Oh the irony, the INEOS Grenadier, a tragedy, a blatant copy of the legendary Land Rover Defender, has won a design award. Oh, the irony.  The SCOTY (Scottish Car of The Year Award) was responsible for this blinkered thinking. Imagine a Chinese company creating a Land Rover clone and then going on to win an award, how do you think the British motoring media would react? They looked down their nose at the Landwind, and rightly so. So why do they, the British motoring media, choose to kiss the Grenadier’s arse? Even we here at DCBHQ are at a loss to explain the logic behind this pointless award, pointless because the Grenadier is a blatant in-your-face facsimile.

Why criticize the Chinese Landwind and then go on to award the INEOS Grenadier? Because publishers want to access, motoring journalists are trained to smooch. But kissing arse to this extent is too graphic even for us. Please stop it, stop it now. The other explanation is, that Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the out-of-touch billionaire behind the Grenadier, prefers the company of journalists who are willing to go the extra mile to join the out-of-touch club.

In a press release, the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers said that they “recognise the best vehicles and automotive achievements of the year across more than 15 categories”.

How do you benchmark a vehicle that has barely been driven or tested by journalists? Please pass the sick bucket I need fresh air. This whole Grenadier thing, the award, it’s becoming a comedy now. We’re not shilling for Land Rover, believe me, we never will. Why are motoring journalists willing to look the other way when it comes to the Grenadier?

To satisfy the ego of Ratcliffe? It is an illogical explanation but the only logical conclusion we can make.

Blatant copy of the Land Rover Defender, yes you INEOS Grenadier, you are the worst car of the week.