Ford Everest Titanium road test review

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Ford Everest Titanium road test review


Range-topping seven-seater impressively sets new benchmark for adventurous family SUVs


4 April, 2016
Cameron McGavin



2016 Ford Everest Titanium


Buyers in the market for a heavy-duty family 4WD wagon have plenty to think about right now.

Not long ago the choice was pretty simple – buy an affordable ute-based contender (Holden Colorado 7, Isuzu I-Max, Mitsubishi Challenger) or go the full-monty with Toyota's LandCruiser Prado.

That's all changed. Mitsubishi has pensioned off the Challenger for the far more enticing Pajero Sport. Toyota has moved to fend off the Prado undercutters with a ute-based undercutter of its own, the Hilux-derived Fortuner.

Then there's Ford's Everest, a development of the Ranger ute that has already showed its competitive chops by bagging a surprise overall win in our 2015 Drive Car of the Year runoff. Now we're trying it on a more extended, one-on-one basis.

WHAT DO YOU GET?

Ford makes no bones about gunning after the Prado with its latest baby, and pricing reflects that.

It's a notably costlier proposition than the MU-X (from $40,500), Pajero Sport (from $45,000), Colorado 7 (from $47,990) and Fortuner (ditto). Costlier, even, than the cheapest Prado ($52,990), though that particular model is a five-seater rather than seating seven like the Ford.

The base Everest, the $54,990 Ambiente, certainly isn't weighed down with glitter – air-conditioning, cruise control, auto headlights and 17-inch alloys are the main highlights.

But it does tick off the fundamentals with its generous seating, gutsy 3.2-litre turbodiesel five-cylinder engine (shared with the Ranger), 3000kg maximum towing capacity and generous supply of off-road hardware (switchable 4WD system, hill-descent/hill-start assist, rear diff lock). Its safety artillery includes a reversing camera, curtain airbags that cover all three rows of seats and emergency assistance (it will use your phone to dial 000 if the airbags are deployed or the fuel pump is shut off).

Ford's lifetime capped-price servicing regime, with yearly/15,000km intervals, stacks up roundly next to rival deals (Toyota, for example, caps costs for just three years).

The next Everest, the $60,990 Trend, ices the cake with dual-zone climate control, more fancy instrumentation, leather-shod steering wheel, 18-inch alloys, auto wipers, power tailgate and touch-screen infotainment, plus front parking sensors (the Ambiente has rears), active cruise control, forward collision alert and a lane-departure warning/assist system. Sat-nav can be optioned for $600 – it really should be standard.

It's a big step up to the topline Titanium tested here, which starts at a hefty $76,990 plus on-road costs. It has plenty of trinkets, including sat-nav, leather trim, power heated front seats, panoramic sunroof, 20-inch alloys, power-folding third-row seating and an automated parking system, and even more safety aids (tyre-pressure monitors, blindspot warnings). But its reliance on an old-fashioned key for starting rather than a button is somewhat unbecoming given the price.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

Expectations raised by the Titanium's big-dollar ask aren't immediately satisfied here.

For the driver, the view is much the same as in the humble Ranger ute. While this top Everest steps things up with its stitched-look dashtop, unique trims, touch-screen infotainment and high-tech instruments (there are two colour screens either side of the speedo, allowing you to dial up all kinds of information and combinations), the overall impression isn't of a near-$80k package. The centre console and doors, in particular, have a somewhat low-rent feel.

Functionally, it's much closer to the mark. The lack of steering-reach adjust potentially limits its ability to effectively cater to the ends of the driver-shape bell curve, but this median-sized driver had no issues attaining his desired driving position. The seats support and pamper well, vision is quite good and the touch-screen setup is Ford's familiar and respectably user-friendly 'Sync' stuff. Its small-item storage doesn't stretch the envelope – the door pockets are small – but the deep console bin, handy spot in front of the gear selector and sunglasses holder mean it's not underdone.

The Everest's middle-row bench has slide/recline functions and splits 60/40. For this six-footer, it was just tolerable in its forward-most position and quite sprawling when set all the way back, and its good width means three-across endeavours can be entertained without too much squeezing.

Occupants get their own fan-speed/temperature controls and overhead vents, plus 12-volt and 230-volt/150-watt outlets (the latter means you can charge a laptop or run a camping fridge).

The final-row seats take a bit of a jump to get into, which will keep smaller children on their toes (literally). These seats are definitely for the kids but vision isn't as bad as some and they have their own air vents. They can just be managed by adult-sized folk if the middle-row occupants make some legroom sacrifices.

The Ford's boot, like most seven-seaters, is quite modest with all seats occupied (450 litres using the floor-to-roof SAE measurement) but expands to a handy 1050 litres in five-seat mode. With the middle row folded, you get a long, flat and very useful 2010 litres to play with. A full-size spare is located under the vehicle.

UNDER THE BONNET

The Everest is powered by the same 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel engine as its Ranger sibling, though retuned for its different role. It's a little less powerful (143kW versus 147kW) and produces the same 470Nm torque peak over a slightly narrower range (1750rpm to 2500rpm) but these numbers are still more than competitive.

The turbodiesel five is a gutsy performer on the road with admirably stout low-rev response, little in the way of turbo lag and a responsive, willing nature further up its rev range. While no rocketsled, it has no issues coping with the Titanium's near-2500kg kerb weight. The mandatory six-speed automatic transmission has a good knack for picking the right gear and the five-potter's thrum – while obvious when worked hard – isn't as intrusive as it is in its ute sibling. Some of the credit for that can be attributed to its use of noise-cancelling technology.

Ford claims an 8.5L/100km fuel-economy rating for its new 4WD wagon, which is good but not quite great in the context of the class, and it does without fuel-saving technology like auto start/stop. We averaged a somewhat underwhelming 10.7L/100km on our combined urban/highway loop.

ON THE ROAD

You don't buy a ute-based heavy-duty 4WD wagon for driving sophistication but the Everest is much less crude than most.

Its ride is exceptionally well controlled by the standards of separate-chassis, live-axle 4WDs. Some of the usual pitter-patter and wobble shows up over really bad surfaces but most lumps and bumps are soaked up with surprising delicacy. On our worst gravel test road, where some cars are shaken to bits, its ride was almost serene.

The Ford also gets through the bends with surprising aplomb, steering accurately, keeping body roll in check and retaining a predictable, controllable balance. Its bulk is well disguised and many drivers will find it less intimidating than other vehicles of this type.

Of course, there's only so much Ford can do to resist the laws of physics. Push it really hard through tight, twisting corners and it feels unwieldy, top-heavy and much less responsive than light-duty equivalents like its Territory sibling.

The payoff is a good dose off-road ability. We were only able to scratch the surface in our single-car test but its 225mm ground clearance, 800mm wading ability and competitive approach/departure angles – plus a 4WD system that can constantly vary its drive to gain the best traction and offers different modes for different scenarios (normal, snow/mud/grass, rock and sand) – all bode well. It crawled over our test fire trail without even raising a sweat.

VERDICT

Many separate-chassis, heavy-duty 4WD rivals are big, lumbering beasts to drive. Not so the Everest, which resets on-road benchmarks without really ceding much off the tarmac. It scores roundly for performance, functionality and ownership, and ticks a lot of safety technology boxes.

Of all of the current ute-cum-wagon contenders, it makes a strong case for being best thought out and best realised.

It's just a pity it costs so much in Titanium form and its cabin lacks the requisite upmarket vibe, and it's no standard-setter for economy. With the vast majority of buyers best served by a light-duty SUV its relevance is up for debate.

Still, if you do actually need this kind of go-anywhere 4WD wagon this Ford needs to be taken very seriously indeed.



2016 Ford Everest Titanium price and specifications

HOW MUCH? From: $76,990

ENGINE: 3.2-litre turbodiesel five-cylinder

POWER: 143kW/470Nm

ANCAP RATING: 5 stars

FUEL USE: 8.5L/100km

OUR SCORE: 6.5/10



Scoring breakdown

Value: 6/10

Performance: 1/10

Economy: 3/10

Safety: 8/10

Handling: 9/10

Comfort: 8/10

Connectivity: 7/10

Space: 9/10

Servicing costs: 5/10

Resale value: 9/10

Overall rating: 6.5/10



THE COMPETITION

Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 SE

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed

Toyota Fortuner Crusade

Toyota LandCruiser Prado VX

http://www.drive.com.au/new-car-revi...04-gnybky.html