The
Ford Everest has averaged sales of 232 units per month during August, September and October.
While these numbers are nowhere near the big vehicle’s largest competitor and segment leader, they
are still very good considering the weak economy we are currently in. We drove the updated
Everest with a new
engine and
transmission and found it to be a highly competent combination.
Everest’s biggest selling point, so to speak, is that
it is a large family SUV with adventurous abilities. It
comfortably
sits 7 people,
including driver, while carrying some of their luggage. Obviously
the seating
configuration can be adjusted to suit one, such as sitting the normal five or other. If you have children
you will be delighted at how much they enjoy the third row of seats. An average-sized adult can also
comfortably sit there. Our model was the
XLT AWD 4x4.
What is special about it? Well mainly the
engine and
transmission as previously stated. This
engine is a
2.0-litre Biturbo diesel producing 157kW of power and 500Nm of torque. Same as the famous
Ranger Raptor. Our 7-day test included suburban, freeway and some off-road driving, which the
Everest is
accustomed to, thanks to the
4x4 system.
Over this period we
averaged 10.8 litres per 100km in fuel consumption, which is not bad considering the
amount of lugging the engine has to withstand. Of course
the new engine, as well as the new 10-speed
automatic (yes, 10 gears) played the major role in this.
Smooth and smart, the transmission hardly skipped
a beat, choosing the correct gear in most situations. Imagine how hard this must be with 10 to pick from.
It’s hard enough for a 6-speed!
Engine noise has also been greatly reduced and the two work together like
a beehive.
Some feedback from the previous model suggested that the
suspension system was a bit too harsh
over uneven surfaces. Ford went to work and made several improvements, including
moving the
front-mounted stabiliser bar to the back of the front axle,
and reducing front spring rates.
Ride is now
more comfortable over different surfaces. The
XLT AWD Biturbo has a towing capacity of 3 100kg.
Whilst updates have also been made to the vehicle’s looks, these changes are pretty subtle and
require a more intimate knowledge of the product to recognise. Fortunately, we are here to list some
of them. They include
a refreshed front grille,
redesigned lower bumper with a horizontal beam,
darker wheel accent paints and so on.
This being a
premium Ford means it is fitted with the company’s
SYNC 3 infotainment system which
comes with a useful, full-colour 20.3cm touch screen with access to all the multimedia goodies such
as satellite navigation, two USB ports, Bluetooth connectivity,
Android Auto,
Apple Carplay, and
voice command, which can also understand Afrikaans and IsiZulu.
Waze users in South Africa can now
project the App's real-time traffic and navigation service onto the touch screen in Ford vehicles via SYNC 3 AppLink and control it through voice command.
The updated
Ford Everest XLT AWD Biturbo is a formidable competitor in the 7-seat “adventure SUV”
space and
sits comfortably at number two in terms of sales. With the new
powertrain,
Ford has also
addressed some niggling issues from the previous model, while moving with the times by
reducing
displacement and simultaneously increasing power.
