THE BOLD ENDEAVOUR
Here is the new Ford Endeavour which I believe is the motoring equivalent of the Elephant since they share some common attributes. For instance, their names begin with the letter ‘E’, both have four wheel drive, good off-road ability, both cost about the same, both are the biggest in their own class and so on. Nevertheless I thought of bringing them into a tug of war.
The Ford Endeavour has recently been updated with a new engine, fresh interiors and some cosmetic changes to the exteriors. The huge grill and the prominent Ford logo at front add to the butch stance of the vehicle. The older version’s side claddings have been deleted but the protruding wheel arches in contrasting silver colour still remains. Then alloy wheels, now have a better design that is not only better looking, but also easier to clean after all that mud plugging.
Even more important changes are to the interiors. Gone are the old Qualis like interiors which appeared too utilitarian and basic for the price. The new Endeavour now has a new fascia which has logically laid out controls and an integrated stereo system which sounds good, takes centre stage. The dials look pleasing and the overall ambience boosted by nice beige leather seats is one that spells luxury. The NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) is well contained too. The front seats are the most comfortable, followed by the middle row and then the last. The last row, thanks to the high floor is good only for kids. The middle row also suffers from insufficient squab support but is acceptably comfortable. The reason for the high floor is what lies underneath the car- a ladder frame chassis.
Most of the new age SUVs have monocoque construction which means the suspension and other components are attached on sub frames and are directly mounted on to the reinforced body. There is no separate chassis and the body serves as the load bearing structure. While this setup has some advantages, it is not ideal for tenacious off-road use. The Endeavour on the other hand is an old school SUV based on a pick up truck. This body on chassis construction means good performance off the road. You can take it anywhere without worrying about flexing the body.
Most owners of these SUVs usually won’t take them off the road and the only off road duty they encounter will be the grass on the side of the drive way. They buy them for their sheer presence and there is loads of it with the Endeavour. But then it is very good off the road too. The car I got for the test, came with four wheel drive and it has good mud plugging ability as I found out. It pulled cleanly from mud, thanks to the new engine and tackled inclines with an ease that it left even the elephant suitably impressed.
And then there is the handling. If ever there is one manufacturer who always gets the handling right, it is Ford. They know how to make things go round a corner. The Endeavour is the largest SUV sold in India, if you ignore the mammoth-like Audi Q7 which is a bit longer. However it does not feel as big in the traffic. You feel that the vehicle shrinks around you. The steering and the controls are lighter than what you expect from an SUV of this size. Then, it goes round corners with solidity and sure footedness. You can’t expect an old school SUV with leaf springs at rear to change directions like this, but Ford has done the magic and it shows. The Endeavour is like a whale with the agility of a dolphin!
The old Endeavour had a crude Mazda engine which has now given way to a new 2.5 L engine developed by Ford itself. The new engine produces ____bhp and _____kg-m of torque. It means that the Endeavour now has reasonable grunt compared to the older one which with just 110bhp on tap was clearly under powered. The engine has virtually no turbo lag and the gearing is spot on. The new engine manages to pull this ____ton SUV very cleanly from as low as 1500rpm. This means driving it around in traffic, despite the huge size is not very unpleasant. The car manages to cruise well at speeds in the range of 120kmph and the well weighted steering adds to the overall confidence levels.
Of course there are certain weaknesses like the high floor which makes you sit with knees pointing up, and the bouncy ride of the leaf springs and the brakes which lack feel, even though they have decent bite. But when you come to think of it, this SUV does everything else admirably. It has got macho looks, a decent engine, a nice steering and pleasing interiors. And when it comes to the competition, there really isn’t any. The Tata Safari 4X4 is a lot cheaper but inferior in quality. The Hyundai Tucson is a five seater and is a soft-roader. The Honda CRV is petrol-powered and can’t climb even a boulder though it handles better. That leaves us with the old-looking Mitsubishi Pajero 2.8 CRZ. It is suitably good off road, but the coarse engine and the poor ride let it down on the road. Refinement levels are below par and even if you can ignore the strange colour scheme with which the car comes, you cannot ignore the crude dash board and low rent interiors. The Ford is better on most grounds than this Mitsubishi and makes you feel business class compared to the budget airlines feel of the Pajero, for a lot less money. Overall I give it a score of 7.5.
SCORE BOARD
Style & Design: 8/10
Finish & Build quality: 8/10
Engine & Gearbox: 8/10
Performance: 7/10
Brakes:7/10
Ride: 5/10
Handling & Fun to Drive: 9/10
Off-road Performance: 9/10
Value for money: 7/10
Interior and comfort: 7/10
Ownership Experience: 7/10
Here is the new Ford Endeavour which I believe is the motoring equivalent of the Elephant since they share some common attributes. For instance, their names begin with the letter ‘E’, both have four wheel drive, good off-road ability, both cost about the same, both are the biggest in their own class and so on. Nevertheless I thought of bringing them into a tug of war.
The Ford Endeavour has recently been updated with a new engine, fresh interiors and some cosmetic changes to the exteriors. The huge grill and the prominent Ford logo at front add to the butch stance of the vehicle. The older version’s side claddings have been deleted but the protruding wheel arches in contrasting silver colour still remains. Then alloy wheels, now have a better design that is not only better looking, but also easier to clean after all that mud plugging.
Even more important changes are to the interiors. Gone are the old Qualis like interiors which appeared too utilitarian and basic for the price. The new Endeavour now has a new fascia which has logically laid out controls and an integrated stereo system which sounds good, takes centre stage. The dials look pleasing and the overall ambience boosted by nice beige leather seats is one that spells luxury. The NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) is well contained too. The front seats are the most comfortable, followed by the middle row and then the last. The last row, thanks to the high floor is good only for kids. The middle row also suffers from insufficient squab support but is acceptably comfortable. The reason for the high floor is what lies underneath the car- a ladder frame chassis.
Most of the new age SUVs have monocoque construction which means the suspension and other components are attached on sub frames and are directly mounted on to the reinforced body. There is no separate chassis and the body serves as the load bearing structure. While this setup has some advantages, it is not ideal for tenacious off-road use. The Endeavour on the other hand is an old school SUV based on a pick up truck. This body on chassis construction means good performance off the road. You can take it anywhere without worrying about flexing the body.
Most owners of these SUVs usually won’t take them off the road and the only off road duty they encounter will be the grass on the side of the drive way. They buy them for their sheer presence and there is loads of it with the Endeavour. But then it is very good off the road too. The car I got for the test, came with four wheel drive and it has good mud plugging ability as I found out. It pulled cleanly from mud, thanks to the new engine and tackled inclines with an ease that it left even the elephant suitably impressed.
And then there is the handling. If ever there is one manufacturer who always gets the handling right, it is Ford. They know how to make things go round a corner. The Endeavour is the largest SUV sold in India, if you ignore the mammoth-like Audi Q7 which is a bit longer. However it does not feel as big in the traffic. You feel that the vehicle shrinks around you. The steering and the controls are lighter than what you expect from an SUV of this size. Then, it goes round corners with solidity and sure footedness. You can’t expect an old school SUV with leaf springs at rear to change directions like this, but Ford has done the magic and it shows. The Endeavour is like a whale with the agility of a dolphin!
The old Endeavour had a crude Mazda engine which has now given way to a new 2.5 L engine developed by Ford itself. The new engine produces ____bhp and _____kg-m of torque. It means that the Endeavour now has reasonable grunt compared to the older one which with just 110bhp on tap was clearly under powered. The engine has virtually no turbo lag and the gearing is spot on. The new engine manages to pull this ____ton SUV very cleanly from as low as 1500rpm. This means driving it around in traffic, despite the huge size is not very unpleasant. The car manages to cruise well at speeds in the range of 120kmph and the well weighted steering adds to the overall confidence levels.
Of course there are certain weaknesses like the high floor which makes you sit with knees pointing up, and the bouncy ride of the leaf springs and the brakes which lack feel, even though they have decent bite. But when you come to think of it, this SUV does everything else admirably. It has got macho looks, a decent engine, a nice steering and pleasing interiors. And when it comes to the competition, there really isn’t any. The Tata Safari 4X4 is a lot cheaper but inferior in quality. The Hyundai Tucson is a five seater and is a soft-roader. The Honda CRV is petrol-powered and can’t climb even a boulder though it handles better. That leaves us with the old-looking Mitsubishi Pajero 2.8 CRZ. It is suitably good off road, but the coarse engine and the poor ride let it down on the road. Refinement levels are below par and even if you can ignore the strange colour scheme with which the car comes, you cannot ignore the crude dash board and low rent interiors. The Ford is better on most grounds than this Mitsubishi and makes you feel business class compared to the budget airlines feel of the Pajero, for a lot less money. Overall I give it a score of 7.5.
SCORE BOARD
Style & Design: 8/10
Finish & Build quality: 8/10
Engine & Gearbox: 8/10
Performance: 7/10
Brakes:7/10
Ride: 5/10
Handling & Fun to Drive: 9/10
Off-road Performance: 9/10
Value for money: 7/10
Interior and comfort: 7/10
Ownership Experience: 7/10
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