Ford Endeavour

Ford India has listed the all-new Endeavour on its official webpage. And by all-new, we do mean ‘all-new’ because it took Ford nearly a decade to churn out the third-generation Endeavour you see here. Big, imposing, spacious and armed with a comprehensive list of upgrades, the new Endeavour will hit the showrooms in India during this festive season.

The Endeavour, as we know, is sold as the Everest in select markets and is based on Ford’s popular global off-roader – the Ranger. Design highlights on this India-bound model include a thoroughly modern front-end comprising of a massive radiator grille, front bumper with silver accents and LED daytime running lights. At the rear, the electrically-powered tailgate houses a thick strip of chrome and now opens upwards, like a hatchback. The SUV also features aluminium front and rear underbody protection and has a 225mm ground clearance. Furthermore, Ford says this new model can wade through 800mm of water and has a towing capacity that is rated at 3,000kilograms.

If the exterior upgrades compared to the old Endeavour fail to impress you, the interior will surely fare better as Ford has revamped the cabin and concentrated on making this burly SUV contemporary-looking. As a result, the cabin arguably looks a lot more stylish than that of say, a Toyota Fortuner.

In terms of equipment, the new Endeavour will come with climate control, semi auto parallel park assist, a multi-function steering wheel, electric mirrors and the lot. The highlight, though, will be the advanced instrument cluster that consists of two TFT screens on either side. While one shows off the infotainment options, the other screen displays fuel level and heaps of information relating to the vehicle’s off-road systems.

The new Endeavour is expected to be offered with either a 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel or a more powerful 3.2-litre, 5-cylinder diesel engine. While the former engine develops close to 160bhp of power and 385Nm of torque, the five cylinder unit produces a meaty 197bhp and 470Nm. Both these engines will be paired to a 6-speed automatic gearbox, however, the smaller-engined Endeavour could be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox as well.

With prices ranging between Rs 21 and Rs 28 lakh, the much improved Endeavour will take on the mighty Toyota Fortuner and eventually the striking new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. Nevertheless, Ford India is in for a cracker of a festive season as it also prepares to launch the much awaited Figo Aspire compact sedan.