HEAVY HITTERS
An epic battle of gargantuan proportions awaits. Two old-school machos in their stand-up garb, going all out to woo SUV lovers. We referee 15 rounds of sledgehammer blows, uppercuts and bloodied noses.

QUICK FACTS
Model tested	Safari DiCOR VX	Endeavour 4x4 XLT
Price	Rs 14.05 lakh*	Rs 17.25 lakh*
Top Speed	144kph	142kph
0-60kph	6.66sec	7.20sec
0-100kph	18.53sec	18.93sec
Kpl (overall)	10.4	9.0
For	Comfort, highway drive, great value	Indestructible feel,nimble handling
Against	Quality, refinementbrakes	Bumpy ride, basic design
*On-road Mumbai

Utilitarian, tough and practical, the list of ‘tactical to practical’ objects is endless. Blue jeans, the Swiss Army knife, construction boots, the Mag-lite torch and recently cargo pants. Rugged, built to last, to tackle any eventuality or difficult situation, these practical objects are loved because apart from everything else they smear a little bit of macho onto their users. 4x4s fall under this same category with their unbreakable go-anywhere ability. Remember, we’re not talking effete soft-roaders here, some of which work up a sweat at the mere sight of dirt. No way. These are the real deal. Tough body-on- chassis leviathans that have the ability to go through hell, take a pounding and come back smelling of roses. And they have to be luxurious and capable on tarmac to hit the spot too. But who said life as a heavyweight was easy.
Our contenders are a familiar pair. In the red corner, Tata’s toughest. The Safari is familiar, but don’t mistake it for the old car. Seriously upgraded with a new engine, more power, better interiors and a face-lift, the DiCOR is a big step. Up against our Indian hero isFord’s Endeavour. Built in collaboration with Mazda in Thailand, the Endeavour has been a steady performer for Ford, its handsome square looks aiding its desirability considerably. We were tempted to bring the capable Scorpio into this fray, but it clearly is a full size smaller and much cheaper; a mismatch either way. More importantly, it’s more of an urban SUV than these two put together, one targeted and fine-tuned for city conditions. Bong Bong, round one.