Ford Endura still a year away

The belated replacement for Ford Australia’s homegrown Territory will be called Endura, but the Blue Oval’s all-new large SUV remains a year away from local showrooms.

Our sources have confirmed Ford Australia has chosen the Endura name over Equator, which it also trademarked earlier this year, and will announce the nameplate within weeks.

However, no Australian pricing or details will be announced at that stage because the Endura’s local release has been delayed until late next year.

This is because Ford Australia is waiting for a major midlife facelift of the Edge -- as the large SUV is called in the US and Europe; Toyota owns the trademark in Australia, forcing the local name change -- as evidenced by camouflaged images of a prototype undergoing testing in July.

The upgraded Edge/Enduro, which could make its world debut at the Detroit motor show in January, is expected to bring new front and rear styling and new technologies including a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Ford Australia must also wait for Ford Canada, which currently only produces five-seat versions of the Edge, to tool up to manufacture the longer seven-seat derivate so far only built and sold (in left-hand drive) in China.

At 4850mm, the three-row Edge (pictured) is about 70mm longer than the 4780mm Edge five-seater.

Seven seats will be crucial in making the Endura competitive with chief rivals like the US-built Toyota Kluger, which was upgraded in February, and new Holden Acadia (due mid-2018), as well as the Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Hyundai Santa Fe (which will also be renewed next year) and Kia Sorento, an upgrade for which is coming in November.

Indeed, we understand the Endura will be offered here exclusively in seven-seat form, priced from under $50,000 and positioned above the mid-size Escape (from $28,490).

It remains to be seen whether Ford Australia can secure any of the cheaper petrol engines available in the Edge in the US, including naturally-aspirated 3.5-litre and turbocharged 2.7-litre petrol V6s.

If not, the Endura could be a diesel-only model — powered by a 154kW/450Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel like the UK version we drove last year — like the 3.2-litre Ranger-based Everest off-roader, which currently opens at $47,990 in RWD form.

Differentiating the seven-seat crossover wagon from the Everest off-roader, however, will be a lower 2000kg towing capacity, lack of a dual-range transmission, lower fuel consumption of about 6.0L/100km and potentially better on-road dynamics.

Expect top-end versions in the multi-variant Endura range to come with most of Ford’s latest safety and luxury equipment, including autonomous emergency braking, 360-degree camera, panoramic glass sunroof, leather trim, rear entertainment system, wheel sizes up to 21-inch and SYNC3 infotainment with 10.1-inch colour LCD.

Endura will be Ford Australia’s fourth SUV -- and the fourth to wear a name starting with E -- following the Escape, Everest and EcoSport small SUV, a facelifted version of which will beat it on sale here early next year.

Ford Australia has been without a large car-based seven-seat crossover wagon since it ended Territory production – and quit local manufacturing – in October 2016, two months after confirming the Edge for Australia in 2018.