Introduction

The first Ford Endeavour which was launched in 2003 had no real competition. It blitzed the Indian market with its brawny looks, strong diesel engine and an affordable price tag. With the arrival of fresher and more modern competition, this big SUV found it hard to find potential buyers. After a long hard wait of more than a decade its replacement is finally here. Meet the all-new Ford Endeavour and if looks is anything to go by it was certainly worth the wait.

Stand next to the Endeavour and high bonnet looks intimidating and it simply towers over most cars on the road and demands respect. The large grille looks macho and the terrific-looking headlights with daytime running LEDs gives you all the visual drama you need. The front bumper is mounted high up too which showcases the massive 225mm ground clearance on offer.

Unlike the old car, the Endeavour looks well rounded and the tapering D pillar enhances the looks. The near 5-metre long profile is dominated by the flared wheel arches and the massive 18 inch wheels. At the rear the design is more generic and the thick chrome strip joining the tastefully designed tail lamps dominates. Unlike the old car, the spare wheel is mounted under the boot and not on the tailgate. The new Endeavour is based on a traditional body-on-ladder-frame chassis, and as we just got the 3.2 variant, drive is supplied to all four wheels all via a six-speed automatic gearbox.

How is it on the inside?

The new Endeavour’s cabin feels three generations younger as compared to the old one. The design is modern and materials in the upper portion of the dash look really nice. The dash top is wrapped in quality leather and the chrome accents and grey finish help make the cabin lively. The large integrated touchscreen and beautifully crafted steering wheel add further to the overall ambience. The touchscreen though is slow witted and needs a firm push to operate. The instrument cluster has a speedometer in the centre and is flanked by twin digital screens which display numerous vitals including a tachometer. The 3.2 variant also gets the SYNC 2 system which gets Bluetooth telephony, and voice command. Although overall quality is good, plastics and switches used for the Air-con feel low rent and even the door pad material could have been better.

What you will really enjoy is the sheer size of the big and airy cabin. The design of the dash is very functional and the leather seats are very wide with lots of support. Like most Ford cars, the seat cushioning feels slightly hard but this is better for long drives. There is plenty of space for front seat passengers, and the armrests makes sitting on the large seats even more comfortable.

The rear is decently spacious too and you sit higher as compared to the front passenger. However, the high floor results in less under thigh support. The top variant also comes with a large sunroof which compromises middle row headroom. The third row is quite cramped for adults and only good for children. The narrow access to the third row makes things worse. As for boot space, with all rows up, there’s adequate space that expands to a massive 2,300 litres. A neat feature is the electric folding third row that folds flat into the boot floor.

How does it drive?

The Endeavour will come with two diesel engine options. While the smaller 2.2-litre 148bhp engine comes with an option of auto and manual transmissions, the larger 3.2-litre engine just gets the automatic option and comes only in 4x4. We drove the larger engine option and the 3.2-litre, in-line five-cylinder DOHC turbo-diesel motor produces a very healthy 197bhp and 470Nm of torque. Thanks to the permanent all-wheel drive, the Endeavour gets off the line without hesitation and posted a quick 0-100kph time of 11.4 seconds.

However, flat out, the engine does become noisy and this is despite the noise cancelation tech Ford has employed in the car. Then there’s the slow-witted automatic gearbox that takes much away from the driving experience. You can change gears manually via the Tiptronic function which makes things much better. This large capacity motor feels best when driven in a relaxed manner. There is loads of torque right from the word go and even the strong midrange makes overtaking easy. When driven at part throttle the gearbox shifts early and keeps the engine in the meat of the powerband and performance feels effortless. Sound insulation is good too with wind and tyre noise only making their presence felt post 120kmph.

The ride is impressive too. The Endeavour absorbs everything our roads throw, easily. Potholes are dispatched with distant, well-damped thunks and it manages to retain decent composure without feeling uncomfortable. If anything, it is that this absorbent ride leads to a bit of pitching at higher speed but by segment standards it isn’t half bad. We also liked the steering which, though a touch too light, is quite direct and straight-line stability is very impressive. We weren’t expecting this big Ford to have great corner carving abilities but it actually felt better than we expected. There is a bit of body roll, but it's not disconcertingly so and the all-wheel drive system makes it feel surprisingly surefooted. What we would have liked more is grip. The wide All-terrain tyres squeal even during mild cornering and more road oriented tyres would have been welcomed.

We also drove the Endy in peak hour traffic and the sheer length and width can make it a bit of a squeeze through tighter spots. Still, the big glass area and square sides make it easy to judge where its extremities lie. Owners will also appreciate the Park Assist feature, which will automatically steer the car into a parking slot if it decides the space is big enough.

The Endeavour also comes with a low range gearbox and the massive ground clearance and its 800mm wading ability gives it great off-road potential. It also comes with Land Rover like Terrain Response system which has three modes – Snow/Mud, Sand and Rock mode. This system alters the traction control, ABS and ESP to make it commendable in any given situation. We didn’t get to drive the Endeavour off-road but with all this tech we are sure it will be more than capable.

Why should I buy one?

Has the Endeavour been worth the wait? Absolutely. We think it is a well-rounded SUV that can easily give even the upcoming Toyota Fortuner replacement sleepless nights. We expect the Endeavour to cost in between Rs 24 lakh for the base 2.2 and around Rs 30 lakh for this top variant. That would make the Endeavour really good value considering the amount of segment first features it offers.

Where does it fit in?

The Endeavour will compete with the highly successful Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and the Chevrolet Trailblazer. As compared to its rivals the Endeavour is much better speced with loads of variant options and features.

Photography by Kapil Angane