My Ford Endeavour 3.0L AT 4x4

[siddheshb]

On Thursday evening, Samara left on her maiden visit to Goa, her longest trip so far. We had decided to take a halt at Kolhapur, and so took an evening start, leaving from Pune by 5.00 pm. The weather was beautiful, dark clouds, but not much rain. The chilly weather and the gradually undulating terrain was perfect for the 250 km drive. With Sanam sleeping peacefully on the back seat, my friend and her cousin ensconsed in their blankets on the middle seats, watching Twilight on the DVD, wifey and I enjoyed the drive immensely. We reached Kolhapur by 830 pm, after a 30 min break for bhajiyas and chai at the Sai International, half an hour from the city.

I did miss my Fiesta, though... the agility of the car enabling better power driving on the highway. Another thing you have to be careful of in the Endy are sudden jumps on the road, those uncomfortable speed bumps, which don't harm the front seat passengers, but can be pretty bad for the passengers in the rear. Thankfully, the super efficient ABS brakes on the Endy ensure you can avoid the impact to a large extent.

So round 1 was a tie, power driving on the highway went to the Fiesta, although the Endy made up through it's better in-car entertainment and stressless long driving experience.

Day 2 began at 545 am, with a slight drizzle, the last hour of the night yet to pass. By the time, we hit the Nipani-Uttur-Azra-Amboli-Sawantwadi stretch, both the car and her driver had sufficiently warmed up and found their rhythm, ready for what was expected to be the biggest challenge - 100 km of second class road, narrow and twisty, through fields and jungles, and the Western ghats. This has always been my time guzzler on all speed record attempts, the Fiesta needing to slow down on the potholed stretches, having to follow the lumbering STs and trucks, having to slow down to a crawl to let incoming traffic pass. And this is where the Endy proved it's worth, easily managing to stay at an average 100-120 kmph, effortlessly handling the potholes, scaring half the incoming traffic off the road long before we came to a head, and easily stepping off the tarred surface when needed for those tight squeezes.

The eye-opener was on the ghat. We were taking a hair pin bend at a decent speed when we suddenly saw this truck broken down right in our path, requiring emergency brakes and a tighter turn to pass the parked truck safely. The ABS kicked in, enabling unbelievably smooth and safe passage, and my respect for the Endy went up a level of magnitude.

Immediately after the Amboli ghat, a mostly-kuccha road takes you directly to Banda, saving around 20km and half an hour of frustrating single lane traffic in the Sawantwadi area, and we had tremendous fun throwing the Endy at the huge ponds of water, splashing through, the delugu splashing onto the windscreen and blinding the driver for a brief moment, before the wipers take over.

We reached Goa by 830, well in time for our first chai of the day!

Goa has been a lot of fun offering unlimited offroad opportunities. Wait for some cool pictures and videos, to be uploaded as soon as I reach broadband land.

[rahul016]

Hi Siddheshb,well i want to know that the does the floor height in the middle row hamper the comfort like in the previous endeavor version.

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by rahul016

Hi Siddheshb,well i want to know that the does the floor height in the middle row hamper the comfort like in the previous endeavor version.

Not at all, the middle and front rows are fantastic with respect to comfort and height. It's the last row in the back that has very low height, making it effectively a kids seat. OK for adults for a short haul, but not for long journeys

[kedarwalke]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Immediately after the Amboli ghat, a mostly-kuccha road takes you directly to Banda, saving around 20km and half an hour of frustrating single lane traffic in the Sawantwadi area, and we had tremendous fun throwing the Endy at the huge ponds of water, splashing through, the delugu splashing onto the windscreen and blinding the driver for a brief moment, before the wipers take over.

We reached Goa by 830, well in time for our first chai of the day!

Goa has been a lot of fun offering unlimited offroad opportunities. Wait for some cool pictures and videos, to be uploaded as soon as I reach broadband land.

Just came back from Goa an hour back in my superb.Well it will be real fun once the 4 lane work is completed.Waiting for the videos!!!

[siddheshb]

On the way from Kolhapur to Goa via Azara-Amboli, early morning at 540 am, just after leaving NH4 from Nipani. Looking forward to a great drive - the weather was simply bewitching!





Samara takes a shower in the waterfalls on the Amboli Ghat



After all the dirt from the long drive, it was time for a good wash. Samara looking squeaky clean, all set to show off!



Surveying all that she conquered - on the hill overlooking Anjuna beach in the far distance



Can I try the jump?



Samara with me and my daughter

[siddheshb]

Check video of Samara doing a wheelie jump:

YouTube - Ford Endeavour doing a Wheelie

[tanwaramit]

nice pictures, liked the way you gave it a washing. The video is good too.

[quadra]

very nice writeup. Definitely want one someday

[neoonwheels]

Nice writeup there Siddhesh. I guess we worked in the same company in the past in Pune (PSL) . I was wondering whether this is the same person with Ikon and then your signature sealed it.

[siddheshb]

Got Samara some very sexy Bi-Xenon 4300K HID lights, for the main beams as well as for the fogs. Though I am not using what is called as the "projector" (focussing the beams in a narrow arc), the effect is simply mesmerizing.



Will try and get some better pictures later, but for now, here's a sample of how the lights come across in my society parking - bright and white. Oh, yes, that's her older sis Reona there in the middle

[sanju.iitm]

Siddhesh,

Photos have come up very nicely.Endy has been my dream one too

Could you plz share some of the Endy interior snaps especially the thrid row seats? Jus want to see how comfortable it is. In my office basement there's one Endy always parked and I peep in and see and it looks very attractive. So well done to have gr8 vehicle with you!

Which one do you suggest b/w Manual and AT for the Endy?

[siddheshb]

Sanju, I have posted some pics of my interiors in the beginning of this thread. Also, in my garage.

I would recommend you go for the 3L AT. Without doubt. Just a tad bit more expensive, but the extra power on the engine and the convenience of the AT in city traffic is so completely worth it.

[Paco]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Composite fiber leafs are available for Endy, they were available for Endy even before Gypsy and Jeep. That can really improve the ride comfort. I have it on my Jeep.

Hi! Samurai, Where could one get these composite fibre leaves for the Endy. Any contacts, please!

[Gill22g]

Posting some pics of my 2.5 MT endy

[btirthankar]

Wow thats one 'Monoblock Offender'.

Congratulations Siddhesh!