Ford? Ford! What are you thinking?

[Marty McSly]

So since well before they closed the Ford factory here in Australia in 2016, they've been telling us that we're getting the Edge as a replacement for the Oz developed Territory SUV.

Fair enough, it seems like a decent enough bit of kit.

A couple of months ago, they finally got around to releasing it. Only they don't call it Edge here, which seems odd given that the message for 3+ years has been "the Edge is coming".

Now it could just be my weird sense of humour (which those of you who met me at Whistler can attest to), but I think the name they've given it for Australia and New Zealand is a bit odd.

What do they call it, you ask?

Endura.

Endura is what they call it.

Is it just me, or does that name seem more appropriate to a brand of condoms?

I certainly won't be buying a used Endura!

 

[Uncle-A]

So since well before they closed the Ford factory here in Australia in 2016, they've been telling us that we're getting the Edge as a replacement for the Oz developed Territory SUV.

Fair enough, it seems like a decent enough bit of kit.

A couple of months ago, they finally got around to releasing it. Only they don't call it Edge here, which seems odd given that the message for 3+ years has been "the Edge is coming".

Now it could just be my weird sense of humour (which those of you who met me at Whistler can attest to), but I think the name they've given it for Australia and New Zealand is a bit odd.

What do they call it, you ask?

Endura.

Endura is what they call it.

Is it just me, or does that name seem more appropriate to a brand of condoms?

I certainly won't be buying a used Endura!

That is an odd name, just wondering if it has any local cultural significance? Companies sometimes do things like that and try to strike a cord with the locals.

 

[headybrew]

The first thing the guy explains is the name change for Australia. Toyota owns the Edge name down under...

 

[Tom K.]

No copyright infringement (or whatever)?

https://www.endurasport.com/

Pretty big cycling clothing company.

 

[coskigirl]

No copyright infringement (or whatever)?

https://www.endurasport.com/

Pretty big cycling clothing company.

I doubt there is trademark infringement since they are different markets/products. One is not likely to confuse cycling clothes with a car.

https://www.dundaslawyers.com.au/trade-mark-infringement-an-introduction/

 

[LegacyGT]

I always thought that Edge was a pretty bad name for a car. Some marketing genius at Ford thought it was a good idea for all their car names to start with F and all their SUV names to start with E. This got them to abandon some better known names like Windstar with names that meant absolutely nothing to consumers like Freestar. It also led to some awful names like the Freestyle and prevented them from leveraging a recognizable moniker from their past, the 500, in favor of Five Hundred. To go with the Explorer, Escape and Excursion, they added the Edge, ignoring the fact that the others had some relation to active lifestyles and Edge doesn't really remind you of anything...certainly not anything you'd want to encounter when driving. Mind you, that all this madness took place while Ford's best known, longest-lasting name was the Mustang. Of course the M couldn't be leveraged because that letter was being used equally poorly by Mercury in the Montego, Mariner, Monterey and Milan. Ford eventually learned what everybody already knew: absolutely nobody will buy a car because it's name starts with the same letter as most of the other cars in the showroom. Ford eventually allowed itself a little more flexibility in naming but only to come up with some equally silly replacements like the Taurus X. Still, many of the F and E names remain. I guess that system caries over to Australia and they had to find another E name. If you don't like Endura, maybe you can hold out hope that Ford will bring Lincoln to Australia and you might be able to get an MKX which is the same as the Edge/Endura and is now called the Nautilis because...

 

[cantunamunch]

Is it just me, or does that name seem more appropriate to a brand of condoms?

I certainly won't be buying a used Endura!

OK, I laughed

 

[Mikey]

What do they call it, you ask?

Endura.

Endura is what they call it.

Is it just me, or does that name seem more appropriate to a brand of condoms?

Once i finished laughing, I realized I recognized the Endura name in the automotive world.

Ironically it is the name GM gave to the bumper on some of their cars like the 1968 Pontiac GTO and 1969 Camaro.

 

[Tom K.]

Personally, I'd wait for the new Explorer before I got locked into an Edge or whatever they want to call it.

New RWD architecture, etc.

 

[LegacyGT]

Personally, I'd wait for the new Explorer before I got locked into an Edge or whatever they want to call it.

The upcoming Explorer is very intriguing. It will not only be larger than the Edge but it will be an entirely different type of vehicle. As a RWD-based it will join the aging Durango as the only mainstream 3-row crossovers with that layout. The Durango was designed alongside the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Mercedes SUVs and we know it's pretty robust. The Explorer will share a lot with the Mustang (believe it or not). I find it hard to believe that the same platform will serve the Mustang and the Explorer without some significant compromises from each of them.

 

[Marty McSly]

Personally, I'd wait for the new Explorer before I got locked into an Edge or whatever they want to call it.

New RWD architecture, etc.

I'm not aware of any future plans to bring the Explorer back to Australia. It was sold here from the mid 90's to the mid naughties, but wasn't a huge seller. Early buyers found they weren't as tough as Toyota LandCruisers or Nissan Patrols. Later prospective buyers found they lacked refinement compared to newer unibody SUV's. And there is a very strong preference for diesel engines among buyers of larger SUV's here.

 

[François Pugh]

Personally, I'd wait for the new Explorer before I got locked into an Edge or whatever they want to call it.

New RWD architecture, etc.

Except for the fact that too many people I know had too many problems with their Fords, I would be interested too.

 

[NZRob]

Personally, I'd wait for the new Explorer before I got locked into an Edge or whatever they want to call it.

New RWD architecture, etc.

From what I can gather there aren't even any plans to build the Explorer in RHD, so it's unlikely to appear in Oz/NZ. The large (relatively speaking - it's probably a mid-size in the US market) Ford SUV we get down this way is the Ford Everest, which is based on the Ford Ranger frame (not the same as the US Ranger).

 

[doc]

Speaking of Fords, @Philpug, is that you posting on the BaT thread for the '86 Ford RS200 (the bidding for which is now up to $234,000!)?

 

[NZRob]

Speaking of Fords, @Philpug, is that you posting on the BaT thread for the '86 Ford RS200 (the bidding for which is now up to $234,000!)?

If you were in the market, Escort RS200 or Sierra RS500?