Ford Endeavour true SUV

Endeavour is the only true SUV available in the market; the SUVs are not meant for city or highway driving but truly make its sense in off-road. But the concept of crossover has diluted Hyundai Tucson and Honda CR-V. It was introduced in India in 2003. It is sold as the Ford Everest in Asia and was built on the lines of the local Mazda-based Ford Ranger pickup truck platform. With this offering, Ford brought to the Indian consumer a premium, world class and versatile 7-seater. Now, Ford India has launched the all new 2010 variant of Endeavour in Indian Market. It is available in 2 models - 2.5L XLT 4×2, the 3.0L Thunder+ 4×4 and the 3.0L Thunder+ 4×2. With the competition heating up the current generation endeavour started looking outdated. It is expected that the new model is going to change all this and will beat the current segment leader – The Toyota Fortuner. The bold and tough styling of the New Ford Endeavour gives it a commanding presence on the road. With the overall length of 4,998mm the Thunder+ makes a Mercedes M class shorter and could rightly be called the biggest SUV around. The front end has been improved a lot with all new front bumper, new chrome grille and new rounded corner headlights. All these give it a distinctive look with its high bonnet and super grand size.

Following changes have been made in the New Endeavour:

- New Front Grille which gives it a bold & fresh look.
- New Headlights which now has rounded corners.
- New Tail Lights with crystal clear lens.
- New Bumpers with integrated new fog lights.
- New Touchscreen DVD/MP3 player
- Satellite Navigation System.
- Introduction of 5-Speed Auto transmission.

Aiding and abetting the Endeavour, in its hardy off-road worthiness, are the mud flaps and wheel mouldings along with fashionable roof rails. Silver side-steps run along the length of the vehicle and accentuate its brute quality. The Thunder+ variant offers a classier exterior compared to the XLT. It has larger mirrors that incorporate turn indicators and puddle lamps, a spare wheel cover, body cladding and many more attractive features. Both the variants are offered with wide tyres – 265/70 R16 – that facilitate the most favourable combination of traction and stability on slippery ground. It is also fitted with a highly toughened and modern bull bar, two-tone body cladding that gives it an even sportier look, alloy wheels, a fifth door mirror that comes in handy while parking or reversing, and a hard top cover for the extra tyre.

With the launch of New Endeavour Ford India has also introduced automatic transmission as Chevrolet Captiva & CR-V both come with option of automatic transmission. The five-speed automatic transmission system features an innovative Transmission Control Module (TCM) that can automatically detect and quickly adjust to the changing engine speed and driving condition. It keeps the transmission system always at its peak power band, thus making the vehicle more responsive.

The toughness is more than skin deep. New Endeavour is available with two engine options:

• 2499cc, TDCi with VGT, DOHC
• 2953cc, TDCi with VGT, DOHC

The 2.5 litre engine generates maxiumu power of 142 Bhp at 3500 rpm with maximum torque of 330 Nm at 1800 rpm. The 3.0 litre engine generates maxiumu power of 154 Bhp at 3200 rpm with maximum torque of 380 Nm at 2500 rpm. Both the engines comes with Dual Overhead Camshaft technology. The engine has 16 valves and variable Geometry Turbo. Thunder+ boasts of 4×4 transmission which makes it fitting for off-road rides. Endeavour’s 4WD transmission system is equipped with the world renowned Borg Warner transfer system and electronic Active Shift-on-the-Fly, allowing a driver to shift the driving mode from 2WD to 4WD at high driving speeds of up to 100 km/h. There are number of attractive features in the car, it got a dual air conditioner, which is environmental friendly.

The interior of the New Ford Endeavour is more or less same like the outgoing model – it is roomy and elegant with world-class levels of comfort. Both the variants are endowed with luxurious leather upholstery and AC vents for all the three rows to make long and bumpy drives cushy. Other notable features include a central console mounted touch screen entertainment and GPS enabled Sat Nav system. The entertainment system is bluetooth enabled so you can take calls while driving. The touch screen also doubles up as an audio menu so you can select you favourite track with ease and turn into reverse parking camera mode as soon as you enaged the reverse gear! The in-car DVD player also let you see your favourite videos and movies with full home theatre experience while on the move. It has as much as seven cup holders, leather steering, and a gear knob as well. It got two-sunglass holders with easily tilt able steering in it. It comprises of the tachometer, which lets you know the engine power as well as the footrest for the clutch. The seats of the car folded easily and split for the convenience of the user. It got a back pockets for the front seat as well as the door map seats for all the doors in the car.

All the models of New Endeavour feature standard cutting-edge theft protection feature, passive anti-theft system (PATS) which prevents the engine from being started with an incorrectly coded key by automatically shutting off fuel to the fuel injection system after two seconds. A high visibility “command” driving position makes for better visibility while driving. Also included in the Endeavour are much required safety features such as a 4-wheel ABS with EBD and dual airbags, child-proof rear door locks, fuel tank shields, seat belts for all seven occupants, front passenger airbags. The new Endeavour has been priced at Rs 15.01 Lakhs for the 2.5 Litre TDCi and Rs 17.38 Lakhs for the 3.0 Litre TDCi, all prices (Ex-Showroom, Delhi).

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