Rating the Everest in South Africa

Ian Foston, the man who flew a million km to help make
the Everest the current SUV benchmark.

THE man behind Ford’s new Everest, Ian Foston, is an engineer who officially drives a desk, but his wife and boy would have been fooled.

For during almost three million kilometres of testing the new Everest, Foston used every chance to get behind the wheel himself, in the process flying a million kilometres from his home base in Australia to drive all the setting options the little 4x4 knob gives you — from normal tarmac to slippery to steep rocks.

As Foston explained that knob: “It flatters the novice, and facilitates things for the expert.”

A 4x4 enthusiast, he nevertheless also spent a lot of time to refine a few unique selling
points in the Everest that I dare say now set the benchmark for the rest of the medium-sized utes.

There are three of these unique features, viz electric seats in the third row, each folds down with the press of a button; a Watts link on the diff that keeps the high, heavy cabin poised like a low sedan around hairpins; and the best sound system in a ute under R1 million. 

I attended the very wet launch of the Everest in Cape Town, courtesy of Ford. 

After racing around the hairpins of two passes, where I learned to love the Watt's link, Ford decided wisdom as the better part of valor on a steeply slanted clay track that offered no traction for goats, never mind wheels. 

So bear with me as we arrange a 4x4 test to see if Ford’s latest sport ute will match its fantastic road holding around the wet curves of Franschoek Pass.

Ford says the Everest is a worthy contender of the bigger Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, which retail from mid R600s to about R700 in South Africa. 

Buyers, of course, compare what they can buy for more or less the same money, looking at medium and big utes. 

Use the quick guide below to see how South African price for the Everest 4x4 automatic stack up in the local SUV arena.

Chevrolet Trailblazer 2,8 Price R575 500
Power 144 kW, 500 Nm from 2 000 rpm
Selling points Most power for the money, five-year/120 000 km
warrantee, seven seats.

Ford Everest 3.2 TDCi 4x4 automatic. Price R646 900 

  Power 147 kW and 470 Nm between 1 750 and 2500 rpm.

Selling points Watt’s link offer most stable ride among SUVs;
more active driver assist systems than any other, including park
assist; fantastic sound system, comfortable seats in third row,
each of which folds down electrically.

Kia Sorento 2,2 CRDi AWD Price R646 995 

Power 147 kW, 441 Nm from 2 000 rpm
Selling points five-year/100 000 km service plan AND warrantee, 

seven seats, loves dirt roads.

Mitsubishi Pajero 3,2 Di-DC Price R679 900
Power 140 kW, 440 Nm from 2 000 rpm
Selling points Tows 3,3 tons, 235 mm of ground clearance,
raft of luxury features.

Land Rover Discovery 3,0 XS Price R720 100 

Power 155 kW, 520 Nm from 2 000 rpm 

Selling points Eight-speed auto, proven 4x4 ability 

with roll-over mitigation. as Fifth Gear shows here.

.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Price R724 900
Power 177 kW and 550 Nm from 2 000 rpm.
Selling points Tows 3,5 tons, eight-speed auto, 

Eco-mode fuel saver, 272 mm ground clearance with Quadra-Lift.

2016 Toyota Fortuner Price tbc
Power (Overseas spec) 120 kW, 343 Nm from 1 400 to 3 200 rpm 

Selling points Most dealers in SA, power almost at idle and 

all those little ergonomic features, like a chilled glove box.