I like the 285's but I doubt I'd get a pair again. I'd be happy if inov made them more minimal though... I'm hoping that the Terra plana Neo trail will fit the bill for a "beefier" minimal shoe.
As for terrain etc, the 285's were good in the wet beacon ultra 2009 and the dry Welsh 1000 metres 2010. Although a grippy shoe might have been good for one section of the 1000 metres, it was still doable.