REVIEW | New Ford Everest is the ultimate family adventure vehicle

The new Ford Everest is not a vehicle that blends into the scenery, as we discovered during our December travels. We encountered a number of Ford fans who ventured opinions about its American truck styling, every one of them positive.

The Everest, like the Ranger bakkie it’s based on, stands out with its C-clamp headlamps and general bully-like appearance — a façade inspired by the Ford F-150 sold in the US. There are two Everest models: the 2.0l turbo diesel Sport (on test) and the 3.0l turbo diesel Platinum, with the Sport boasting a blacked-out grille, trim and wheels for an even more domineering presence.

Despite its seeming disdain for aerodynamics, the bluff-shaped SUV slipped through the airstream in refined silence, with no significant wind noise making it into the cabin to intrude on conversations or the Deezer playlist.

The big vehicle also proved streamlined enough to achieve a creditable 9.7l/100km fuel average during our sojourn — and that with five people on board and a full boot of luggage. The 3,500kg towing capacity is 400kg up on the outgoing model.

The previous Everest was a direct rival to the segment-leading Toyota Fortuner which is 4,795mm long, but with its size increase to 4,940mm the new Ford is more of a competitor to Toyota’s 5,010mm Land Cruiser Prado.

The Everest’s 2,900mm wheelbase is larger than the Prado’s 2,790mm, giving the Ford an impressively-sized interior for up to seven people. The flexible interior caters for varying passenger/luggage needs. The middle row has adjustable backrests and slides fore and aft on rails, while both the second and third rows can fold flat into the floor. Row three isn’t just for children and has sufficient leg- and headroom for adults at a push, though long-distance comfort is curtailed by its nonadjustable backrests being very upright.

Thus our trip from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape had all five people sitting in the front two rows with the third row folded to accommodate all the luggage — and an impressively big heap it was (despite the express instructions of the driver to pack light). The luggage bay is conveniently accessed by an electronic tailgate.

Beneath its rugged-looking exterior the new Everest has lifted its game with a refined and solid feel with excellent torsional rigidity.

It also has a more premium vibe inside the cabin. The Everest Sport lacks the leather-coated dashboard of the more luxurious Platinum model, but radiates a pleasantly upmarket look with its artificial leather seats, metallic accents and neat finishes.

The digital dashboard and large 12-inch touchscreen take Ford’s bakkie-based SUV into the modern era but I was glad that user-friendly physical controls are retained for some of the oft-accessed functions. The knurled knobs for the temperature control and radio volume feel good to the touch and move with distinctive clicks, making them easier to use on bumpy roads.

Family harmony is ensured by there being aircon vents for all three rows, with rear passengers able to set their own fan speed. For charging and powering gadgets there are five USB ports front and rear, a 400W inverter for powering laptops and a 12V socket in the boot.

The connectivity includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though the latter played up sometimes and we resorted to plugging in our smartphones by cable.

An embedded factory-fitted modem allows customers to connect to their vehicle when linked with the FordPass App, which has features like remote start, vehicle status check and health alerts, vehicle locator and remote lock and unlock functions.

The interior latches are novel: they are integrated into the door handles so you can unlatch the doors and grasp the handle at the same time.

A less salutary aspect of the Everest is the ride quality, which is on the firm side even though the new car switches the Ranger bakkie's load-friendly rear leaf springs in favour of Watt’s link suspension with coil springs.

The Everest feels acceptably plush on longer undulations but jars somewhat on scarred roads and humps — my rear-seat passengers were very particular that this point be mentioned in the road test. The car’s default low-profile 20-inch wheels are sure to bear some of the blame, and I suspect the optional 18-inch tyres would produce a comfier ride.

The Everest excelled off-road, however. Along with a generous 229mm ground clearance it has an electronic shift-on-the-fly part-time four-wheel drive system and electronic locking rear differential, which were put to the test on a steep and muddy trail at Poenskop in the Eastern Cape. While the slimy gravel road proved too much for the 4x2 SUV driven by our fellow travellers and forced them to turn back, the rugged Everest navigated the slippery trail without much hassle.

The off-road repertoire is supplemented by a water wading ability up to 800mm and an off-road screen that displays a front camera view of the terrain ahead, while six modes can be selected by a rotary dial between the seats: Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud & Ruts, and Sand.

Lane-keeping assist, a blind spot monitor and pre-collision assist bring modern safety aids into the Everest package.

When driving, the Everest’s bulk is always apparent and the large turning circle makes it cumbersome in parking lots, so the rear-parking camera and proximity sensors are welcome features.

The 2.0 Everest Sport misses a real kick in the pants and isn’t as gutsy as the 184kW Everest 3.0 Platinum, but the 2.0l bi turbo diesel 154kW engine, carried over from the outgoing Raptor, has a wide torque band that ensures easy cruising and swift overtakes. It prefers the open road, and in urban driving there’s some turbo lag in a standing start, particularly at high altitudes.

In all, the new-generation Everest is a significant step up from its predecessor in size, sophistication and safety. It’s an impressively competent family adventure vehicle with all the mod cons and standout styling. It’s priced competitively too, though Ford no longer bundles service plans into its prices like other carmakers do.

Customers have the option of purchasing service or maintenance plans up to eight years or 135,000km.

_{Tech specs}

_ENGINE

_{Type: Four-cylinder diesel turbo}

_{Capacity: 1,996cc}

_{Power: 154kW}

_{Torque: 500Nm}

_TRANSMISSION

_{Type: Ten-speed automatic}

_DRIVETRAIN

_{Type: Rear-wheel drive with selectable 4x4 and low range}

_PERFORMANCE

_{Top speed: n/a}

_{0-100km/h: n/a}

_{Fuel consumption: 7.5l/100km (claimed); 9.7l/100km (as tested)}

_{Emissions: 198g/km}

_{STANDARD FEATURES}

_{Electronic stability control, ABS brakes, six airbags, smart keyless entry with push button start, wireless smartphone charger, electrically adjustable front seats, partial leather seats, electric windows, dual zone climate control with rear air vents, trip computer, 12-inch infotainment system, electrochromatic rear view mirror, power tailgate, rain-sensing wipers, auto headlamps, auto high beam control, LED headlamps, cruise control, hill descent control, blind spot monitor, lane-keeping system, pre-collision assist, rear parking camera, FordPass}

_{COST OF OWNERSHIP}

_{Warranty: Four years/120,000km}

_{Service plan: Six years/90,000km (optional)}

_{Price:  R965,400}

_{Lease: R20,606 a month}

_{*at 10% interest over 60 months no deposit}

_{Ford Everest Sport 2.0L BiT 4WD}

_{WE LIKE: Space, safety, all-terrain ability}

_{WE DISLIKE: Firm ride, turbo lag}

_{VERDICT: A family adventure vehicle par excellence}

_{Motor News star rating}

_{Design *****}

_{Performance  ***}

_{Economy ****}

_{Ride ***}

_{Handling ****}

_{Safety *****}

_{Value For Money ****}

_{Overall ****}

_{The competition}

_{Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4x4 VX, 150kW/500Nm — R870,900}

_{Isuzu MU-X 3.0TD Onyx 4x4, 140kW/450Nm — R895,900}

_{Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2.8 GD VX, 150kW/500Nm — R1,196,100}