New Ford Endeavour review, test drive

What is it?

Big, bulky, and traditional are words that best describe Ford's all-new Endeavour. Sturdy enough to weather any conditions, tough enough to take on the roughest roads, the new Endy is an all-new middle of the road bonafide body on frame SUV; something of a rarity today. The new design is characterised by its huge wheel arches, a massive sculpted bonnet and a big Ford grille. The windscreen of the new car is more steeply raked and the metal roof rails are neatly integrated. Massive wheels and serious-looking scuff plates, both front and rear, are other nice bits that get your attention. Also new for this car is a powered tailgate, which now opens upwards as a hatch.

There's a new electric power steering system, and suspension is taken care of by coil springs all round, with a Watt's linkage used at the rear to help keep the rear axle at dead center, even when there is plenty of load going through it. All four-wheel-drive versions also gets a high-tech active transfer case and a Range Rover-like Terrain Management System. You can choose from Normal, Snow/Gravel/Grass, Sand and Rock; and the the car chooses the best engine, gearbox and traction control settings for you. Water wading depth is also a huge 800mm. The new Endeavour also gets plenty of new high-tech systems like Curve Control and Roll Stability Control that work off the ESC. And there's also Blind Spot warning and Lane Departure warning.

When it comes to engines and transmissions, the Endeavour gets Ford's new downsized 2.2-litre common rail diesel that makes 148bhp and 38.24kgm. The 3.0-litre Toyota Fortuner's engine in comparison makes 168bhp. Ford's other engine, the 197bhp 3.2-litre five cylinder is likely to be the more popular one because of the extra dash of performance this 2.1 to 2.3 ton car needs.