Mahindra XEV 9e vs Ford Endeavour [2016-2019]

The XEV 9e is Mahindra's first-ever Born Electric Vehicle. We have driven the top-spec Pack 3 variant in this review.

We are standing at the entrance to 19 Degree North beside our little fleet of SUVs and ahead of us lies a massive off-road trail and a full day of mud plugging. Our organisers turn up and quickly everyone calls dibs on various vehicles. Caught in a moment of temporary distraction I’m left with the massive Ford Endeavour for the day ahead. On the face of it, I contour my expression into a mask of acceptance but secretly, like Chinese Olympian swimmer Fu Yuanhui, I am pleasantly surprised at my fortune and gladly jump into the driver’s seat of the vehicle I had been eyeing all along!

We Indians love living an XL life. We love owning big houses, large phones, big dogs and despite our ever crowded streets we crave for large brawny SUVs. A year back if you wanted to buy a rugged SUV for around Rs 30 lakh, the Fortuner was your default choice. Toyota hit the sweet spot with its tough build, off-road capability, punchy engine, bullet proof reliability and minimal competition. Yes we had the Mahindra Ssangyong Rexton, the Isuzu MU7 and the most recent Chevrolet Trailblazer, but none of them made a big enough impact on the mighty Toyota. Now though Ford has brought the latest generation Endeavour to our shores and by the looks of it, it has the potential to really ruffle Toyota’s feathers. It looks imposing, has two powerful diesel engine options, is loaded with segment first features and has a high-tech four-wheel drive system too. So just how good is the all-new Endeavour? Read our extensive road test to find out.