Ford has done an amazing job unifying its lineup across a global market in the past couple years. Still, there are some very tantalizing vehicles that remain out of reach for us here in the U.S. One such vehicle is the Ford Everest, a mid-size SUV that does all the rough-and-tumble stuff a proper SUV should do.
The Everest is a body-on-frame SUV based off of the Ranger mid-size pickup, which ceased being offered in the U.S. in 2011. Its main draw is its off-road capabilities combined with the capacity and livability of a seven-seater.
Ford’s Everest is powered by either a 2.0-liter twin-scroll four-cylinder Ecoboost engine, or two diesel power plants, the 2.2-liter Duratorq four-cylinder or the 3.2-liter five-cylinder. Power output isn’t specified for each, but we know that the twin-scroll Ecoboost brings 245 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque to the updated 2015 Edge. Either way, all the grunt transfers through the six-speed automatic from the F-150 pickup or a six-speed manual.
From there, the Everest offers up an intelligent four-wheel drive system with a “torque on demand” active transfer case. This works in conjunction with the company’s terrain management system that let the tech figure out the best setting for snow, sand, and rock scrambling. There’s active hill assist, too, where drivers can dial in the descent speed from the steering wheel without touching the pedals, just like with cruise control. Like any proper 4×4, the rear differential can be locked for the more challenging traversals. It can even wade through 800 millimeter-deep water.
The inside is fairly spartan, but it still comes with many of the modern creature comforts like Ford Sync 2 navigation, Bluetooth, and a host of safety technologies. On top of that, the Everest is meant to be reasonably affordable. No prices for the new 2015 models are out, but the previous year’s model runs for about $28,000, overlapping the Edge and Explorer’s starting MSRP.
The Everest is offered in nine markets including Australia, India, China, and the Southeast Asian nations. Anyone who doesn’t hail from these places won’t be seeing the updated outdoorsman’s SUV on sale anytime soon. There’s no known plans to ever bring it to the U.S., but we just got our first Focus RS. So, if Ford has taught us anything, it’s to never say never.
