2019 Ford Endeavour Review | Motown India

The SUV has been a hit amongst people who want something that looks and acts the part of a thoroughbred off-roader. So when Ford decided to give the vehicle a facelift in 2019 they did not mess with the formula too much. But was that a smart move?

Design and Styling of 2019 Ford Endeavour

Just like the Figo, if you saw the new Endeavour coming your way, chances are that you would not be able to judge if it is the new one or the old. Changes include a new grille in the front that has three slimmer horizontal slats. The fog lamps get a black bezel around them and the skid plate design has been changed slightly. Our unit was bathed in the new colour. The wheels of the Endeavour now come with newly designed diamond cut alloys that looks brawny. Though, we preferred the previous design a little more.

Apart from this, the side and rear look identical to the outgoing model. We don’t really have a problem with Ford not messing with the exteriors too much because the vehicle already had such an appealing silhouette. One added feature on this new Endeavour is the remote tailgate release. This fancy feature allows you to open the boot lid with the swipe of your leg under the rear. The ORVMs get puddle lamps to help people get in and out of the the car at night.

Things have not changed drastically on the inside either. You now get keyless entry, push button engine start, and SYNC3 infotainment system. Keyless entry has become a common feature in vehicles of this class and Endeavour missed out on it previously, not anymore. The touch functionality of the infotainment system is among the best and smoothest with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. I do wish that the company had added a wireless charging pad as many high end phones support the tech these days. The seats provide plenty of support for its occupants and now you can get 8-way power adjustable drive and co-driver seats. A neat feature of the Endeavour is that it offers

Engine and Performance of 2019 Ford Endeavour

We got the 3.2L 5-cylinder diesel engine powered variant and getting behind the wheel proved that nothing had changed in terms of driving dynamics. The SUV produces the same amount of power and torque as the previous version. Needless to say there is plenty of driving pleasure to be had with this vehicle and high speed stability is excellent. The steering wheel is weighted nicely to provide ease of use in traffic and still giving you decent amount of feedback when you put the SUV through its paces. The surge of torque, early in the rpm band, still puts a smile on our face. Gear shifts are handled decently by the 6-speed automatic transmission for the most part, however, we found shifting gears in the manual mode much better. In case you do not plan to climb mountains or go for frequent cross country drives, the 2.2L engine should be enough for you. Unlike the 3.2L diesel, the 2.2L engine comes with either manual or automatic transmission. Though, that engine does not get a 4X4 system.

Ford has employed active noise cancellation in the Endeavour but it is still not enough to cancel out the rattle from the diesel motor at around 2000-3000rpm. But our guess is that anyone who is going for this vehicle would be the kind of person who likes this strange symphony. Rest of the alien sounds like road noise and the murmur of traffic are nicely blocked. The 4WD version also gets terrain management system allowing you to switch between any of the four drive modes for different road conditions.

Verdict

So am I appalled by the fact that Ford did not introduce a boat-load of changes in the new Endeavour facelift? No. The reason being simple, the SUV, in its previous iteration was barely lacking in any fields. Thus Ford kept the plenty powerful engine and imposing posture as they were. They sprinkled a on a few nifty additions and brought down the price ever so slightly. The company has also greatly simplified their trim line-up which should help customers make a better decision while buying the vehicle. The result- a very capable SUV that is still one of the most enticing options in its class.