As far as Indian SUVs go, there’s nothing to beat the Ford Endeavour in terms of sheer size and road presence. And with an ex-showroom price of a little over Rs 13 lakh at launch, there was plenty of SUV for your money.
Since its launch in 2003, some 7,000 Endeavours have left pothole-sized marks on Indian roads, crossed ravines, forged states and even made their impression on parliamentarians.
But they all had a common complaint. The turbocharged diesel engine with 115 bhp was just a tad underpowered and the handling was too much in the league of a large American SUV.
So, all Ford had to do was tweak the existing package and make the Endeavour more acceptable to a wider buying audience. Easier said than done, as they went about changing 75 per cent of the parts in true Ford fashion. It still somewhat looks the same, but the changes are more than just a cosmetic facelift. Yes, the new Ford Endeavour is out.
The erstwhile Endeavour was a chrome celebration with the shiny finish on every third panel. This one has lost some of it to make way for a cleaner design. Gone is also the side-cladding that gave it some butch appeal. New headlamps surround a deeper front-grille that is still wrapped in chrome. Other changes include new tail-lamps and 16-inch wheels, but they don’t appear too different. On, the inside though, the tale is slightly different. There is an all-new dashboard with wider air-vents, a newly designed centre-console and instrument binnacle and a 6-CD MP3 player.
The centre-console gets a silver-garnish, while the limited edition adds wood panelling and beige trim as well. The space on the inside is still the same even though there have been changes to the seat design. So expect to continue sitting with your knee caps facing skywards at the rear.
Where the Endeavour really relishes the sight of the sky is in crossing mountains and mounds with relative ease. Never balking at the thought, the new Endeavour continues the tradition but with added power and torque. Producing 141.5 bhp, the new Endeavour utilises its proprietary common-rail technology TDCi to cure its underpower malaise. Torque is up too, with 33 kgm available from as low as 1800 rpm. Ford claims that the torque curve stays quite flat for another 1200 rpm, which in theory should make it quite driveable as well. Ford have also made changes to the suspension settings and made the chassis stiffer to improve handling while adding dual-stage airbags and ABS for safety.
This though hasn’t stopped Ford from increasing the price for all the added bells and whistles. With prices starting at Rs 15.44 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai) for the 4x2, the new Endeavour is Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh dearer. The Endeavour’s closest competitors —the Hyundai Tucson and Mitsubishi Pajero — are priced higher. While an increase in price was always expected, the new Endeavour still remains the most affordable amongst premium diesel SUVs.
