New Ford Endeavour SUV tech explained

Ford is preparing to bring the new Endeavour to India early next year. The large body-on-frame SUV from the American carmaker will get the choice of a 2.2-litre 158bhp four-cylinder diesel or a larger 3.2-litre five-cylinder 197bhp diesel motor. The smaller unit can be mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox, while the larger unit gets the automatic unit as standard.

Here’s a look at the new Ford Endeavour’s on and off-road tech.

Terrain Management System:

The most significant addition to the new Endeavour is the Terrain Management System, something commonly found in Land Rovers. The system offers a choice of four settings – Normal, Snow/Mud/Grass, Sand and Rock.

The Normal mode is best suited for everyday driving with the torque distributed 40:60 front to rear as standard. The system actively distributes torque between the front and rear to minimise wheel spin.

In the Snow/Mud/Grass mode, torque distribution is enhanced along with making the gearbox up-shift and down-shift early to maintain tractive force. The throttle response is also dulled, while the traction control system works to reduce wheel slip.

The Sand setting aims to maintain the SUV's momentum over sandy terrain. Under this setting, the four-wheel-drive system aggressively distributes torque between the front and rear wheels as well as allows the rear differential to be locked at high speeds. The gearbox holds gears for longer and downshifts early only during braking. The traction control system becomes more liberal and allows for some wheel slip to better maintain momentum. Under this setting, the throttle is quite sensitive and responds even to slight pedal movement.

The last setting is Rock. In this mode low-range is activated. The gearbox holds onto first gear and does not upshift. The traction control system works full-time to keep the wheels from slipping while the throttle sensitivity is reduced to allow for better control.

Active Park Assist

The new Endeavour gets a park-assist system that essentially parks the car for the driver into an open space. The SUV uses a series of sensors to scan for an open parking spot before taking control of the steering while the driver only uses the gearbox, accelerator and brakes as directed by the system.