New Ford Endeavour India review, test drive

Ford tasted a fair amount of success with the first-gen Endeavour. The concept of a big, brawny SUV worked in its favour initially, and it sold well for a bit. But competition soon caught up and made the big Endy look a little rough around the edges. Now, 13 years later, Ford has a new-generation car ready for sale in India. The new car is a huge leap forward over the old one, full of modern tech and clever enhancements, and it even has a more comfortable and luxurious interior. So, is it good enough to give the Fortuner sleepless nights? We drove both the 2.2-litre 4x2 and 3.2-litre 4x4 versions to find out.

What is it?

The new Endeavour is a large, seven-seat SUV built around a traditional ladder frame for strength. On the one hand, the four-wheel-drive version has the ability to flatten boulders and clamber over all sorts of terrain, but on the other, it's also good at ferrying up to seven passengers around our bustling cities without too much of a compromise on comfort. This is because it blends modern techniques and technology with old-world ruggedness like no other car in its class.

The design, for example, is very modern. The huge trapezoidal chrome grille up front sets the tone. Owners get a sculpted bonnet, LED-lined headlights and a windscreen that's steeply raked. Other highlights include a stylised vent behind the front fender, huge wheel arches that make even the 18-inch tyres seem rather small and a bar of chrome across the tailgate that succeeds in making the rear of this big SUV look quite upmarket. The new Endy sheds the tailgate-mounted spare wheel, now placed under the chassis and the top Titanium trim features a powered tailgate, usually seen on more upmarket SUVs. In terms of size, the Endy is now longer and boasts the maximum distance between the front and rear wheels among its contemporaries – the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Toyota Fortuner. There are now two engine options – a 2.2-litre four-cylinder and a bigger 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel; both mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. A six-speed manual gearbox is also offered as an option on the smaller engined car, as is four-wheel drive.