This is the handsomely styled all-new Ford Everest seven-seat SUV which debuted at the Bangkok Motor Show.
Everest could quite possibly be the vehicle which will replace the locally-made Ford Territory from 2016…although we hear the Ford Edge will have also place in Australia.
The good looks of the Ford Everest are no surprise – like the Ranger it was penned at Ford’s design studios in Broadmeadows, Victoria.
And it has been developed and engineered in Australia alongside the updated Ranger ute which debuted here in Bangkok yesterday.
Indeed your www.carshowroom.com.au correspondent saw the Everest under test at the Anglesea proving ground some time ago – but we’re professionals here and our lips have been sealed.
The car unveiled today features a rear-end which has been significantly changed from the early prototypes we saw.
But there’s no doubt about it, the Ford Everest, like the Ranger, hits the sweet spot when it comes to contemporary style (Ford calls it “chiseled” and “sculptural”).
Inside, the Everest show its Ranger lineage but clever design gives it a unique look. Rear seat leg-room is on-par with rivals like Holden Colorado and Isuzu MU-X.
And, just as we saw in the updated Ranger, Ford Everest hits the market with an impressive artillery of standard features including SYNC2 connectivity, Active Cruise Control, Active Park Assist, Blind Spot Information System and the advanced Terrain Management System for off-road agility.
Also just like the Ranger, Everest is handily equipped for some serious action with a 3.5-tonne towing capacity, ground clearance of 225mm, a wading depth of 800m, Hill Descent Control, Active Transfer case and Electronic Locking rear Differential. Cue the weekend adventurers and ‘Grey Nomads’.
Power comes from two turbo-diesels – the 147kW/470Nm 3.2-litre, five-cylinder Duratorq or the 118kW/385Nm, 2.2-litre four-cylinder.
Ford has paid particular attention to on-road refinement and the Everest features Active Noise Cancellation technology – a system using three microphones and opposing soundwaves ( like noise-cancelling headphones) to keep things quiet on the inside.
The all-new Ford Everest arrives in Australia in the third quarter of this year.
