THE long-awaited Ineos Grenadier 4x4 SUV will be priced from £49,000 when the first models hit the road later in the year.

A four model line up powered either by petrol or diesel BMW 3.0-litre engines will be available with the range topping out at £59,000.

The Grenadier is the brainchild of petrochemical giant Ineos' chief Jim Ratcliffe and will be built at the former Mercedes-Benz factory at Hambach in France where Ineos has invested more than £500 million.

Designed as a heavy duty off-roader with go-anywhere ability, the Grenadier will fill the void left by the original Land Rover Defender - a model to which it looks very similar in design.

The Grenadier will be available as a two seat Utility Wagon aimed at the commercial market or a five seat Station Wagon with two special edition Belstaff models targeting those who need a genuine adventure or expedition vehicle.

All versions are all-wheel-drive with a ground clearance of 264mm and a wading depth of up to 800mm.

Approach and departure angles are rated at more than 35 degrees and the vehicle weighs in at more than 2.5 tonnes with a towing limit of 3.5 tonnes.

Cargo capacity ranges from a maximum of 2,088 litres to 1,152 litres with all seats occupied and both the petrol and diesel versions have top speeds of 100mph.

Acceleration times are 8.6 seconds 0 to 62mph for the petrol model and 9.9 seconds for the diesel while fuel economy figures are a best of 21.4mpg and 27.4mpg respectively.

Emissions are rated at 299g/km for the petrol and 268g/km for the diesel with both engines mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The vehicle measures 4,896mm long, 2,036mm high and 2,146mm wide with no pricing differential for petrol or diesel specifications.

The Station Wagon version is priced from £52,000 with the Belstaff special editions - named Trialmaster and Fieldmaster after jackets created by the outdoor clothing firm - each costing from £59,000.

A network of 34 dealers is being appointed in the UK as part of a planned 200 sales and service outlets globally by the end of the year and the first of those is due to open in June.