Take a drive on the wild side with the daredevil Ineos Grenadier

Even remote roads in central Europe are mostly tarmac these days and modern sat navs know the most obscure dirt tracks. So is driving at the edge in challenging terrain still possible?

Enter the Inios Grenadier, a re-engineered Land Rover Defender and cool piece of utilitarian chic that is not just another jacked-up sofa. A remote part of Romania is just the place to put this boxy daredevil machine through its paces.

Several hundred drivers a year looking for adventure have been happy to fork out €3,000 per vehicle to romp their way for a week around these Carpathian Mountain forests.

The event is called the SuperKarpata Trophy and it claims to be unique for daring dirt-drivers since there no roadbook or route to go by. Participants find their own way around during "a week of thrilling off road experience in expedition style."

This Romanian region has so far been criminally neglected in terms of road construction, but that does not faze a Grenadier.

The rules here are simple. There is no route but just a corridor through the terrain which each of the teams must find out for themselves. Sometimes the path has never really been beaten before - but stray from it and penalty points are incurred.

An off-the-peg off-roader is not much use around here and those taking part tend to rely on heavily-modified mud-pluggers from the early days of the genre.

We are talking here about beefy old-school stuff like the Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover Defender, Mercedes G-Class wagon and Jeep Wrangler. There are even a few triple-axled Puch Pinzgauers.

Always jacked up, shod with extra-rugged tyres and bristling with accessories, these machines churn through the mud along steep and treacherous tracks.

Only one current production off-roader has the credentials to mix with this crowd. It's the Ineos Grenadier launched in the last decade as a sentimental project by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who allegedly penned the concept on a napkin.

Ratcliffe was so upset at the demise of the original Land Rover Defender that he came up with of its own - any resemblance to the old car is of course deliberate.

Naturally the Granadier rolls along with chunky tyres that offer only moderate road comfort. There are few gadgets on board and before setting off, the team bolts a radio to the dashboard and fixes a screen inside the the rear door to enable digital route planning.

The equipment is state-of-the-art for serious off-road excursions though, from the remote-controlled cable winch to the extra cab roof headlights along with a sturdy rack and access ladder.

Of course, there is also air-conditioning and a few other creature comforts. It seems Ineos customers do not like it too spartan.

The Grenadier is however more rustic and indestructible than any of its competitors. The dashboard switches are chunky so that you can reach them while being tossed around the cab on a bumpy track. The cockpit can also be hosed down with a steam jet.

These are essential features for the Superkarpata where the going is so tough and muddy that the Grenadier is caked in the stuff after just a few kilometres. This off-road battleaxe proudly bears streaks of crud like medals on a military uniform - and it earns them too.

Paths on the map turns out to be overgrown reminders of bygone routes that nature has long since reclaimed. The clock is always ticking during this challenge so the team presses on bravely through dense undergrowth and over tree trunks and mountain scree.

When the going gets to steep, the winch gets going and the Grenadier easily drags itself out of danger.

The Grenadier is offered with two three-litre inline six-cylinder engines. The petrol engine turns out 210 kW/286 hp and the diesel has 183 kW/249 hp on tap.

The motors come from BMW, just like the eight-speed automatic transmission. Instead of modern independent suspension, there are antiquated but indestructible rigid axles and a reduction gearbox which, together with the differential locks, proves to be indispensable in the Romanian wilds.

With a stump-pulling 550 Nm of torque, this automotive dinosaur ploughs through even the thickest dirt. Ineos said the Grenadier can take its heavyweight 2,744 kilograms from 0 to 100 km/h in under 10 seconds and reach a top speed of 160 km/h if need be.

The Ineos, with its low centre of gravity, is in its element when crawling over lacerated terrain and to avoid damage to its technical underbelly, there is a massive chassis guard like the shell of a tortoise.

Participants may be longing for a shower and a bed by the third day of this challenge but the Grenadier is raring for more action.

The Ineos is closer to series trim than the other cars taking part and yet it soaks up the punishment uncomplainingly.

This car lags far behind contemporary SUVs in terms of comfort and efficiency but as a rustic workhorse it is ideal and driving one is great fun into the bargain.