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Originally Posted by cool_dube Eventually, I did not want to land up in a situation wherein I was ogling at every Endeavour that I come across while driving a Fortuner, after spending so much  |
In March 2016, I had test driven the Toyota Fortuner's predecessor to it's new avatar. As the new Ford Endeavour had not yet been released in India I waited a few months before taking a decision to buy. I do recall however at the time the following thoughts;
- steering was not precise i.e. one had to constantly adjust the wheel to keep it straight
- ride quality was not as smooth as I had hoped
- turning radius was quite wide
- I did like it's exterior look...even better than the new shape
It was during my return visit to India mid July that I booked a test drive of the new Ford Endeavour at Capital Ford, Bhubaneswar and immediately found the experience favourable so I booked the 3.2 Titanium 4x4 in Sunset Red which was delivered in September.
Post note: when visiting Delhi on couple occasions a client would hire a chauffeur driven (new) Toyota Fortuner for my convenience during my stays. Admittedly, as a passenger I found the middle row quite spacious compared to the Endeavour. Since I enjoy driving I'm glad to have chosen Ford for it's capabilities along with safety aspects at that price point.
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Originally Posted by cool_dube I have booked a black and fretting at the thought of maintaining it  |
Congratulations cool_dube! Yes, it will need constant attention but will attract tons of attention too. Depending on how long you aim to keep it, if at all possible do try to treat your Endeavour to a protective coat while the paintwork is still new. That way a simple jetwash with minimal abrasive contact will leave it shining at least for three years. Not sure what's available in India...I used GardX here in the UK.
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Originally Posted by cool_dube At the end of the day, it is an SUV and should not be pampered like a sports car  |
Oh the irony. While I feel pampered in my black XJ L Autobiography at twice the cost, I do find myself taking care of the Endeavour in little ways. For instance, only last week I noticed the center wheel cap was missing so I ordered it from my local ford dealership at a cost of gbp 29.46 pence each...for a piece of plastic barely 3inches in diameter. While at the dealership waiting for the Endeavour's annual MOT inspection to be completed, I ordered a pair of '
Perfomance Ford' backing plates for the Vehicle Registration Number (£6.58 each), wheel valve caps (x4 for £8.68) to match the body colour and more importantly, anti-theft wheel locking nuts (x4 for £68.61 ...flat top left of wheel in image below). These were generally discounted however as a TrustFord Service Club Member a further 10% rebate was applied. In addition, there was no charge for installation which was straightforward but the icing on the cake was that the General Manager of the Dagenham Service Dealership installed the registration number backing plate onto my Endeavour in person!
The Endeavour has always attracted attention whenever I visit Ford dealerships here in England and the management in Dagenham openly declare their pride at having the SUV, shipped in from India, contracted for three years maintenance service with them

I suspect as many others, you
will continue to admire your SUV long after it's purchase and pamper it too
