FMC SA
Less than a month after the launch of its updated Ranger bakkie, Ford has introduced a similarly upgraded Everest SUV to the local market.
Ford followers who are keen on the large seven-seater SUV will now find it with slightly enhanced styling, infotainment features and some impressive new mechanical engineering componentry.
Viewed front-on, the most obvious change is a three-bar grille, whilst Ford has also added a redesigned 20-inch alloy wheel option. Inside an ebony hue cabin upholstery has broaden the colour palette, but the most significant upgrade concerns Everest’s infotainment capability. The Sync3 system powering Everest’s higher specification derivatives have gained full gesture input recognition and seamless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Smartphone integration.
Beyond the minor styling and cabin technology changes, by far the most significant upgrades are Everest’s engine and gearbox options. Mirroring the powertrain changes seen on Ford’s Ranger bakkie, most of the Everest range is now powered by a 2-litre turbodiesel engine architecture.
Available in two states of tune, with either single or bi-turbocharging, the 2-litre engines are all paired with an impressive ten-speed automatic transmission. The single-turbo 2-litre powers up to 132kW and 420Nm. Headlining the Everest range is a bi-turbo version, boosting 157kW and 500Nm.
Ford claims that its ten-speed automatic transmission is intuitive and swiftly adapts to any driving style. Crucially, the 4×4 Everests powered by Ford’s new 2-liter engines also feature a low-range transfer case, which effectively gives them a tremendous spread of 20 forward gears, adequate to tame any off-road terrain.
Although the 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel engine has been retained, it is now outranked in both performance and price by the bi-turbo 2-litre version. The revised Everest range is priced from R499 900, which gets you a 118kW/375Nm 2.2-litre diesel model, shifting via a six-speed manual gearbox. Dearest of all new Everests is the 2-litre bi-turbo Limited, positioned at R741 100.
2,2 TDCi XLS 6AT 4×2: R499 900
2,0 SiT XLT 10AT 4×2: R584 900
2,0 BiT XLT 10AT 4×2: R607 600
3,2 TDCi XLT 6AT 4×4: R626 900
2,0 BiT XLT 10AT 4×4: R669 500
2,0 BiT Limited 10AT 4×4: R741 100
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