Ford has unwrapped the Endeavour facelift in Australia, where it will be launched later this year. The facelift is subtle in nature and most of the changes have been focussed on the exterior and the cabin of the SUV. However, the main highlight is the availability of a new 2.0-litre diesel engine. Ford launched the second-gen Endeavour in India in 2016 and we expect it to launch the updated SUV in 2019.
The exterior updates on the new Endeavour include a new triple slat front grille, HID headlamps and bigger 20-inch alloy wheels with a new design on the Titanium variant. On the inside, there’s an optional ‘ebony’ dark colour with softer materials for a more premium experience. At present, the Endeavour gets a dual-tone interior theme in India.
The touchscreen infotainment system on the Endeavour facelift is standard across the range and gets Ford’s SYNC 3 connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with integrated satellite navigation. In India, Ford offers the SYNC 3 on the Endeavour from the Trend variant onwards.
The talking point, however, is the availability of a new 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that will be plonked on the Australian model. It is available in two states of tune - 182PS/420Nm and 215PS/500Nm (with twin-turbo) with a new 10-speed automatic transmission. Ford currently offers a 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder and a 3.2-litre, 5-cylinder diesel unit in India which will have to be updated to meet BSVI norms, kicking in from April 2020. Both these engines come paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. It remains to be seen whether Ford continues updating the existing engines or introduces the newer 2.0-litre 4-cylinder unit in India.
Ford has also added autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection included in the SUV’s safety suite. However, it is highly unlikely that it will come to the India-spec version.
The Ford Endeavour facelift will be battling it out against the Toyota Fortuner, Isuzu mu-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and the rebadged second-gen Mahindra Rexton along with the Skoda Kodiaq once it’s launched in India.
Source: CarDekho.com
