By: Dave Abrahams
Bangkok, Thailand - Ford's new Everest seven-seater SUV, announced today in its home country, is due in South Africa in the fourth quarter of the year, and ready to go head to head with the upcoming new-generation Toyota Fortuner and Chev's Trailblazer in what is going to be a fascinating contest for the hearts and minds (and wallets) of South Africa's SUV'ers .
The Thai Ford brings with it all the new tech the Blue Oval Boykies can throw at it - but in one important respect it's all about old tech.
Because it's based on the newly announced Ranger bakkie (be afraid, Hilux, be very afraid), it has a good old-fashioned ladder chassis - still the toughest way to build a heavy-duty vehicle - underpinning its uprated turbodiesel and new turbopetrol engines, intelligent all wheel-drive, uprated suspension and alphabet soup of gizmotronics.
It comes with either a four-cylinder 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi turbodiesel, rated for 118kW and 385Nm, or a 3.2-litre five-pot, quoted at 147kW and 470Nm, each featuring an updated exhaust gas recirculation system to boost efficiency, or Ford's all-new two-litre Ecoboost turbopetrol.
Each engine drives either the rear wheels or all four through either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. AWD models have an active transfer case with Torque on Demand that can also be manually locked into low range for when the going gets really tough.
Coil-over suspension all round with a Watts linkage on the rear axle gives it 225mm of ground clearance (which Ford claims as best in class) while clever intake and exhaust plumbing provides 800mm of wading ability.
Ford's Terrain Management System (also a first in class, says the maker) gives drivers four preset settings - Normal, Snow/Gravel/Grass, Sand and Rock - that reset and re-map the Everest's throttle response, transmission shift points, intelligent all-wheel drive system and traction control to suit the terrain.
VOICE COMMANDS
A power-operated tailgate accesses the cargo bay, with power-folding third-row and fold-flat second-row seats for quick-change versatility, as well as more than 30 stowage spaces around the cabin, multiple 12V power sockets, seven airbags and a dual-panel moon roof as standard issue.
A new version of Ford's Sync 2 connectivity set-up lets drivers use voice commands to control the car's infotainment system, aircon settings and connected devices - but there's also an eight-inch touch-screen with colour-coded corners for easy menu navigation, all hooked up to a 10-speaker sound system with an integrated subwoofer.
Active park assist will parallel-park the Everest for you hands-free - all you need do is shift, accelerate and brake - while the electronic stability programme includes roll stability control and traction control.
The nanny department includes curve control, designed to help you stay in control when approaching a turn too quickly, as well as blind spot warning with cross traffic alert that warns you of vehicles in your blind spot driving or, more importantly, when you're reversing out of a parking bay.
Expect detailed specifications and prices for the South African model line-up closer to the local launch date.
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