 "Ford Endeavour")
The Ford Endeavour arrived in India as early as 2003 as the company’s flagship offering and was quick to gain a cult following. However, by the end of the decade, the Toyota Fortuner was here making the cult SUV look dated. However, SUV lovers are a growing lot in India with the customer preferring the same over the sedan body style. Now, Ford has revealed the third generation Endeavour globally that will go on sale in India later this year; so MotorBeam flew down to the luscious Thailand to get a quick drive of the upcoming SUV.
Retaining the mammoth-like proportions that made the outgoing Endeavour so intimidating, the new generation model has evolved into an instantly appealing one. The front fascia gets a muscular bonnet and features a chrome induced trapezoidal grille, while there is a 3D skid plate to maximise aerodynamics. The wheel arches are accentuated and house 20-inch alloys, while the rear gets new sharp LED tail lamps with aerodynamic elements that cumulatively help achieve a drag co-efficiency of 0.389. The tailgate now opens upwards, whereas the tailgate mounted spare wheel has moved underneath. The SUV is based on the new T6 platform shared with the Ford Ranger.
The fit and finish in the cabin is top notch, done up in a dual-tone beige and dark brown leather finish. The smaller 2.2-litre powered version skips the leather and gets a black-beige colour scheme instead. Sporting a roomy cabin, infotainment duties are handled by an 8-inch touchscreen unit with 10 speakers while the SYNC 2.0 can understand over 10,000 commands. Seats are comfortable with good back support and cushioning, but thigh support is lacking for tall passengers. There are around 30 storage spaces inside the cabin and the second row gets 60:40 split seats. The panoramic sunroof makes the cabin look spacious.
Power on the third generation Ford Endeavour comes from two diesels including a 3.2-litre DuraTorq 5-cylinder TDCi and a 2.2-litre DuraTorq 4-cylinder TDCi. The larger motor produces 197 HP and 470 Nm of torque and is what we drove the most. The engine offers excellent NVH levels with no vibes and has enough torque for off-roading activities with 4WD available full time. The smaller 2.2 unit gets a 2WD configuration producing 158 HP and 385 Nm of torque. Our test cars were equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission that feels apt for the purpose but does lag once you floor the pedal. The gearbox comes with Sports Shift feature to changes gears manually. India will also get a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The Ford Endeavour strikes the right balance between rugged capability and refinement and the ride quality has vastly improved over the outgoing version especially at the rear, courtesy of the upgraded suspension. Body roll is evident but well controlled and handling on the highway is a lot more predictable. Braking performance is good, despite being hefty on weight.
Off-roading capabilities are immense and the ground clearance of 225 mm helps matters. The approach angle stands at 29-degrees and departure angle at 25-degrees. The ramp-over angle stands at 21-degrees. The Endeavour comes with the ‘Terrain Management System’ with 4 driving modes Snow, Mud, Grass, Sand and Rock along with several electronic aids including Active Transfer Case, Hill Descent Control and 60:40 torque distribution. Safety tech includes 7 airbags, ABS, ESP, Hill Launch Assist, Park Assist and Roll Over Stability control.
The all new Ford Endeavour has dramatically improved over the outgoing model and packs a host of technology and few segment first features. The new motors are responsive and compliment the highway and off-roading abilities of the SUV. Rivalling the best selling Toyota Fortuner in the segment, the Endeavour will pose as a capable threat to the Japanese offering making up for a very interesting showdown.
Article ource: www.motorbeam.com
