Ford unveils the new Endeavour and the changes are more than skin-deep – OverDrive (Oct. ’09) unveils its test results...
 Design
The Endeavour’s face-lift is just that – a face-lift. The headlamps are now curvier and wrap around the face and on to the fender. Further style revisions extend to the hood, the grille, the front bumper and the wing mirrors. The most obvious is that the grille is no longer a rectangular unit with straight cut edges; instead it tapers towards the bottom. Three horizontal slats that house the logo are decked on both top and below by wider chrome strips with Endeavour etched across the top strip. The bumper too is softer with round edges and an inverted goatee with fog lamps on either side add to the toned down yet sporty personality. The wing mirrors too are a new design, curvier and incorporating turn indicators.
The changes may seem minor but they make for a remarkable head turning effect. So Ford has achieved what it set out to do in the first place, refresh the product without having to incur significant development costs while making it look neater, simpler and contemporary as well.
 On the inside, you will notice the neat wood inserts that lend a sophisticated look and feel. You get an impressive feature list which includes satellite navigation, aluminium pedals, overhead LCD screen and three-row seating with air-con for all three rows.
Engine & Transmission
The engine options stay the same. However there is a new 5-speed automatic gearbox with selectable first, second and third gears and a new powertrain mix. The older 2.5-litre Endeavour will now be available in only a 2WD version; 4x4 with low ratio will be reserved only for the automatic and which will only be available with the 3.0-litre diesel.
The automatic however is not the most refined box we have seen. It is competent, does the job fairly well but lacks the refinement seen in competitive Japanese SUVs. It however presents a more linear power delivery, spreading torque evenly across the rev range.
 Performance & Efficiency
The Endeavour does the 100kmph run in 18.4 seconds which is nearly 4 seconds off the pace of the 3.0-litre manual. The quarter mile and the standing kilometre however come up in 20.5s and 38.5s respectively. At a 174kmph it also registers a much higher top speed and has better friveability than the manual.
Fuel efficiency however is not top notch compared to the manual. In the city she racks up 7.3kmpl, on the highway 12.1kmpl and that gives an overall efficiency of 8.5kmpl.
Verdict
The automatic does make life simpler on road and wins on sheer convenience alone. And that is exactly what Ford is hoping its loyalists will conform to.
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