The main positive of this beast is its engine, which is not overpowered or sluggish by any means and felt adequate to move the 2 ton car and can cruise at triple digit speeds all day long.
BHPian The VAG32 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
My Ford Endeavour 2021 2.0 AT has done 52k kms within 3.5 years and I would like to share my ownership experience and positives and negatives of the vehicle so far.
Back to 2021
We were searching a car for my dad who loves driving a lot. Our previous cars were a type 1 Toyota Innova, VW Vento 1.6 TDI, Renault duster AWD. The current car should be a true SUV and should tackle bad roads with ease. We fixed a budget of 35 to 45 lakhs and began our search.
Cars Considered
1.VW Tiguan 2.0 TSI: We went and test drove the last batch of the pre facelifted tiguan and was blown away by the performance of the 2.0 TSI paired with DSG. It was truly a drivers delight,but the suspension seem to be bit stiff and found the thirdrow in the allspace version to be useless. The dealership gave a discount of 4 lakhs for the pre facelifted allspace variant.
Overall the car seemed to be damn good to drive, but lack of space and overall small dimensions made us to look for other options.
2.MG Gloster Biturbo Savy 4WD:Again this seems to be a good option. We went to the showroom and saw the car “boy its huge”. The car was loaded with tech and the captain seats offered great comfort making it a good mile muncher. The engine was smooth and powerful enough. But we felt the sheer size of the car will be difficult to maneuver in the city and left the option.
3.Toyota Fortuner 2021 AT:The Fortuner seemed to be the default option for anyone looking for an suv in this segment. I went and test drove the car. The main positive of the car is the engine with 500nm torque on tap. The engine was extremely peppy to drive and builts up crazy speeds in no time and the additional reliability factor. Me and my family didnt like the bouncy nature of the car and the ride was pathetic. The interior didnt do justice to a 45 lakh car
and so we moved on
4.Ford Endeavour 2.0 AT:I heard from someone that the 3.2 5cyl unit was discontinued and Ford had launched new endeavour with 2.0 panther series engine with 168hp and 420nm of torque with a 10speed AT. We gave it a final try. We were blown away by the ride quality it offered and the handling at high speed. My family also loved the beige interiors and the muscular stance of the car, So we went ahead and booked the titanium plus 4wd variant which costed 42.3 lakhs on road (was not interested in the sport variant which costed 42.7 lakhs on road, a whopping 40k just for cosmetic upgrade). The car got delivered exactly after one month on May 2021.
Engine and Transmission: The car is powered with 2.0l panther engine by ford producing 168hp and 420nm of torque. It may not seem to be lot to move this mammoth, but suprisingly its adeaquate enough. Its neither overpowered nor underpowered and its faster than the 2.2l and 1.5 seconds slower than the 3.2l. The true magic lies in the 10speed torque convertor AT and it is tuned beautifully to mask the turbolag of the engine. The shifts are smooth and wont feel anything and its beautiful to drive especially on the highway. The initial response from the engine is too good and it pulls cleanly upto 160kmph and the progress dulls after that. So, its amazing to drive within legal speeds.
The 10speed AT is a bit confused especially when driving within city limits. The gearbox skips the gears( downshifting from 9th gear to 3rd gear in case of an overtake) making the engine in its powerband at all the time. The engine is refined too and wont hear a thing at lower rpms. Its only when the engine crosses 2500rpm it becomes audible and the growl can be felt in the cabin.
Ride Quality:The ride quality needs a special mention here. The suspension is tuned beautifully to tackle all the bad roads and its one of the most comfortable suv in the segment. The low speed ride is a bit stiff and just moves around a bit ( Typical lumpiness of a ladder on frame suv)
Handling:One of the best handling suv in the segment. The steering is pretty responsive and it is way too light in the city speeds and weighs up well at high speeds. It is not as responsive as the previous gen Fords but its way more responsive than the competition. It tackles corners with ease and bodyroll is well controlled (by suv standards). The stability is awesome and the cabin isolation is just fantastic.
Interior and Quality:The seats are made up of really highquality leather. The interior and dashboard has soft touch plastic with high quality leather wrapped around. The interior feels age old, but made up of high quality materials and made to last forever.
Service and maintenance:The Ford Service has been great so far and no issues at that front. The car has done 3 free services and 4 paid services so far. The customer experience is good and affordable too.
Accessories:
1.The car came with Fiamm trumpet horn as stock and I got changed them to Roots Megasonic.
2.I installed 3M CR70 sunfilms all through out the car including the front windshield.
3.The stock speakers are just pathetic and I got it replaced with Morel maxximo components both front and rear powered by Infinity 4 channel amplifier.
Positives
1.The main positive of this beast is its engine, which is not overpowered or sluggish by any means and felt adequate to move the 2 ton car and can cruise at triple digit speeds all day long.
2.The 10 speed torque convertor is a gem in its own way and keep the engine in its boil at all the times and masks the turbo lag beautifully.
3.The cabin insulation is just brilliant and the materials used in the interior are of pretty high quality that I havent felt in any sub 50 lakh car.
4.The ride quality is just amazing and it just glides over everything.
5.The highspeed stability is fantastic and cruising at 120kph feels like 80kph and the motor will be spinning at 1800rpm at 10th gear and it makes it pretty efficient too.
6.There is always enough power on tap for overtakes and the gearbox downshifts beautifully based on the throttle inputs.
7.The AC is a chiller and cools the cabin in no time.
8.I am getting a fuel economy of 11 to 12 km/l which is pretty acceptable for a vehicle of this size.
9.The car handles beautifully by SUV standards and you can take corners at a good speed and the bodyroll is well controlled.
10.The Ford service is good and way more affordable even after their exit
from India
Negatives
1.Low speed ride is just a little bumpy typical of a ladder frame SUV.
2.I found it a bit difficult initially to get used to the size of the vehicle, but not anymore. Still its difficult to drive in traffic.
3.The Check Engine light glowed up a couple of times and got the catalytic convertor replaced.
4.Overtaking slow moving traffic needs a bit of planning and one has to be aware of the size of the vehicle while doing high speed maneuvers.
5.The 10speed AT is a bit confused at times especially while driving in the city.
6.The rear seat space is just okay and the underthigh support is lacking.
7.The thirdrow can be used only by kids.
Upgrades to be done:
1.The stock MRF wanderers have worn out completely and should replace them with Yoko geolanders or Conti cross contact AT.
2.I saw a dechromed black ford endeavour yesterday and it looked amazing and it triggered me to dechrome my car too. Hope this happens in the near future.
Cars like these are not made anymore and nowadays one has to spend close to 60lakhs in order to get a true suv without any compromise.
Overall I am pretty much happy with my purchase after 3.5 years and continue to keep the car as long as possible.
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