AMAZING CAR

AMAZING CAR

What you'll like: • A big all-rounded SUV with no real deal breaker. Fantastic pricing as well • Macho styling packs appeal. Solid build quality matches the butch presence • Cabin is a nice place to be in. Likeable design, comfy seats & lots of storage • Competent range of diesel engines. The 3.2L, especially, is very impressive • Great balance between ride & handling for a body-on-frame SUV. Sweet steering too • Offroad ready - Terrain Management System, rear diff lock, 225 mm GC & 800 mm of water wading • 5 star safety: all wheel disc brakes, ESP & TC, 7 airbags, roll stability control, hill launch assist etc. • Loaded to the gill with features! Panoramic sunroof, 8" touchscreen ICE + 10 speakers, parallel park assist, powered tailgate, xenon headlamps, triple-zone climate control & more What you won't: • Fortuner's cabin is roomier, offering more headroom & space at the back • Missing essentials such as steering reach adjustment, satellite navigation, passive keyless entry & go, tumbling middle row seat & third row seat recline • 2.2L engine feels lethargic over 120 kph. Not a fast highway express • Mediocre fuel economy due to the fat 2,200+ kilo weight, AT & big diesel (3.2L) • Ingress is difficult for the elderly / short folk. 3rd row access is terrible! • Waiting periods are already a couple of months long • No manual gearbox with the 3.2L. Fortuner 3.0L is available with an MT Apart From that The Endeavour’s design is future ready and I can confidently say that it will age gracefully. Ford has retained the squarish & bulky looks of the first-gen. I think they have done a great job at modernising the design which feels fresh, yet has some old-school characteristics to make it timeless. The Endeavour looks a lot more proportionate now too, compared to the slim and long body of the first-gen. Driving this butch American SUV amidst an ocean of mundane hatchbacks and sedans will definitely garner attention. The Endeavour has some serious street presence and we found our test car turning heads wherever it went. A casual glance at the Endeavour is bound to be converted into a stare. Those 18” rims, LED DRLs, massive chrome grill and high bonnet are enough to command respect, with other road users graciously making way for you to pass. Look at one in your IRVM and you’ll know what I’m talking about. It does impose! The Ford measures 4,892 mm in length, 1,860 mm in width, 1,837 mm in height and sits 225 mm above the ground. The butch styling & presence will be a big draw in India. The Endeavour feels tough and the build quality is very sturdy. It will easily handle abuse. Just like the Fortuner & Pajero Sport, the 2016 Endeavour is a full-size body-on-frame SUV with 3 rows of seats. Body-on-frame UVs are generally more robust than their monocoque counterparts (e.g. CR-V, Santa Fe), but the latter offer superior dynamics & also weigh substantially lesser. If you've read our Official Preview, you’ll have a good idea about the features that were available in the Thai-spec Everest. Ford has pleasantly surprised us by offering most of those features in the Indian car, except for radar-based tech like adaptive cruise control (with forward collision alert) and blind spot monitoring system (with cross-traffic alert). Also missing are a wireless hotspot and navigation (available as an official accessory). We're sore about navigation being deleted as even cars costing Rs. 4 lakh have it these days (e.g. Renault Kwid)! That said, the rest of the features definitely get a thumbs up. The base Trend variant gets 18” alloy wheels, electrically adjustable + foldable ORVMs, leather upholstery, 8-way electrically adjustable driver's seat, rear view camera + parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, rear air-con + ceiling vents for rows 2 & 3, power lift tailgate, rain sensing wipers and cruise control. As you move up the variant range, features such as semi-automatic parallel park assist, a panoramic sunroof, xenon headlamps and power folding third row seats become part of the standard equipment. In terms of features alone, the Endeavour blows away the Fortuner...or any other SUV at this price point.