The Ford Everest might not feature in conversations about popularity; nevertheless, we're intrigued by its features. Originally manufactured for the Asia-Pacific market, the Everest is a mid-size SUV heavily based on the Ford Ranger. Styling cues aside, the new Everest also shares a platform with the Ford Ranger. The new Everest is built on the same T6 body-on-frame platform as the newer Ranger models. Unfortunately, the model will not be arriving on the American market at all, with sales aimed exclusively at the rest of the world.
The new Ford Everest is expected to arrive by the second half of the year, and Ford is offering about four engine options. There's a petrol engine and three other diesel engines. For the diesel engines, Ford is offering a 2.0-liter EcoBlue inline-four turbocharged engine, a 2.0-liter EcoBlue inline-four twin-turbocharged engine, and a 3.0-liter Power Stroke V6 that's exclusive with the 4WD model. Here, we take a deep look at the features of the new Everest that intrigue us the most.
10 Matrix LED Headlights
We can tell that Ford is working to improve visibility in their cars because the new Everest SUV has matrix LED headlights. In 2020, Ford made LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, and automatic headlight leveling standard on all Everest XLT and Limited models. These changes are all geared towards improving visibility.
Though matrix LED lights are common in some parts of Europe, the NHTSA finally approved them in the US after a petition from Toyota in 2013. Unlike regular headlights, matrix LED headlights use more than one component. While the engineering is somewhat complex, the technology is effective.
9 Tesla-Esque Infotainment Screen
From the released footage and pictures of the new Ford Everest, we can see that the manufacturer has gone for a Tesla-Esque media screen. The Ford Everest has a 15.5" vertical infotainment screen inspired by Tesla.
We think this feature makes the new Everest unique. The driver gets a 12" screen to display speed and trip information. Also, the infotainment screen comes with Ford's Sync 4, and this system helps with easy navigation, car software updates, and more.
8 Recovery Hooks
The new Ford Everest has recovery hooks, and we're excited. Not every 4x4 comes with these hooks, so it's commendable that Ford thought of that. Instead of buying a tow kit and fixing the hooks yourself, it comes already attached to your car. Some drivers have to attach the tow straps to their bumper or even to the car's frame.
With the new Everest, you can avoid this problem. However, we're not exactly sure about the working limit of the recovery hooks since Ford is yet to volunteer detailed information.
7 Upgraded Chassis
Ford has announced that they upgraded the new Everest's chassis. The Everest shares a platform and a chassis with the Ford Ranger, but there are differences between the Ranger and the Everest. For the 2022 model year, Ford didn't make any major changes to the Ranger, and the pick-up truck used old underpinnings.
Ford extended the new Everest wheel-track by 50mm. With this extension, Everest will have improved off-road performance. Also, the widened wheel-track gives the SUV a nice stance. The front and rear axles have also been updated.
6 Zone Lightening
There's a system of lights in the Ford Everest that illuminates the car's perimeter. Ford calls it zone lightning, and the Ford F-150 truck is also fitted with the system. If you're wondering what you might need this system for, remember that Everest is an adventure car. You can imagine how useful this feature could be if you were camping in the woods at night.
There aren't many cars with similar features to the zone lighting, so this is quite innovative. However, we hope the system is updated because F-150 drivers have complained about the zone lightning draining their batteries.
5 Redesigned Rear
Apart from the front, the exterior design of Everest has always felt basic. Looking at the 2021 model, you'd notice that while the front looks bold, the rear end doesn't match the energy. The rear of the 2021 model has a design that's just too soft for a 4x4 SUV. Fortunately, Ford has decided to fix it.
They've redesigned Everest's rear-end, and everything matches now. The new SUV's rear is buff with cool LED reverse lights and halogen indicators. There's an Everest badging at the bottom left, 4WD badging at the right, and a platinum badge in the middle.
4 Integrated Roof Rails
As an off-road vehicle, the Ford Everest has always been built with a roof rack to carry loads, but this time around, it's better. The new Everest has integrated roof rails in all trim levels except the Platinum trim. From what we've seen so far, Ford is doing all it can to distinguish the Platinum trim.
The Platinum trim comes with exclusive free-standing roof rails. Ford has also engineered Everest's roof to carry more load. The new Everest's roof has a dynamic load of 100kg and a static load of 350kg.
3 Electronic Shifter
Apart from the rotary transmission dial in Ford's Everest, the electronic shifter is another interesting feature on the console. Ford calls it the "e-shifter," This component changes gears with electronic switches rather than the conventional manual lever. However, the e-shifter in the new Ford Everest is built like the regular gear lever.
The difference is that the e-shifter has a button that displays the letters P, R, N, D on its head. Although Ford has not released full details on the workings of the e-shifter, it looks great for aesthetics.
2 Extended Roofline
Ford has done a good job with the Everest, and at this point, it looks like they went around correcting any issues with older models. Well, that's what they should do. The manufacturer has extended the new Everest's roofline, which makes a lot of difference for this SUV. With this extra space created, Ford has improved the shoulder room in the vehicle's interior.
Also, they increased the legroom so that passengers could enjoy more comfort. Outside the Everest's roofline, Ford also widened the wheel-track, wheelbase, and width.
1 New 4WD System
Older Everest models and other Ford cars like the Ford Escape, Ford Edge, and the Ford Ranger feature the rotary dial with symbols P, N, R, and D. There's a new symbol on Everest's rotary dial. In addition to other drive mode symbols, Ford has added the 4WD symbol to Everest's rotary dial.
While we're not certain of what happens when the 4WD symbol is activated, we have expectations. Ford's 4WD system intensifies the off-road capabilities improves traction and stability, so we expect the 4WD symbol's activation to mirror this.