Tipping the scales at approximately two tons each, both these SUVs require massive amounts of power to get them going. As a result, performance is neither SUVs’ forte. The Endeavour’s traditional indirect injection 2.5-litre engine uses three valves per cylinder and a turbocharger to make 111bhp.
The DiCOR uses a direct injection motor and common rail, but the motor is based on one of Tata’s light trucks and develops an almost identical 115bhp. The DiCOR has more torque, but the Ford is more responsive in the bottom end and is better to drive in start-stop city traffic. In-gear acceleration is also very similar with the Endeavour narrowly edging out the DiCOR.
On an incline, where you need more than a little torque to get moving, the DiCOR is the better of the two as the Ford needs to be spun faster than 2000rpm to get it moving. Also, the Ford’s awkward dash-mounted van-like handbrake is a pain, especially when you need to co-ordinate clutch, accelerator, gear lever and steering together. Neither of these heavyweights are designed for straight-line performance and these two old-school SUVs feel a bit underpowered and sluggish. The DiCOR manages to get to the three-digit mark in 18 seconds, a fraction quicker than the Endeavour that also takes 18 seconds to make the same speed. The top speeds on both machines are also closely matched with the DiCOR managing 144kph to the Endeavour’s 142kph.
Of the two, the Ford’s indirect injection motor is the more refined. Only audible at higher revs, and not intrusive in the least, the Ford unit is smooth and jerk and vibration-free. The more agricultural DiCOR engine has been derived from the 407 light truck and though it uses a hi-tech Delphi common rail system, the humble origins of the motor show through. Idle is lumpy and there is a lot of vibration as you transit from idle to forward motion. Things are better past 1500rpm, but this is only temporary as the motor turns crude past 3000rpm due to the extremely narrow power band. We can’t help but think that using common rail injection on this motor is something of an overkill, like using carbon fibre disc brakes on an Ambassador.
The Endeavour’s gearshift feels more refined and easy to use compared to the DiCOR, which is much improved but feels a tad imprecise.