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Ford’s Luxury SUV in India – Ford Endeavour

The Ford Endeavour has always been one of those massive, comfortable SUVs you can buy and over the years, the Endeavour has proved itself quite popular in our market. The SUV continues to sell in decent numbers, thanks to its sheer size and road presence.

The Fortuner, one of the Top Luxury Cars in India, has been its biggest threat, and after the Gloster came in from MG, buyers are now choosing the Chinese-owned British brand over everything else. The updated Endeavour also comes with a BS6-compliant engine. It continues to be one of those body-on-ladder-frame SUVs.

American brute

Ford Cars haven’t done much to the Endeavour on the outside, but what you do get are new all-LED twin-lamp headlamps and new elements in the cluster; the lights illuminate the road very well. On the front fenders, it gets faux vents, where it is badged ‘Endeavour’. The rest of the SUV remains untouched.

Torque steers

Ford Cars have equipped the Endeavour with a new engine and transmission. This ‘Panther’ 2.0-litre diesel engine has been made in India. It develops 167bhp and 420Nm of torque. The engine features a variable geometry turbo for better performance. Ford Cars have given it Piezoelectric 8-hole injectors.

The updated Endeavour comes with 10 gears that features adaptive algorithms that let it swap cogs in a jiffy. Sometimes, the transmission skips gears when up-shifting or down-shifting. You can lock-out gears, thanks to Progressive Range Selection. Once you start up the diesel engine, you will note how much more refined it is; it feels car-like refined at times.

So the engine is quiet for the most part and there aren’t too many vibrations either. Also, when you floor the throttle, the engine doesn’t sound harsh. The engine feels energetic the moment you accelerate; power just seems to always be available. Of course, the gearbox does take a while to register what’s happening, but once you’re past 1800rpm, you begin to feel all that torque.

The engine feels seamless; if you need more power, it will pick up pace eagerly. Power starts to taper off only after 3500rpm, and this is when the motor sounds stressed and gets very vocal. The engine is at its best in the powerband, which is why letting the ‘box shift up early is a good idea since you ride the wave of torque.

Now the engine may sound a bit loud at high speeds, bit it’s not sluggish. We just wish it came with paddle-shifters.

The rough with the smooth

The ride quality has gotten better; it’s a lot softer and quieter and you can take this SUV on any bad Indian stretch of tarmac. The huge tyres and long-travel suspension absorb uneven stuff without unsettling the passengers. The Endeavour is immensely stable at three-digit speeds and that’s despite the softly-sprung suspension.

The brakes provide good confidence, which is important, considering the girth of this SUV. The steering response doesn’t seem to be as good as it was on the older model and is not happy to dart into corners but body control is pretty good. The Endeavour even features a connected-car app called Ford Pass.

The car can be started via the remote, plus you can locate your SUV.

Space impact

Inside the cabin, the Endeavour remains largely unchanged, barring the gear lever. The dashboard is built of the good stuff and there’s sufficient leather and good-quality materials that can make one mistake it for being an SUV from a class above. Even comfort and space in the second row will keep passengers happy.

The opinion

The Endeavour’s update has made it a better product, by and large; more comfort, extra features, better ride quality and excellent refinement. And let’s not forget its 10-speed automatic transmission.

Prices haven’t increased much over the older model, but we wish it offered a bit more performance. If you’re looking for a full-sized Ford SUV, the Endeavour is your solution and remains one of the Top Luxury Cars in India, in its segment.

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Rushil Kumar