and maximum respectively, while maintaining the body’s rigidity and structural integrity, so strength is uncompromised. Given the roof height is minimally affected, it essentially allows the roof to be raised enough for an adult to stand in the rear of the vehicle without unduly increasing the frontal profile of the vehicle while underway – so fuel efficiency does not go through the roof (geddit?). Off- road balance is kept as well. Unlike a rooftop tent or cab-over style slide-on, the Mulgo roof’s weight is negligible, so you won’t get that tippy feeling on off-camber tracks.
It’s not a quick chop-n-glue conversion either. The roof is integrated seamlessly into the Grenadier body panels and keeps the load-bearing handles, external power points and genuine interior lighting all as part of the conversion. Airline tracks are even incorporated, so you can still run load bars or solar panels up top, and they’re compatible with the Ineos quick-release hooks to boot.
Setting up and pack-down are essentially effortless, and the Swiss-engineered Fanello bed system is both comfy and spacious enough for a couple to get a good night’s shut-eye. Put simply, the pop top provides a level of versatility and mobility that most tourers would kill for. It turns your Grenadier into a slide-on camper equivalent without the addition of undue weight or a fuel-sucking lack of aerodynamics. Ultimately, it offers a four-wheel drive that you could live out of almost indefinitely without sacrificing the base vehicle’s off-road capability in the slightest.
If you’re like us, then the thought of a Grenadier on 35in rubber, some custom bar work and a Mulgo Pop Top conversion is getting into dangerous (for the credit card) “dream 4X4 territory.” Hats off to Expedition Centre for taking an already off-road oriented vehicle (which so few new rigs are these days) and refining the already impressive formula to make something pretty darn special.