[Aditya]

Toyota Fortuner

What you'll like:

• Contemporary styling & imposing street presence
• Tough build. Toyota body-on-frame UVs are known to have very long lives
• Powerful diesel and smooth petrol, with user-selectable driving modes too
• Interiors are much improved. Cabin is practical & user-friendly
• Loaded with features like Bi-beam LED headlamps, powered tailgate, paddle shifters & more
• Impressive offroad capability (by big SUV standards)
• Top-notch safety kit. 7 airbags, ABS, ESP, TC, hill assist, ISOFIX & 3-point seatbelts for all
• Toyota's excellent after-sales quality, fuss-free ownership experiences, low service costs & up to 7 years of extended warranty coverage

What you won't:

• Pricey! More expensive than the better-equipped & equally-competitive Ford Endeavour
• Missing sunroof, auto-dimming IRVM, lumbar adjustment, front parking sensors, auto-wipers etc.
• Ride quality – although improved – is still far from plush. You’ll feel the bumps
• Cost-cutting in a couple of areas; some interior plastics, ICE audio quality, camera display…
• Diesel’s short service interval of merely 5,000 km! Inconvenient for those with high usage
• Petrol variant is a guzzler. We saw merely 6 – 7 kmpl on the AT
• No longer a full-time 4x4. Also, 4x4 carries a Rs. 2.5 lakh premium on the MT (3 lakhs on the road)
• No cheaper / smaller diesel variant like the Endeavour 2.2 & ol’ Fortuner 2.5 for the mass market

Link to Official Review

Ford Endeavour

What you'll like:
• A big all-rounded SUV with no real deal breaker. Fantastic pricing as well
• Macho styling packs appeal. Solid build quality matches the butch presence
• Cabin is a nice place to be in. Likeable design, comfy seats & lots of storage
• Competent range of diesel engines. The 3.2L, especially, is very impressive
• Great balance between ride & handling for a body-on-frame SUV. Sweet steering too
• Offroad ready - Terrain Management System, rear diff lock, 225 mm GC & 800 mm of water wading
• 5 star safety: all wheel disc brakes, ESP & TC, 7 airbags, roll stability control, hill launch assist etc.
• Loaded to the gill with features! Panoramic sunroof, 8" touchscreen ICE + 10 speakers, parallel park assist, powered tailgate, xenon headlamps, triple-zone climate control & more

What you won't:
• Fortuner's cabin is roomier, offering more headroom & space at the back
• Missing essentials such as steering reach adjustment, satellite navigation, passive keyless entry & go, tumbling middle row seat & third row seat recline
• 2.2L engine feels lethargic over 120 kph. Not a fast highway express
• Mediocre fuel economy due to the fat 2,200+ kilo weight, AT & big diesel (3.2L)
• Ingress is difficult for the elderly / short folk. 3rd row access is terrible!
• Waiting periods are already a couple of months long
• No manual gearbox with the 3.2L. Fortuner 2.8L is available with an MT

Link to Official Review

Chevrolet Trailblazer

What you'll like:
• Big size & presence matched to a solid build
• Spacious interiors with ample room in the 1st & 2nd seat rows
• Fast 2.8L turbo-diesel with 500 Nm of torque! Smooth 6-speed AT too
• Class-leading 241 mm of ground clearance & 800 mm of water wading capability
• Urban ride quality is more compliant than the Toyota Fortuner
• Equipment such as electric seat (driver), touchscreen audio, reversing camera & 18" rims
• Safety kit includes all-round disc brakes, ESP, TC, CBC, Hill Start Assist & more

What you won't:
• No 4x4 available! All direct competitors offer 4x4 / AWD
• Missing equipment (steering reach adjustment, navigation, sunroof, auto-dimming IRVM etc.)
• Unsettled high speed ride, especially at the rear
• Lazy AT gearbox is slow to respond to kickdown / downshift commands
• Only two airbags in such an expensive car
• Available in a single variant that's more expensive than the Fortuner 4x2 AT
• Mediocre fuel economy due to the 2000+ kilo weight, AT & powerful diesel

Link to Official Review

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

Ownership reviews by:
• anshuman_v
• Imran Ahmad Ali
• satpalsharma

Hyundai Santa Fe

What you'll like:
• Substantial size and presence. Great styling too
• Powerful & refined 194 BHP diesel engine
• Absorbent ride comfort matched to safe & predictable dynamics
• Fresh, high-quality interiors with comfortable seats
• Expansive feature list (xenon headlamps, selectable steering modes, dual-zone climate control etc.)
• 5-star safety rating. Equipment includes 6 airbags, ABS & EBD, ESP & TCS, hill start assist and more
• Hyundai's reliability and fuss-free ownership experience

What you won't:
• Premium pricing strategy. Noticeably more expensive than the Fortuner, Pajero Sport and others
• 3rd row of seats is severely short of headroom. Not a true 7 seater like some of its competitors
• Doesn't have the offroad capability of the body-on-frame alternatives
• No manual transmission with the AWD. The MT variant also loses a lot of safety equipment
• Soft suspension can result in a bouncy rear end at high speeds + undulating roads
• A sunroof, front parking sensors & auto-dimming IRVM are sorely missed
• Vague steering feel & unenthusiastic AT gearbox take away from the driving experience

Link to Official Review

[GTO]

The Fortuner is now much improved and solves a lot of the problems that plagued the 1st-gen car (weak brakes, basic interiors, very bumpy ride quality). It's basically an improvement of the earlier Fortuner. Same formula...now better. There is no doubt that the Fortuner will continue to dominate the sales charts.

The Endeavour - on the other hand - is a giant leap forward. From the butch styling to that delicious 3.2L diesel, and the long equipment list to a cabin that feels superior to the Fortuner's, this Ford is an SUV appealing to the heart + head.

My pick remains the Ford. As I mentioned in the other thread, the Fortuner is good. The Endeavour is excellent.

[srishiva]

The Ford is built like a brick. Not sure aerodynamics was a consideration. The grill is more in tune with U.S market where f150 etc rule.

Fortuner is much smoother and modern looking. Apart from a moonroof, it doesnt miss anything. FE is supposed to be better too. 3rd row seating is also better.

Add to that its a Toyota!

[nishsingh]

My criterion for selecting an SUV (and pardon me if its a little childish owing to my fondness of the Horror genre of movies) is which SUV would I pick in case of a zombie apocalypse.
In this case, the Ford Endeavour with its butch styling, gizmos and comforts, and go-almost-anywhere ability would be my vehicle of choice. For me, voting for any other vehicle would be just plain dead wrong.

[Anuruddhs]

I will go for Endeavour for sheer value of money and butch looks . If you see the poll results ford is much ahead but in terms of sales fortuner is miles away .Brand perception and reliability is the main factor here.

[vishy76]

My choice would definitely be the Endeavour for that 3.2 litre engine and equipment which comes at a much lower price point. There are so many variants to choose from, that you will certainly find the right one for you. The only thing missing here is a 3.2 and manual combo.

The only thing Ford needs to do is market the car well and avoid price hikes which reduce customer confidence, something that the Fortuner has and the endy doesn't.

There are no problems with the product otherwise. The Endeavour just makes the Fortuner and several other saloons look overpriced.

[Nav-i-gator]

For me, brand image is superseded by the product image (and image of people driving it). Fortuner is (apart from city based owners) the go to vehicle of political heavyweights, dubious dealers and shady people. sort of Scorpio owners, if you go to any place away from cities. Ford has still not been "maligned" by such ownership patterns (another one with such dubious image is the Pajero, esp in the northern areas).

Rant (& jokes) apart, I think new fortuner is definitely better than the old one. Santa fe is also an excellent drive, albeit costlier than what it offers. Trailblazer is not a serious step by chevrolet, looks are also not very catching, IMO.

The fight is really between endy & tfort here. Given the need and money, I would pick an endy without a second thought. It just seems right from any which way I look at it.

[SmartCat]

1) None of these are '25 lakh' SUVs. Fortuner used to be a 25 lakh SUV many years ago, but not anymore. All of them are Rs. 32 lakh to Rs. 40 Lakh SUVs, depending on the variant you pick. As usual, Delhi guys are luckier than the rest of us.

2) Looking at my usage, the roads that I travel in and the destinations I go to - I don't think I would pick any of the above. I would assume that the length + width combo would make it cumbersome even for highway use (Eg: if the destination is a hill station for example).

3) Santa Fe is compact enough, but not a practical 7 seater SUV.

4) However, I keep changing my mind often, and if I do happen to pick a SUV from this category a few years down the line, I would pick the Ford Endeavor. Love the chunky, boxy, squarish looks and the interiors. The colour scheme should have been black instead of beige though.

[BlackPearl]

Though the Pajero Sport is that end of its life cycle, I have voted for it for the following reasons -

1. Manual gearbox unlike the Ford. I still can't see myself driving an automatic SUV
2. Less costlier than the Fortuner and the Ford
3. Looks are subjective, but I like the Pajero more than the new Fortuner. The Endeavour looks far better than either though
4. I have not driven the new Fortuner, but the Pajero Sport is far better to drive than the previous gen Fortuner. The Endeavour felt very sluggish inspite of the 3.2 litre engine
5. Last but not the least, the manual lever 4 wheel drive selector in the Pajero Sport

[VKumar]

Ford Endeavour any day and any time. I agree that Fortuner is the favorite of India but I just had enough of it. Recently I drove one for over 900 kms, it's ride is bumpy - no two ways about it. And yes, the rear AC console was rattling (Video attached). Whenever I have experienced the Endy, I was always like - 'wow'!

New Fortuner has that feel good factor, but Endy makes me feel better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF-8...ature=youtu.be

[drmohitg]

The Endeavour wins hands down in every department currently. And yet the Fortuner continues to outsell it by a margin. I think the main reasons for that are the T factor and resale value. The Fortuner has got a pretty insane resale value just like its younger cousin Innova. My neighbour just sold their decade old Pajero and got home the new Fortuner AT. I asked them the reason for not choosing the Endeavour and the reply was just that - " It's a Toyota".

[Jaggu]

Not only voted but placed the money also on the Endy It felt like a stronger (last long) build, the feature list was extensive, rode well and the power available is mind blowing. Ford now has pretty decent network of dealerships that offer good service and is reasonably priced too. Gap with the next best (Fortuner) is atleast 1.5 points on a 5 scale.

[LionX]

Voted for Endeavour but i don't think Ford's line up is sensible enough to satisfy the mass market.

So i would say, If you're looking for 4x4 AT - Ford Endeavour is better option & if 4x4 MT then its Fortuner.

Hell lot of missing features at this price makes Fortuner the least value for money model

Panoramic Sunroof

Rain sensing wipers

Rear Fog lamps

Auto dimming IRVM

lumbar adjustment

Front parking sensors

Headlamp washer

Good Quality Reverse Camera

Good Quality Paint finish

Hydraulic strut on bonnet

Apart from this Fortuner 4x2 MT variant doesn't have

- VSC
- BA
- Cruise Control
- Hill Assist Controll
- Down Hill Assit Control

[Sankar]

Fortuner 4x4 for it is a very capable SUV with Toyota quality and because it will have the best salvage value years from now.

[JBIBS]

I guess, what people vote for won't really matter. With readiness to buy a new SUV at 30 lacs, most would end up buying Fortuner only. Need for a high resale value (a highly dominating cultural thought process, which weighs even more due to family's dependence on single (in most of the cases, if not all) source of income) , long term reliability and the Toyota badge will overshadow every missing element in the Fortuner. Even I too like Endeavour more. But that is more of a desire than practicality. Yeah, if I have more than enough money and don't know how to spend, OR, if I am single for ever, then an Endeavour for sure.