[SS-Traveller]

Some more pics.








Time to relax and bring out the picnic goodies.






Spotted this.


Headed back home.

[issigonis]

>>>

SS-Traveller,

Pardon my ignorance, re. the following quote,

"It was time to take the Endy down the slope again, and Roshun was worried that the job had to be done totally on brakes - the Endy had no engine braking even with the shifter slotted manually into "1". He decides to take it down in reverse."

why couldn't the Endeavour go downhill head first? How about the others?

Also, you mentioned that the Cayenne owner seemed to have greater confidence in the offroading capabilities of his other possession- the Volvo. How did all the vehicles perform? Which gave you the most confidence w.r.t offroading ability-grip, stability?

Regards, drive safe

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by issigonis

"It was time to take the Endy down the slope again, and Roshun was worried that the job had to be done totally on brakes - the Endy had no engine braking even with the shifter slotted manually into "1". He decides to take it down in reverse."

why couldn't the Endeavour go downhill head first? How about the others?

Reverse has lower gear ratio than 1st gear.

[Roshun]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I have some gleaming shots here... https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...-off-road.html

Ah, I was guessing you may have optionally installed the reverse camera that comes standard in the 4x4 AT version.

Thanks for the link Samurai. Interesting to know you were on the Goa bloggers drive that Ford had organized and great review. Little here, did you try steep downhill slopes with the 4x4 AT Endy? Does it have any sort of engine braking / hill descent control? Because the 2WD has none, and came hurtling down one of the steep slopes we tried with ABS kicking in and the brake pedal juddering away!

A very odd thing I noticed about the Endy was the way the engine would just come back and settle at 800 rpm the moment you took your foot off the throttle and the Endy would just freewheel away at whatever speed.

The other annoying thing - lack of a front courtesy light / reading lights. Instead there this chunky DVD player where the lights should have been. Your thoughts?

Cheers,
Roshun

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Roshun

Little here, did you try steep downhill slopes with the 4x4 AT Endy? Does it have any sort of engine braking / hill descent control? Because the 2WD has none, and came hurtling down one of the steep slopes we tried with ABS kicking in and the brake pedal juddering away!

Yes, I did. You can see those photos in my review. In 4x4 version, there is low ratio, so it does have hill descent control. Look at the last couple photos in the 2nd post of the review.

Originally Posted by Roshun

A very odd thing I noticed about the Endy was the way the engine would just come back and settle at 800 rpm the moment you took your foot off the throttle and the Endy would just freewheel away at whatever speed.

Yes, I did notice inconsistent hunting in the 4x2 version, mentioned in the report. The 4x4 didn't have that problem.

Originally Posted by Roshun

The other annoying thing - lack of a front courtesy light / reading lights. Instead there this chunky DVD player where the lights should have been. Your thoughts?

Check the 4th post of the review.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by issigonis

...why couldn't the Endeavour go downhill head first? How about the others?

Originally Posted by Samurai

Reverse has lower gear ratio than 1st gear.

The Endy down a slope was nose heavy and would run away without any engine braking, needing its brakes applied hard - making the ABS kick in big time. Going down backwards, Roshun felt that with the weight being a little more evenly distributed might help. Since Roshun was driving, I think I'll let him comment further on this.
@Samurai: Autobox engaged in forward or reverse, foot off accelerator on this 4x2 meant it'll roll downhill, as if in neutral. We realised it only has hill-hold function when climbing uphill in forward gear.

Originally Posted by issigonis

...you mentioned that the Cayenne owner seemed to have greater confidence in the offroading capabilities of his other possession- the Volvo. How did all the vehicles perform? Which gave you the most confidence w.r.t offroading ability-grip, stability?

I'd preferred the Cayenne over the Volvo, mainly since I got manual control of the gears with the Tiptronic system. Plus, it has low range. The Volvo's automatic transmission doesn't allow driver-selected gears on the move (unless the shifter is moved to manual mode).

The sheer grunt of both engines, however, is not something I've experienced before, so on the highway both are interesting to drive, to say the least. In the off-road terrain we went to, I'd have preferred the Cayenne - but perhaps with air suspension to allow more GC when required.

[Roshun]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The Endy down a slope was nose heavy and would run away without any engine braking, needing its brakes applied hard - making the ABS kick in big time. Going down backwards, Roshun felt that with the weight being a little more evenly distributed might help. Since Roshun was driving, I think I'll let him comment further on this.

Er, at the risk of sounding ridiculous, the only reason I went down in reverse was because the Cayenne also came up there to the hilltop, and there was no place left to turn.

"This hilltop just ain't big enough for the two of us," said the burly American to the cheeky German and backed off.

Also going down in reverse was fun.

But as Samurai said, reverse also usually has the largest ratio, and climbing a hill in reverse in a rear-wheel drive, would make it a front-wheel drive, giving better traction. (I've done that years ago in an Amby in the plantations, to get up a slushy slope.)

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Roshun

"This hilltop just ain't big enough for the two of us," said the burly American to the cheeky German and backed off.

Also going down in reverse was fun.

I presume you reversed down all the way on brakes only, with no engine braking at all?

[Monkeyboy4u]

Great thread, the SUVs look beautiful in the surroundings

[sudev]

-----really cursing myself to have missed this outing.
But the drive for recces in Thar Desert compensated. Do we see them in TB#4??

I agree with SS that pictures do not do justice to the slope on that hill. Plus loose sandy soil. Not really a 4x4 nirvana but at least a beginning.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by sudev

Do we see them in TB#4??

I don't suppose so. TB#4 will be a circus, and the owner would most likely not enjoy the undue attention that his car(s) from get from so many fanboys!

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

It was time to take the Endy down the slope again, and Roshun was worried that the job had to be done totally on brakes - the Endy had no engine braking even with the shifter slotted manually into "1". He decides to take it down in reverse.

Wouldn't engine braking happen if you slotted it into 1 and then turned off overdrive? I have a 4x4, and haven't really felt loss of braking control on hills coming down... in fact, I have figured even coming down a ghat in 3 with OD off works well at reducing need for braking.

[swiftnfurious]

Nice pictures and good report ! Thanks for sharing SS-T !

I see one *new* Safari towards the end when you guys were returning home which didnt take part in the off-roading. So that was some one who wanted only a pleasure trip and no fun as such ?

OT: I see Hella lamps integrated so neatly into a safari [Suman's ? ]. How is that done? Do we have any rods or something inside the bumpers?

[suman]

That was Rideon's machine, he left it by a temple somewhere on the trail & hitched a ride in the Endy.....

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

OT: I see Hella lamps integrated so neatly into a safari [Suman's ? ]. How is that done? Do we have any rods or something inside the bumpers?

Nope, no rods, just holes drilled neatly into the bumper & held with nut & bolt.

[Roshun]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

I presume you reversed down all the way on brakes only, with no engine braking at all?

No, I was only feathering the brakes, but there was some engine braking in reverse. It's not absent after all! My bad. There is engine braking, but since this was a 4x2, it did not have as much as the 4x4 would in low ratio (crawl). It kicks in only later.

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Wouldn't engine braking happen if you slotted it into 1 and then turned off overdrive? I have a 4x4, and haven't really felt loss of braking control on hills coming down... in fact, I have figured even coming down a ghat in 3 with OD off works well at reducing need for braking.

We went down a steep slope and engine braking didn't kick in with the shifter slotted in 1. But I did notice engine braking two days later when I tried it out again (it can be felt only beyond 20-25 kmph - till that speed it feels as if it's in neutral).

Also thanks for the tip of switching O/D off and coming down in 3. Tried that as well, and yes it holds even on the 4x2. Phew, that's a relief!