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In a category overrun with seven-seat variants, the Ford Endura is notable for its decision to forgo the third row. So, if you're in the market for a large, high-riding family hauler and consider five seats more than sufficient, you've come to the right place.
For my weekend family test I drove the 2020 Ford Endura Titanium AWD. Perched at the top end of the Endura range the Titanium AWD is priced at a considerable $67,990 which is $4,000 more than the front-wheel-drive version and $10,000 up on the ST-Line AWD.
You get plenty of standard kit for your money, including proximity key, power folding mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, LED headlights and taillights, dark-tinted rear windows, dual exhaust tips, 10-inch screen and dual-zone climate control, panoramic sunroof and adaptive Bi-LED headlights.
So, how did the Endura handle family taxi duties over the weekend and is the Titanium AWD a good value-for-money proposition?
Ford Endura 2019: Titanium (awd)
| Engine Type | Diesel Turbo 4, 2.0L |
|---|---|
| Fuel Type | Diesel |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6.7L/100km (combined) |
| Seating | 5 |
| Price From | $25,080 - $31,020 |
| Safety Rating |
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Saturday
Our schedule started with the usual game of soccer in the morning, a trip to the city and local shops, followed by the park in the afternoon.
Dressed in Blue metallic paint (option $650) and sitting on 20-inch 'ultra bright' alloy wheels, there's plenty to like about the Endura's exterior styling. It's sloped rear roof line is the most notable design cue, along with the sharp crease line running from the front three quarter panel to the rear tail light. The Endura's front end also looks like a more muscular version of the Ford Escape. Overall, it's a good looking SUV.
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The Titanium is the only variant in the range to miss out on roof rails, which make way for the panoramic glass roof.
We jumped inside to discover a clean and smart looking cabin with chrome-effect trim lining the centre console and glossy black plastic around the cupholders up front.
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Rather than a gear lever, the Endura features what Ford calls the 'E-Shifter', which uses a premium looking rotary dial for the automatic transmission, not unlike the one you'll find in a Jaguar. Its styling makes it stand out from the rest of the dash, helping to lift the quality feel.
Moving up from the shifter, the dash console features a panel of neatly laid out buttons located beneath a 10-inch touchscreen, which Ford aficionados would be well familiar with. While it's incredibly simple to use and navigate, it is let down by old-style graphics that are well beyond their use by date. On the plus side, it comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
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The seats are covered in perforated leather and come in black as the standard colour. Thankfully, the glass roof helps lighten the interior somewhat. Front seats are 10-way electrically adjustable and include heating and cooling functions.
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The kids in the back also had the luxury of heated seats and a heap of space to relax in. Our test car was also fitted with DVD screens in the front-seat head rests (optional $1600).
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Adult passengers should have no trouble back there, either, with about 80mm of space between my knees and the seat back with the front seat set in my driving position. The ample headroom and cabin width provides space enough to fit three adult passengers across the back with relative ease.
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Good visibility paired with parking sensors and a reversing camera made parallel parking the Endura a trouble-free exercise. At the local supermarket and city carparks the Endura's two metre width (2.2m with wing mirrors) proved somewhat challenging, however, leaving us with a little space either side to get out.
Alternatively, you can let the Endura park itself via the Enhanced Active Park Assist, which comes standard on the Titanium.
Sunday
The day's agenda included a quick trip to the shops in the morning to stock up on supplies for our trip to the local National Park for a picnic in the afternoon.
The Endura has a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, making 140kW of power and 400Nm of torque, and is matched to an eight-speed automatic driving power to all four wheels.
Throughout the weekend, the turbo diesel went about its business in remarkably quiet fashion, managing to exclude much of the engine road and tyre noise from the cabin, regardless of the driving conditions. Steering was well weighted and direct, making it easy to manoeuvre within tight spaces and providing a rewarding drive around some of the windy back roads.
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Around the various suburban streets it happily soaked up the potholes and speed humps with little drama, providing a pleasant and comfortable ride. The AWD provides plenty of traction and it felt composed and well planted around the bends, with body roll kept largely in check.
There's ample storage to make use of throughout the cabin, with four cupholders, a bottle holder in each door, plus a big centre-console bin under the armrest. Oddment storage is provided by a tray under the dash, another one in front of the shifter and a covered dash-top area.
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At just over 4.8m, the Endura is longer than a Hyundai Santa Fe and shorter than a Mazda CX-8, both of which carry seven passengers, while the Endura has space for five. The upside is you have 602 litres of boot space to carry the kids' scooters, groceries and picnic gear - although that is only about 10 percent larger than the Santa Fe's boot (with the third row folded down), so it's not that much extra.
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The Endura scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating, with plenty of safety tech as standard, including AEB with pedestrian detection, evasive-steering assistance and lane-keep assistance. These come in addition to the seven airbags, plus traction and stability control.
For parents with young children, you’ll find three top-tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts in the second row.
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Over the course of the weekend we covered around 250km of suburban and city driving, with the trip computer displaying a reading of 7.3 litres per 100km. That was only slightly higher than Ford's claimed consumption of 6.7 litres per 100km. Either way, that's fuel efficiency I can live with.
Verdict
The Ford Endura Titanium is a good looking, well-appointed five seater that provides an enjoyable ride for drivers and passengers alike. The cabin has ample space and good levels of storage throughout. I'm not convinced by the premium price tag of the Titanium, however, with the Trend and ST-Line providing better value for the money.
Pricing Guides
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