Premium SUVs Renaissance: Endeavour, Fortuner and Pajero Sport
By mid next year we will have all new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Toyota Fortuner and, of course, the oldest contender here - Ford Endeavour!
Ford was one of the first to enter the premium SUV space in India with the Endeavour in 2003, the vehicle is now over 12 years old. Toyota introduced Fortuner in 2009 while Mitsubishi launched the Pajero Sport in the country in 2010. But despite this gap, by mid-next year or maybe early, we’ll have the next-generations of these running on our streets. The first one to enter among the trio will be the Ford Endeavour which is expected to launch in a couple of months. The rest two - Fortuner and Pajero Sport are likely to launch early next year.
Ford Endeavour
Endeavour is amongst the oldest currently in its segment and is also coming before then the rest of the two. We recently drove the new Endy in Thailand and it is now expected to be launched around the festive season.
The new Endy is an anticipated product in the segment coming with brand new diesel engines, updated 4WD system with segment first Terrain Management System. The new diesel engines in the talk here are a 2.2-liter 4-cylinder unit and a segment first 3.2-liter 5-cylinder motor. Transmission options will include the standard 6-speed manual along with 6-speed automatic.
Don’t Miss: Ford Endeavour Extensive Photo Gallery
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport
Mitsubishi has revealed the next-gen Pajero Sport a couple of days ago and is now coming with a host of changes inside-out like the rest two. Starting with the front fascia, it adopts the company’s new "Dynamic Shield" front face design scheme seen first on the facelifted Outlander. As expected, Mitsubishi has revealed that Pajero Sport will be powered by a new 2.4L MIVEC turbo diesel engine mated to Mitsubishi’s debutant 8-speed automatic transmission. Although the power figures are not out yet, but the engine in Triton pick-up, on which the Pajero Sport is based on offers a little over 180 hp and 430 Nm of max torque. Moreover, Mitsubishi has also offered for the first time an ‘Off Road’ mode in the Pajero Sport.
Read in-detail about the 2016 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport
Toyota Fortuner
Toyota recently introduced the second generation Fortuner worldwide simultaneously in Australia and Thailand. The Fortuner has evolved from being the macho little old school in design to a flamboyant and a flashy one. Like the rest of the two, Fortuner will also get the brand new diesel engines - 2.8-liter and 2.4-liter oil burners mated to standard 6-speed manual along with 6-speed auto.
Read in-depth about the 2016 Toyota Fortuner
PS: By that time Hyundai will also launch Santa-Fe Facelift and there’s Captiva replacement also coming around the same time as the Endeavour's - Chevrolet Trailblazer