New Ford Endeavour review, test drive

What's it like inside?

The interiors of the new Endeavour are clearly more upmarket than the earlier version. There's a nice broad sweep to the dash and the leather-covered top with its double stitching, is pretty plush looking too. The big chrome vents with their satin finish also impress and the flat section where the name of the car is embossed fits right in. The versions we drove had an eight-inch touchscreen that looks appropriately modern. Ford has used the new version of its SYNC (SYNC 2) on the new Endeavour, which in addition to providing Bluetooth connectivity and streaming music, also allows for enhanced voice commands. Touchscreen functionality however isn't great, and a few plastic bits on the lower half of the cabin are not built to the same standards as the ones higher up. However, the steering wheel with its proliferation of buttons, is beautifully crafted, and the pair of hi-res information screens in the instrument panel, that sit on either side of the speedo, are quite impressive too. There's ample space to store odds and ends; there are two rubberised cup holders ahead of the elbow box, a nice soft space ahead of the gearlever and all the doors can hold bottles. And there are multiple power outlets too.

Finding the right driving position is easy; the large driver's seat is powered and there's plenty of space even for drivers with large frames. This new car feels much wider on the inside than the earlier Endeavour and there's an abundance of legroom in the rear, so even tall passengers are seated comfortably. The seat is a bit low, but the bench is nice and big and you can incline the backrest. Climbing into the third seat, and especially climbing out is a chore, and you are seated very low, but because the second row is on rails and can be slid forward, sitting in the back is tolerable for short journeys.

You do get flat folding seats for both the second and third row, and Ford has used noise-cancellation technology to keep the cabin silent. This is done via speakers, they play back sounds that oppose, therefore cancelling out noise from outside.