Skoda made no formal announcement for the launch of the Fabia 1.2, the smallest-capacity and cheapest version of the Fabia. The car was quietly introduced into the market, with attractive ex-showroom prices ranging from Rs 5.11 lakh for the Active version, Rs 5.48 lakh for the classic and Rs 6.09 lakh for the Ambient. The car is powered by a three-cylinder petrol motor that puts out 70bhp, just about sufficient for the Fabia’s bulk. Start up is a noisy affair, with some amount of vibration present at idle too. The motor pulls acceptably and the three-cylinder engine’s note turns to a throaty thrum as you wind on the revs. And you do need to rev it to get at the power. Acceleration is not strong however, merely sufficient, and you have to work hard at overtaking on the highway. The motor also whines at some engine speeds. There is also less kit inside the car. The car we tested lacked seat height adjustment, the dash was not two-tone but there was a lovely audio system. There is also no 1.2 badge on the car.

The fantastic ride and handling of the car, the comfortable seats, the tough solid build and the strong brakes – all core Skoda values – remain intact.

Ford Endeavour 3L thunder+

The first question that springs to mind is - why? The Endeavour’s 2.5-litre engine is no weakling so why offer a more powerful (and more pertinently, expensive) 3-litre option? The obvious answer is — it’s human nature, or to be precise, a man’s. In a man’s world, bigger is better, and biggest is best. It’s about the big E – for Ego and ironically, for Endeavour. As any guy will confirm, you don’t have to be blessed with a 6’6” frame and 40” biceps to feel like the most powerful dude on the road. A big, brawny SUV can do that for you just fine. And it doesn’t get bigger than the Endeavour which, with its 5 metre length, is the biggest SUV around.

Badged the Thunder+, the latest Endeavour is now even more powerful, thanks to a new 3-litre engine which develops 154bhp, almost 8 percent more than the 2.5 motor. More impressive is the whopping 38.7kgm of torque which is a massive 15 percent increase.

This 3-litre TDCi is essentially the 2.5 motor, but with a larger bore and stroke. The hardware is pretty similar; twin-overhead cams, four-valves per cylinder and a variable geometry turbo. The only difference is that thanks to better scavenging, intervals between oil changes are double that of the 2.5 motor version.

The step-up in performance is instantly obvious. Press down on the nicely-sprung accelerator pedal and the Endeavour lunges forward with an urgency that’s absent in the 2.5. The 3-litre begins to tug much lower down in the rev band, from as low as 1500rpm. As a result, driveability is improved and you don’t need to downshift as frequently. Top- end performance is also better but it was difficult to judge by how much given the limited time we had behind the wheel. We estimate the Endeavour shaves off a second in the dash to 100kph and a couple of seconds when it comes to the 40-100kph slog in fourth gear. However, only a full test will confirm this. Externally, the Thunder can be distinguished from the standard 2.5 by the decals on the side and the ladder on the tailgate. The interiors are unchanged, which is good and bad news. Good, because the insides are well-built, spacious and feel nice. Bad, because some flaws like the handbrake sprouting from the dash and the unusable third row of seats remain.

The handling is identical to the 2.5 Endeavour which is quite impressive for its size. The steering is pretty direct and weights up nicely, and there is minimal body roll for a car that is so tall and sits on a rudimentary ladder chassis with leaf-springs at the rear. However, these underpinnings are betrayed by the ride, which as before is pretty bumpy on bad roads, especially for the third-row passengers, whose experience is akin to being astride a bucking bronco. But all this is just in keeping with the tough-as-nails nature of the Endeavour, especially the 3-litre, which only comes with 4X4 transmission. With all that torque and the all-wheel-drive, the Thunder would be right at home even on the Sea of Tranquility but how many owners would want to muddy those fat 245/70 R16 tyres? And that’s the point. The 3-litre Endeavour makes sense if you are planning to do some serious off-roading. Or like we said, if you want that ego massage. Otherwise the cheaper 2.5 does the job nicely.

Factfile
Ford Endeavour 3L thunder+
Price Rs 18 lakh (est)*
Length 4998mm
Width 1789mm
Height 1836mm
Wheelbase 2860mm
Turning circle 12.2m
Kerb weight 1995kg
Engine 4-cyls, in-line, 3-litres, turbo-diesel
Installation Front, longitudnal, four-wheel drive
Power 154bhp@3200rpm
Torque 38.7kgm@2500rpm
Gearbox 5-speed manual
Fuel tank 71 litres
Brakes (F/R) Ventilated discs/ drums
Tyre size 245/70 R16