ford everest 2015

Price and features:

The opening price is $54,990 plus on-roads for the base car, climbing to $60,990 for the Everest Trend ($2500 more than a mid-range Prado GXL) and climbing to an eye-opening $76,990 for the Everest Titanium, which is $3000 more than a Prado VX and $8000 less than a Prado Kakadu.

How does this compare to the Territory? Equivalent diesel-powered AWD versions of that car vary from $45,740 for the TX to $57,740 for the Titanium.

Be aware, also, that top-spec diesel-powered AWD versions of the Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento are more than $20,000 cheaper than an equivalent Everest. On the other side of the coin, if you want something rugged and up-spec you can get a flagship-spec Holden Colorado 7 or Isuzu MU-X for more than $20,000 less as well.
Really, $77K is more Land Rover Discovery money, and that’s a big ask.

The entry Everest comes with equipment such as cloth seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, auto headlights, roof rails, active noise cancellation, cruise control and a rear-view camera with sensors.



Infotainment is covered by an old-generation SYNC 1 system based on a 4.2-inch TFT screen, though you get Bluetooth/Aux/USB, SYNC Emergency Assist, and no fewer than four 12V sockets (and one 230V powerpoint in the rear). All Everests also get seven airbags, including three-row curtains.

The $6000 walk to the Trend gets you 18-inch wheels, an electric tailgate, chrome grille, running boards, projector headlights with auto high-beam, dual-zone climate control, twin four-inch digital instrument displays behind the now-leather steering wheel, privacy glass, rain-sensing wipers and — how generous — front and rear floor mats.

You also get an upgrade to a 10-speaker audio system with DAB+ digital radio, matched to the newer SYNC 2 system controlled via an eight-inch touchscreen with advanced conversational voice control to adjust things such as phone settings, song and even ambient temperatures.

You also get a swag of safety equipment such as adaptive cruise control with forward collision mitigation, a lane-keeping assist and departure warning system, and front parking sensors.

The $16,000 walk to the big pappa Titanium gets you further bits such as 20-inch alloys, metallic running boards, chrome on the handles and mirrors, LED daytime running lights, and scuff plates with badges.

Inside, extras include Active Park Assist (it steers your car into parallel bays), a panoramic sunroof, eight-way electric leather seats, electric-folding third-row seats, ambient cabin lighting, satellite-navigation (a $600 option on the Trend, shamefully), blind-spot monitoring and a tyre-pressure monitor.


Interior:

 

All Everests come as seven-seaters, unlike rivals that generally offer base five-seaters. A further ace in the hole for the Ford is how flat the second and third rows fold — which is very. Cargo space is 1060 litres with five seats in use, expanding to 2010L when the rear two rows are flat.

Dimensionally, the Everest is a shade bigger than an MU-X (70mm longer though the same width) and a few centimetres smaller than a Prado is most areas. It’s 60mm longer in the wheelbase though, and thereby gives excellent interior space.

The middle row also reclines and slides, while the Titanium’s electric folding rearmost seats are very useful. The pews are flat to increase cargo space when folded, but still comfortable in all rows, especially in terms of headroom.

Our test versions (Trend and Titanium) had rear ventilation controls, as well as plane-like roof-mounted vents covering all three rows. They made short work of the Thai humidity. The presence of a powerpoint behind the centre console is fantastic, though the Titanium should surely have screens embedded in the rear seats at this price point.

Up front, the dash design is very similar to that of the new Ranger, which is hardly coincidental, but no bad thing given that car sets the ute benchmark. The horizontal design themes create an illusion of width, and everything is well laid-out and logical.

There are tons of storage cubbies, including a glovebox that fits a 16-inch laptop, and at least six cupholders across all rows, with another four bottle holders in the doors.

Ford’s SYNC 2 system isn’t to all tastes, but the eight-inch screen split into four quadrants works well for me, the Bluetooth was rapid to pair and the voice control one of the most intuitive out there (as it is on the Territory).

Less ideal is the lack of reach-adjustment on the steering column. Ford defended this by telling CarAdvice that it calibrated the seating position to suit “95.0 per cent” of drivers. I guess I’m in the 5.0 per cent, as my hands never quite could get to the ideal placement. Here I was thinking I was a one-percenter…

Also less than ideal are the downmarket touches on even the Titanium, such as the lack of a starter button (you get a flip key), and the preponderance of hard plastics on multiple touch-points (though there’s a soft bit atop the dash). The ambience should be better on a car pushing $80K before on-roads, and you’ll not convince me otherwise. 

Engine and transmission:

Under the bonnet is the same Euro V 3.2-litre Duratorq turbo-diesel as the Ranger ute, albeit with some changes. It has 143kW rather than 147kW in the Ranger, but the same 470Nm of torque. This still edges the new 2.8-litre Prado’s 130kW/450Nm. 

Ford has changed the exhaust gas recirculation system, fitted new injectors and added sound insulation. The peak torque band is between 1750 and 2500rpm, a little narrower than the Ranger.

Maximum towing capacity is 3000kg — 500kg less than a Ranger, but equal to the MU-X and 500kg greater than a Prado — and you get trailer sway control. Fuel use of 8.5 litres per 100km is 0.6L/100km thirstier than the new Prado based on factory claims.

Matched is a six-speed automatic transmission that adjusts to your driving style.

Pulling power down low is strong, given the fact you get all that torque at 1750rpm, while the gearbox generally feels nicely calibrated to this iteration of the 3.2’s tune. It all does a good job of hauling what is a portly car — just under 2500kg in Titanium guise.

Ford has done a lot of work keeping noise and vibrations at bay inside the cabin, with lots of sound-deadening in the floors, the firewall and under the bonnet — a la the Ranger Wildtrak. There’s also electronic active noise-cancellation that works like your sound-deadening headphones that run off batteries.

It’s a little raucous from outside the car, but from the driver’s seat it does indeed feel commendably refined, the low diesel drone a distant rumble rather than a screech. All that insulation does have the reciprocal effect of highlighting the one very minor NVH issue we found: some slight throttle vibrations under mild load, through the drive-by-wire setup.

For background, we drove the Thai-market 2.2-litre four-pot diesel that isn’t coming to Australia. Naturally, it isn’t as effortless as the five-pot, but it would be serviceable as a price-leader.