Ford has launched the facelift of the Endeavour and to the untrained eye, the changes are next to none. A second, or maybe even third look, however, will give away the new updates. A new paint called ‘Diffused Silver’, newly designed grille and headlamp inserts, refreshed bumper with revised fog lamp housings and the biggest changes of course, the new diamond cut alloy wheels. Another addition is the new keyless-entry function on the driver and passenger door handles. At the back, there is no change apart from subtle changes to the rear bumper.
On the inside, the biggest change again, is largely cosmetic. While the older version featured a dual tone beige and brown interior theme this new one gets a black and beige dashboard wrapped in leather and double stitching. The dashboard layout, touchscreen and functions, are all carried over, but you will notice a newly designed gearknob with metal inserts and a push button start switch which replaces the ageing key-start. In terms of infotainment, the 8-inch touchscreen still features a SYNC2 system that comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. There is also no change to the instrument cluster and get the same center placed odometer with a digital screens on both sides displaying a bundle of information. Lastly, you now also get puddle-lamps on the front doors, which do come in handy when its dark.
The seats however, are now even more comfortable with a softer cushioning. Apart from that, there is no change to the second and third rows, which still get the fantastic panoramic sunroof, roof mounted AC vents and manual adjust for the middle row bench.
The third row too can be electrically folded up and down like before, but a new addition here is access to the boot, which if your hands are full, can be opened by just sliding your foot under the rear bumper.
Powering the Endeavour are the same two engine options; a 2.2-litre engine with a 6-speed automatic gearbox and two-wheel drive and the bigger 3.2-litre engine with AWD and mated to a 6-speed gearbox. A new addition however, will be the re-introduction of the 2.2-litre engine with manual gearbox and AWD which was discontinued in the earlier version. We sampled the bigger 3.2-litre version and went in expecting no change. However, on startup you realize the refinement is slightly better this time round and there is less of that diesel clatter in comparison to the older car. Now while the active noise cancellation works tremendously well here, the engine too is fairly refined. Get going and the unchanged sluggish gearbox continues to disappoint. As you climb over 2500rpm, the engine sounds strained and there is a good amount of that big 3.2-litre roar seeping in the cabin. That said, the gearbox does get slightly better and more responsive in sport mode as it holds the gears longer and downshifts a bit faster. Also, what has improved is the ride quality. The older version was soft and supple enough, but this one is just a tad bit more. Yes, the soft seats help, but the suspension takes on bumps and potholes marginally better than the older version and offers a comfy cushioning ride. The steering too has a nice balance between light weight and consistent feel.
Safety features in the new Endeavour are the same with 7 airbags, ABS with EBD and ESC, hill start\descent assist, parking sensors in the front and back with a rear parking camera and tyre pressure monitoring system. Other features like automatic park assist, auto headlamps, terrain select, dual zone automatic climate control etc are carried forward.
In terms of pricing, the facelifted Endeavour is likely to sport a similar price tag in comparison to the older car, but the re-introduction of the 2.2-litre engine with a manual gearbox and AWD will be the cheapest version and will undercut the outgoing Trend trim.
With this facelift, Ford might not have brought in major changes, but they have further strengthened what was an already strong and hugely desirable SUV.
Also see:
Ford Endeavour facelift SUV launched in India, prices start at Rs 28.19 lakh
from Autocar India - Cars https://ift.tt/2GBo3Dn
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