Ford is rolling out the MY26.5 Everest in Australian showrooms, with the popular 4×4 SUV receiving a handful of upgrades and equipment changes, but has the recipe been changed too much?
As reported when it was announced late last year, the biggest changes to the Everest lineup centre around the existing bi-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine – long the entry point to the range – being deleted from Ford’s global lineup, resulting in a rethink.
In its place, a single-turbo 2.0-litre diesel now powers the base Active (replacing the Ambiente and Trend) and Sport grades, adopting an updated fuel injection system and a timing chain (instead of a wet timing belt which has given Ford grief in recent years).
With 125kW and 405Nm, the single-turbo engine is 29kW and 95Nm down on the outgoing bi-turbo, however it’s mated to the same 10-speed automatic transmission and a part-time 4×4 system, with the Everest missing out on the six-speed auto previously fitted to the engine in the Ranger.
It joins the existing 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 which remains the flagship engine in the Everest lineup, with unchanged outputs of 184kW and 600Nm, and is matched with a full-time 4×4 system.
No other mechanical changes have been made to the Everest lineup, so how does the big SUV cope now that it’s got a smaller donk under the bonnet?
On a drive from Essendon to Ford’s You Yangs Proving Grounds, we were able to manage a respectable 7.0L/100km in the four-cylinder Everest, without really thinking too hard or trying to save fuel, despite being locked into a ‘fuel efficiency challenge’ with the other journalists attending the event.
Getting up to highway speeds on the sliproads didn’t bother the Everest, which is able to make up for its power and torque shortcomings thanks to the 10-speed automatic transmission.
Always able to offer a ratio which best works with the power and torque bands, the transmission is the highlight of the show, and is underappreciated in the V6 due to the considerably higher outputs from the larger engine.
Given the $8000 price discrepancy between the four-cylinder Everest and the V6 in the former’s favour, most customers would be hard-pressed to fork out the extra money for the bigger engine, though when utilising the SUV’s full 3500kg braked towing capacity, it might be worth the extra cash.
Another advantage of the four-cylinder is not only that it’s lighter – helping to cut the overall weight of the hefty 4×4 – but that it places less weight on the front axle, giving a more planted road-holding experience.
In emergency braking and steering situations, that extra weight saving and balance shift was apparent, though the V6 was by no means dangerous or worryingly cumbersome.
The Ford Everest can still handle the twisty fast roads as well as city streets, and using the ladder-frame T6 chassis shared with the Ranger, it remains capable off-road too, though the big difference between the four-cylinder and V6 shines the most when the surface gets slippery.
While the 2.0-litre has part-time four-wheel drive (with 2H, 4H and 4L available), the V6 gets a full-time system, which adds ‘4A’ to the existing three choices. This acts more like an all-wheel drive system, distributing power based on where it needs it most.
Having never pushed it to the limits, it was eye-opening comparing 2H to 4A on a simulated dirt track within the proving grounds, with the latter resulting in far less intervention from the traction and stability control systems, while also being far more predictable.
This is another aspect to factor into the $8000 added cost of the V6 powertrain.
At the top of the range the Tremor and Platinum remain V6-only, and offer two very different pathways for buyers, with the former being off-road focused and the latter being for those who want a greater on-road experience.
The loss of the bi-turbo engine will undoubtedly open up the Everest to lose buyers to the Toyota LandCruiser Prado and more off-road capable SUVs in the market, however the single-turbo entry engine still represents a good buying prospect, while the V6 remains as the flagship of the Australian model range.
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