First drive: All-new Ford Everest lives up to the hype

We can’t speak of the all-new Ford Everest without addressing the elephant in the room first. The price.

You didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to have predicted the new model will reach the seven-digit mark. The previous line-up’s flagship offering was already closing in on R900k.

With the addition of a 3.0-litre V6 engine and a host of new technology hyped ahead of the new model’s launch it was not a case of is the price going to go up, but rather by how much?

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Spent some time testing the all-new Ford Everest Sport #fyp #foryou #carsoftiktok #thecitizennews #thecitizenmotoring #ford #fordeverest2022 #fordeverestsport @jacovanderm

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Unveiled at a price of R1 113 100, the Ford Everest Platinum this week officially became the Blue Oval’s first local million-rand passenger car. The only other Ford to have broken through that ceiling is the Mustang, a two-door sports car.

While the only other derivative offered at launch, the Everest Sport, its R965 400 sticker does not include a standard service plan. If you factor the R18 740 optional service plan to the equation, it is one price increase away from seven figures.

The new norm

A million-rand passenger car might still sound somewhat surreal to some people out of touch with new car prices, it is actually par for course in the case of the new Ford Everest.

In the first place, the million-rand bracket has become the norm and not the exception. Long gone are the days where this threshold was reserved for the Ferraris and Bentleys of this world. Of the 46 brands on offer in Mzansi, 25 offer cars with seven-digit price tags.

Secondly, the all-new Ford Everest is not positioned as a like-for-like rival for the Toyota Fortuner anymore in a segment that is spread from R600k to R900k.

It has evolved into a direct rival for the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. And the Prado does not even have a six-figure derivative left in its five-model line-up, with the most expensive offering going for R1 222 500.

Distinctive styling

The new Ford Everest has grown is almost every dimension from its predecessor. Its length has increased by 48 mm to 4 940 mm, its width is up by 55 mm to 1620 mm, its front and rear track has been stretched by 60 mm to 1 620 mm and its wheelbase was increased by 50 mm to 2 900 mm.

While it’s overall height of 1 841 mm is only four millimetres, up, its new prominent presence makes it look a lot bigger.

The show continues inside the new Ford Everest that features reduced noise and vibrations, increased elbow, shoulder and legroom, tilt and slide second row seats, functional storage and connectivity and charging throughout the cabin. In Platinum guise, the finishing certainly feels premium enough to offer a worthy challenge to the Prado.

Like before, the new Ford Everest comes standard as a seven-seater with the third-row seats folding flat. With all seven seats up there is 259-litres of boot space available, a number that goes up to a mighty 898-litres with the third row folded down.

Ford Everest a tech-fest

A standard 12-inch vertical touchscreen infotainment system equipped with Ford’s SYNC 4A system featuring voice control communication takes centre stage, while an onboard modem enables connectivity the FordPass smartphone app.

The tech-fest continues to the new digital instrument clusters replacing the analogue cluster on the outgoing model. The Platinum features a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster and the Sport an 8-inch cluster.

Standard specifications on the Sport include partial leather seats with eight-way power adjustment on the front seats, dual-zone climate control with overhead vents in the second and third row, power liftgate and front and rear parking sensors.

This derivative’s safety specs include lane keeping system, road edge detection, pre-collision assist and reverse brake assist.

Packed to the rafters

The Platinum gets premium leather seats with 10-way power adjusted front seats with driver seat memory function, heated and ventilated front seats, heated second row seats, power fold third row seats, 360-degree camera, 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, e-shifter gear selector, zone lightning, panoramic moonroof, underbody protection and tyre pressure monitoring system.

Additional safety features include adaptive cruise control with lane centering, distance alert, aversive steering assist and Active Park Assist 2.0.

ALSO READ: Seven figures breached: Ford stickers all-new Everest

The maximum towing capacity of the Everest – which comes standard with a towbar – has been increased by 400 kg to 3 500 kg and features a host of nifty towing features like trailer light check.

Ford Everest on the road

During the launch in Mpumalanga this week, we got to drive both derivatives. We sampled the more rugged Sport over some off-road obstacles and main roads, while the Platinum kept to the tarmac despite it being equipped with all the same four-wheel-drive hardware.

The Platinum’s highly-anticipated 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine, that will also be offered on the new Ford Ranger, did not disappoint. Producing 184 kW of power and 600 Nm, the mill works a charm in unison with the ten-speed automatic transmission.

Its acceleration considering that the car weighs in at 2 487 kg is impressive, with the generous amount of torque coming into its own when overtaking.

While it strangely a Sport driving mode isn’t offered alongside Normal and Eco, we did manage to attract the attention of the local traffic authorities by experimenting with the new Tow/Haul mode.

Handling at higher speeds felt exceptionally well with the suspension enhancements also very noticeable. These enhancements include a 50 mm wider track and tweaks to damper settings, while the Platinum now also features advanced permanent all-wheel drive.

Our ambitious drive over imperfect roads felt so good you could have been fooled into thinking the new Ford Everest has air suspension.

Our time in the Sport was limited, but did give a good glimpse of the tweaked 2.0-litre biturbo engine that now produces 154 kW and 500 Nm. It felt better calibrated to the ten-speed auto box than the same combination in the outgoing Everest and Ranger. There is definitely less turbo lag, resulting in more haste when you need it to accelerate.

Ford Everest off the road

The new Ford Everest Sport did not break a sweat on the obstacle course we put it through. Both its capabilities and comfort while dealing with the rough stuff impressed.

What comes in very handy in the rough is the new Off-Road Sync screen which shows things like steering, pitch and roll angles.

The Terrain Management System is operated by virtue of a rotary dial and helps you select between 2H, 4H and 4L, while the rear diff lock and hill-descend control is activated electronically via touch buttons on the touchscreen.

Driving modes like Slippery, Mud & Ruts and Sand are also available to take the guess work out of the equation.

Verdict

The new Ford Everest definitely lives up to all the. Its price increased is justified through its bold new looks, ride quality and technology on offer.

While luring loyal Toyota customers away from buying a Prado won’t be an easy task, buyers will be foolish to not at least way up what the Platinum offers compared to the aging Toyota.

While its product can hold its own, the biggest obstacle Ford faces locally is getting stock as the first batch of customer-bound Ford Everests are only expected later in the year.

For more information on the new Ford Everest, visit the manufacturer’s website.