Size matters in the SUV market, which is why the Endeavour has been the top-selling premium SUV since its launch. The Endeavour still doesn’t have any competition but now there is a better alternative — the new Endeavour. :  he new Endeavour’s nose is higher, the grille can swallow autorickshaws and the headlamps are bigger and smarter. Under the skin, it remains old-school: the body-on-frame chassis, manually engaged four-wheel-drive system, rear leaf springs and the tailgate-mounted spare wheel are ample proof. In contrast to the exterior is the plush interior, which suits the Endeavour’s price-tag. The two-tone dashboard looks very good, especially the hooded dials with the green needles. The plastic quality is superior to the older car and the switches feel like an expensive saloon’s. There are lots of cubbyholes, large door pockets and 12V sockets. The seats are of superb quality and the ease with which they flip forward and fold impressed us. All three rows get air-con vents but the front vents have limited movement. Other grouses included the manual antenna and the absence of puddle lamps. The dash-mounted handbrake lever is a pain to operate, especially when starting off from a slope. The ladder-frame chassis has raised the Endeavour’s floor, eating into passenger space and compromising seat comfort. It isn’t too bad in the front and the seats are comfortable enough. The middle row has loads of legroom while headroom is decent and the seats are wide enough to seat three abreast comfortably. However, the high floor and the low seat mean that thigh support is compromised and even short people will be uncomfortable. The third row sits on the floor and is best for kids or luggage. In fact, the rear bench can be removed completely and this frees up lots of space.  Ford has replaced the old Endeavour’s 111bhp single-cam 2.5l turbo-diesel motor with the 143bhp, 2.5-litre common-rail engine which is relatively high-tech and possesses twin overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and a variable geometry turbocharger. The piezo injectors improve torque and lower NVH. Flat-out performance is impressive with this behemoth getting to 100kph in 13.89 seconds – that is as quick as a diesel Octavia, and in wet conditions, too! More impressive is the torque – 33.6kgm comes in at 1800rpm, beyond which there’s a sudden urgency in the manner the Endeavour surges forward. The problem is, when you are in traffic the tall gearing drops you below the 2000rpm mark often. This slight lack of low-end power also calls for a lot more clutch-slipping in traffic and it’s easy to stall the engine. Thankfully, the clutch is lighter and the new transmission is also smoother-shifting. The upside is that highway cruising is relaxed - at 100kph the engine is turning over at a lazy 2000rpm in contrast to the older model, which spins at 2700rpm at the same speed. Compared to the old Endeavour’s in-gear times, the new car is quicker, especially from 20-80kph, where it is 3sec faster. The TDCi motor is more refined than the older diesel. It is less noisy and clatter is well suppressed. However, the new fan makes a bit of a racket at high revs and there is a fair amount of wind noise around the A-pillar at highway speeds. The Endeavour is based on the Ranger pick-up truck, which means the underpinnings are more for load-carrying capacity than ride and handling finesse. The suspension layout remains unchanged but Ford has gone to great lengths to improve the set-up. Longer leaf-springs at the rear, softer front torsion bars and uprated dampers have improved the dynamics and taken out the hard edge of the older car. However, rear passengers are treated to the occasional mule kick, and you can feel the lumpiness of the heavy rear axle. The front suspension is now too soft, the nose bobbing gently over undulating roads which can have an unsettling effect at speed. The steering is pretty accurate and direct, which makes the new Endeavour much easier to punt around corners. There is a fair amount of body roll but the Endeavour doesn’t wallow like the Scorpio and Safari. The turning circle is terrible, making parking a nightmare. The Endeavour’s off-road capability is superb. The huge clearance and massive wheels will swallow dirt roads with ease. Though the ride turns choppy, there’s just enough kickback through the steering to let you know what’s happening under the wheels. The 4WD version comes with low-range ratios and a limited-slip differential, which allow the Endeavour to go mountain climbing. There is no electrical shift for the four-wheel-drive car and the selector can be hard to operate. The new engine, coupled with taller gearing, has lowered fuel consumption. The new model returned figures of 9.3kpl and 12.2kpl in the city and highway cycles respectively.    The Endeavour comes in three variants which can be ordered with 4WD. The base XLT version comes with more than enough equipment. Power steering, windows, mirrors, remote locking, six-CD/MP3 player, leather seats, 16-inch alloy wheels, two airbags, ABS and EBD are standard. The Limited Edition, Club Pack and Hurricane versions just add exterior embellishments and price to the XLT. The Hurricane does come with a DVD player though. What’s missing is parking sensors, which would be handy on this big vehicle. Priced at Rs 16.43 lakh, the XLT is Rs 50,000 more than the equivalently-specced outgoing Endeavour. That’s a small increase for an SUV that’s now significantly better. |
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