ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM
Can the Hexa stand up to the in-your-face Endeavour?
ASK ANY SUV OWNER why he has got something that barely fits in his parking slot and he’ll give you one of two standard retorts — that he enjoys the commanding driving position or “bhai, sahi presence hai.” I suspect the amount of real estate he gets for his buck is also a factor, though he’ll never admit it. With Tata claiming the Hexa is an SUV, we’ve parked it against the burliest (and nicest looking, don’t forget) SUV to see if it can hold its own in this battle for street cred.
The Endeavour is massive, it looks like its been lifted straight outta Detroit and plonked on our Indian roads. It’s from the land where everything is supersized, and it unabashedly muscles its way through the swarms of small desi cars. It dwarfs SUVs twice it’s price and it makes mini-buses look like vans.
The Hexa is no pushover, though. Pratap Bose’s design team is clearly equipped with more than just rulers and have lavished the Hexa with genuine style. The Hexa has size so it isn’t overshadowed by the Endeavour, though it has to be said the Ford is more classically-SUV with its high-profile tyres housed in huge wheel arch gaps that hint at lots of wheel travel, massive chrome grille to scare cars it’s tailgaiting, and a sculpted bonnet that is unyieldingly high. The Hexa has more finesse, the lines are finer, the headlamps shapelier, and with their smokey, blacked-out effect they lend the Hexa an aura of malevolence. It has a mean-looking bulge on the clamshell bonnet, and looked at head on, the shoulder lines have a nice heft to them. The whole shape is more slippery while 19-inch wheels ensure it stands tall and looks rich. It’s still imposing, but not unnecessarily so. It’s the Vin Diesel to the Endeavour’s Dwayne Johnson. It’s the Mayweather to the Endy’s Mike Tyson.
The Endeavour may still tip the scales on an absolute level, but the second you bring price in to the equation, the Hexa seems to have the upper hand. Both will send bikers scurrying out of your way, both will require two slots in your garage and both will ensure you get a second look. But at the Hexa’s price point you most definitely get a lot of bang for your buck. ⌧