New Ford Endeavour review, test drive

What's it like to drive?

If you are used to the manner in which old-school SUVs drive, with their lumbering mass transferred from one set of wheels to the other constantly, you'll be in for a bit of a shock when you climb behind the wheel of the new Endy. Yes, the mass is there, all 2.3 tons of it, and so is the bulk, but the modern chassis, updated suspension and all-new electric steering are so good, the car drives with a level of poise and precision that's all but alien to this class of car. You do feel the weight when you hurl it around a corner and the mass does take a toll on the way the Endeavour reacts, but all things considered this car is really neat and tidy in corners. And the light steering makes it effortless to drive through traffic as well. Even the ride is good, for the most part. There is a layer of firmness, so sharp edges do cause a bit of an adverse reaction, but in general, on more rounded surfaces, the car just soaks everything up, and large dips and craters are taken particularly well. 

We drove both the 2.2 and the 3.2 diesels along with the six-speed automatic and both engines felt quite refined. You can hear them gurgling and groaning a bit if you extend them, but under normal operation, Ford's active noise cancellation seems to work pretty well. Both engines have enough grunt too. The smaller engine is particularly nice on small throttle openings. 

We assumed we'd need to give it the whip all the time, but it actually impressed us with sharp responses and plenty of pulling power from low engine speeds. It needs only a dab on the throttle to pull away from rest and acceleration is pretty effortless initially, so it's ideal for city traffic. But ask for a bit more and it disappoints, even if you press down all the way to the floorboards. It definitely does accelerate quicker, but with the engine kicking and screaming it feels like really hard work.  

The 3.2 five-cylinder has much more torque and power and so gets off the line even better. And when you step on it, there's a corresponding increase in pace, so acceleration is much stronger. So it feels nice to drive, even with a leaden foot. Overtaking is a mere flex of the right foot away and the avalanche of torque does make its presence felt, especially when you accelerate in a higher gear. But power comes in slowly, in a laid-back manner, and you do miss that firm push in the back you get from a nice spike of turbo boost. Still, if it's grunt you want, this motor, with almost 50kgm of torque, has it. Wish the six-speed automatic was a bit quicker though; it feels a bit old school and a bit too laid-back.