Ford Endeavour Review

Hey Guys, Siddharth Lal here with the review of the all new Ford Endeavour 2016 (also known as the Ford Everest in the United States of America and many other countries), I am actually a real big fan of Ford Endeavour and have driven both the previous generation 2.5L and 3.0L versions. It’s the macho appeal and the excellent drivability of the Endeavour that drives me crazy, so I was eagerly waiting to test-drive the 2016 model but was not able to because the new Endeavour was not available at the Ford dealerships due to the ban in registration of diesel cars above 2000cc in Delhi/NCR. But thankfully Gautam Buddh Ford (Ford dealership, Noida, U.P India) arranged a test-drive of all three variants of the Endeavour for me and I am really grateful for the support and assistance offered by the team leader Mr Basuki Nathan of Gautam Buddh Ford. I became more impressed after driving the new Endeavour and at the end of my drive I was wanting to drive the Endeavour more as I was really happy and thrilled behind the wheels so I decided to re-visit their dealership to try the Endeavour once again to deeply understand it’s nature.  I will be reviewing the aspects such as exteriors, Interiors, comfort and convenience, performance and handling, engine and gearbox, braking and safety, features, price and maintenance cost in this post. 

Exterior Styling:

2.2L 4x2 Automatic TREND Variant The Ford Endeavour reflects strong presence with it’s big, macho and sturdy design and feels premium too with exceptionally crafted exterior detailing. The Sleek and sharp projector headlamps with DRL’s (Day-time Running Lights) along with the wide and bold chrome plated radiator grill accentuates aggression and elegance at the same time. While the sculpted hood with bold lines, sculpted front bumper with stretched rectangular fog lamps on the elongated sliver finish lower add-on appends more aggression and boldness to the front end.  Moreover the small details like chrome plated ORVMs with turn indicators, chrome door handles, silver-finish roof-rails and silver finish side step plates imparts premium presence.  📷 📷 The long bonnet, stretched rear end and long 2850mm wheelbase highlights the 4892mm length. The thick character-lines and moderately inflated wheel arches adds to a macho appeal in the side profile. The Ford Endeavour gets 265-section wide tyres which goes along superbly with it’s imposing character.  The rear end looks premium and trendy with the blend of elongated rear chrome garnish bar with Endeavour branding, wide combination LED tail-lamps, silver finish lower bumper add-on with reflectors and sporty roof-spoiler.  Checkout the video of the road dominance of the all new Ford Endeavour in the below video, I was driving the Endeavour at 100 Km/Hr with continuous dipper indication on a single lane road; see how the incoming traffic stops in a line to give way.  📷 📷

Interiors, comfort and convenience: 

This SUV feels premium on the inside with modish interiors and leather seat upholstery. Endeavour has a dual-tone black-beige big dashboard and the details like silver finish wide elongated bar on the dashboard, chrome inserts on the A/C vents, knobs, switches and inside door handles appends luxury.  📷 📷 The Endeavour gets an in-dash integrated TFT touch-screen LCD entertainment system with 10 speakers, active noise cancellation, two USB ports, SD-card slot, AUX, Bluetooth connectivity and supports voice control to change music, to make calls, to read incoming text messages etc.  The instrument cluster also looks and feels trendy, it has got digital Tachometer in the MID display in the instrument cluster, the instrument cluster also has a audio system display screen on the left side of the speedometer.  The cabin is really spacious and comfortable too with 8-way electronically adjustable driver’s seat with lumber support, excellent head, leg, and shoulder room both at the front and the rear. The seat height position of the Endeavour is excellent and surely reflects the big and bold stance of this SUV, moreover it offers clear view ahead and even the hood is completely visible.  📷Front seats 📷Rear Seats The Endeavour is packed with excellent convenience features like the park assist. At the press of a button, the semi-auto parallel park assist helps locate the right sized parking slot and steers your SUV in. Just take off your hands and watch as it parks perfectly. It has electric power fold 3rd row seat (Split 50:50) function which automatically folds the 3rd row seat flat by press of a button. Moreover the Endeavour has power tailgate which automatically opens and shuts with the touch of a button. This SUV has lock/unlock switches on all four doors. The 3rd and the 2nd row can be completely folded to get a massive cargo space at the rear.  Endeavour has roof A/C vents for the middle and the third row and the Ford has improved this SUV overall making it more comfortable and convenient for the driver as well as the passengers and all you get is a first class feel.  📷All doors lock/unlock button on all four doors 📷Roof A/C Vents 📷Rear A/C controls on the Front Arm-rest 📷Terrain Management System Dial 📷Boot See the video of one-touch automatic shut of the tailgate. 

Engine and Gearbox:

The Ford Endeavour has 2 diesel engine options with 2 transmission options and 2 drivetrain options to elevate your expectations of an SUV.  First being 2198cc DuraTorq TDCI Diesel engine with 6-speed manual transmission with both 4x2 (Rear-Wheel Drive) and 4x4 (All-Wheel Drive), it also gets a 6-speed automatic transmission variant with only 4x2 (Rear-Wheel Drive) drivetrain. This 2.2L engine is powered with 160ps power at 3200RPM and 385Nm Torque at 1600-2500 RPM. The claimed fuel economy of 2.2l 4x2 MT is 14.2 km/l , 12.62 km/l of the 2.2l 4x2 auto and 13.5 km/l of 2.2l 4x4 MT. Second option is of a super powerful 3198cc DuraTorq TDCI Diesel engine with only 6-speed automatic transmission and 4x4 drivetrain. It generates gigantic 200ps power at 3000RPM and 470Nm Torque at 1750-2500RPM. The claimed fuel economy of the 3.2l 4x4 AT is 10.91 km/l.  📷3198cc TDCI DuraTorq Diesel Engine 📷 The NVH levels in both the engines are controlled. 

Performance:

2198cc Manual Transmission variant: 

The performance of the Ford Endeavour absolutely thrilled me with superb throttle response, this beast responds actively with just a little tap on the accelerator paddle and later will excite you with a performance punch as it reaches 1800 RPM and all the way till 3000 RPM. Its past 4500 RPM that the beast will start to feel stressed out and you would want to shift to a higher gear but you will definitely be delighted with the overall indulging performance of the 2.2L Endeavour. 

2198cc Automatic Transmission variant: 

The 6-speed auto gearbox gets all the three modes, “D” (Drive mode), “S” (Sports mode) and manual mode.  Inspite of a superbly responsive throttle, the Endeavour feels unexciting in the “D” mode but the drive is actually more convenient, but not to worry as the trip-tonic manual mode of this bull will please the enthusiast with it’s amazing performance which is as good as the 2.2L manual transmission model. I didn't pretty much liked the Sports mode and found it a bit irrelevant in the transmission as the punch was not at all thrilling as the gear changes after full RPM level (Redline in the Tachometer) and as earlier said this SUV feels stressed above 4500 RPM therefore making the drive dull. I would any day prefer to manually change gears in the auto transmission instead of shifting it to the sports mode whenever I would want thrilling drive out of the Endeavour. 

3198cc Variant:

To briefly state, the 3.2L model of the Ford Endeavour is the one that will put smiles on your face with it’s energetic and restless spirit, it has got everything to be a segment winner in terms of performance; be it acceleration/pickup, low-end response, high-end response and the pulling power. You will crave for more stretched road while driving this beast as it never feels stressed and is full of raw power.  📷 3198cc, tremendous 200ps power and gigantic 485Nm torque….Do I need to say more…? The Ford Endeavour helps you tackle any obstacle, on or off-road, at a turn of a dial its shift-fly Terrain Management System maximises traction and stability to effortlessly stay in control.  Blaze a course through sandy surfaces effortlessly with increased accelerator sensitivity and aggressive wheel spin by turning on the Sand mode, or turn the Snow/Mud mode and shift through Snow and rough gravels easily with optimised traction and control and for the extreme off-roading turn on the Rock mode to keep the all wheel drive in first gear for superior control. In any of these modes you can view the Endeavours driveline torque, vehicle pitch and roll easily on the dashboard. This feature is only available in the 4x4 variant. 

Controlling and Handling:

Inspite of being so big in size, the Endeavour handles superbly. I was really impressed with the way this SUV was handling, it was like Endeavour was dancing in the exact way I wanted her to as the steering response and precision is outstanding. So this makes the Endeavour perfect for congested City drives because this SUV turns left/right swiftly, is handy and turning radius m is also excellent.  The body-roll is quite controlled and the Endeavour is ready to take on any terrain as the suspension is really sturdy and the this beast runs over bumps smoothly giving passengers a comfortable ride. The Endeavour is also really stable on speed above 120 Km/Hr or even at 150 km/hr and it was firm on sharp curves, I could even turn it at a speed of 70 km/hr while down-hill on flyover exits.  At the end of my drive I was wanting to drive the Endeavour more as I was really happy and thrilled behind the wheels.  📷

Braking and Safety: 

Protection is the key to peace of mind, Seven Airbags and ultra-high strength steel provide a network of protection with front seat driver and passenger airbags and seat-mounted side airbags. Side curtain airbags provide protection for the people in the front and the back and there is even an airbag for the driver’s knees.  The Endeavour has ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), ESP (Electronic Stability Program) and  Traction control. The brakes are really effective both at low and high speeds. I tried to fully stop the Endeavour from a speed of 60 Km/hr on a muddy terrain and it did skid for half meter and stopped suddenly and that according to be is truly impressive.  This beast even has a Hill Launch Assist feature which while activated holds the SUV for few seconds when you are in a up-hill position and you release the brakes. It also has a Hill Descent Control which automatically uses the brake system to help you descent slopes at a safe and steady pace, take hold of the steering wheels and Endeavour does the rest. It’ the features likes these that makes me fall for the Endeavour.  📷 📷

Verdict:

The Ford Endeavour goes a leap forward than it’s predecessor in every aspect and is an SUV is a complete package that’s hard to resist. Be it looks, first class comfy cabin, exciting drive and loads of features, it will surely knock you off your feet. With the Toyota Fortuner being there in the market with the same shape for quite some time and with the poor sales/service network of Mitsubishi, so in my opinion Ford Endeavour is the best option available at present and should not be missed.  📷 So guys what are you waiting for, go test drive the Endeavour to reclaim your excitement and thrill.  My pick would be the 2.2L Auto transmission variant as it is a mix of convenience and exciting performance along with better fuel economy and will even please the enthusiasts but is you prefer a 4x4 variant, then its definitely the 3.2L variant as you get both the auto gearshift and 4x4 drivetrain in this variant.  📷That's me in the middle with Left Mr. Basuki (Team Leader sales) and Right Mr. Sunil (Accessories Manager) Gautam Buddh Ford Dealership