Ford Everest

The biggest departure from its pickup truck origins has to be the quality of the interior. The cabin delivers an enhanced sense of space with its interior color. The interior is laid out intuitively and everything is where it should be. The materials have a good quality feel. All except the Ambiente variants get leather seats. The same goes for the 8-way power-adjustable driver seat. Infotainment also uses Sync 3 with navigation capabilities and utilizes an 8” touchscreen. All variants get steering wheels with audio controls and multi-information displays in their instrument clusters. Other features include 3rd-row power fold seats, power tailgate, active noise cancellation, panoramic moonroof, 10 speaker sound system, dual-zone automatic climate control, adaptive cruise control and heads up display warning for collision mitigation. Most of these features are available at just above the base Ambiente variants and important things like rear AC vents are available across the range. Seating is spacious on all rows. The third row is especially comfortable to use.  

Just one look is enough to tell that the Ford Everest is an American SUV. Undeniable road presence comes standard with its 4893 mm length, 1862 mm width, and 1836 mm height. A wheelbase of 2850 mm means that there is no immense overhangs either end. 20” wheels on the 3.2 and 17” wheels on all the other variants make it stand head and shoulders above the traffic. Tires are 265/50/R20 on the 3.2 and 265/65/R17 all-season tires on the rest. The styling of the SUV fits its size very well. The design memo probably contained the words square and big a lot. But we’re not complaining. Styling elements are well proportioned and work well with the chunky octagonal grille which is the centerpiece. Headlights can be HIDs with LED DRLs or halogen depending on the variant. Moving to the flanks, the muscular haunches combine with the slightly upswept window line give it a solid character. The top-end variant also comes with chrome wrapped running boards. The rear is also similarly adorned with hexagonal taillights and a chrome bar running through the middle. Overall an honest design that hints at its utilitarian nature while still looking sophisticated. 

The suspension and chassis are well-tuned to iron out road imperfections. Off-roading is best suited for the top end spec which comes with AWD and an electronic locking differential. The terrain management system with 225 mm of ground clearance and 800 mm water wading depth means that there is nowhere that this SUV cannot go. 

The 2.2-litre turbodiesel inline 4 produces 160 PS at 3200 rpm and 385 Nm of torque between 1600-2500 rpm. The other option is the 3.2-litre inline 5-cylinder diesel engine that produces 200 PS at 3000 rpm and 470 Nm of torque between 1750 and 2500 rpm. The Everest’s towing capability is rated at an impressive 3000 kg. The engines are powerful and smooth. The transmission options are also smooth and allow for spirited driving. Not only that, but it also achieves 8 kmpl on average. The best thing, however, is driving performance. This massive SUV is extremely easy to drive. Even a beginner driver will find themselves at ease thanks to the numerous driver assistance features. The steering feels unnervingly light. The handling thankfully firms up on highway speeds. Unless pushed, the body roll is not at all noticeable. 

The Everest is loaded with safety tech. ABS with EBD, 7 airbags, seat belt reminders, ESP with roll stability, emergency brake lighting, hill start assist, and trailer sway control are found as standard across the range. The top 4 variants will also get you active park assist (read auto parking) collision mitigation, auto-leveling headlights, front park assist, hill descent control, lane-keeping system, a rearview camera, and a tire-pressure monitor. The level of safety equipment is very hard to match for the price level of the Everest and says a lot about the quality of the SUV. The Everest has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating and is a very good bet for anyone who wants to keep their family safe. 

The Ford Everest is an extremely capable SUV for its price. No scratch that it is a very capable SUV period. It looks, drives, and feels nice. It has excellent features and takes on city and rough roads with ease. It could obviously be more refined and could probably be a little nicer to drive. But at this point, we would have to get down to nitpicking to find faults.