WHEN THE FORD EVEREST MADE ITS PUBLIC DEBUT AT THE BANGKOK MOTOR SHOW IN 2001, you can’t imagine the amount of buzz it generated: the first SUV that’s practical as it’s affordable. No more will people have to suffer through ancient AUVs with equally inefficient and unrefined drive trains. For once, here’s a vehicle that’s formidable both on and off road. At the same time, it was a return to the grass roots of the family SUV: no more dizzying variants of twelve or fourteen. The Everest simply had two: 4×2 and 4×4.
Fast forward a year or so later, and the Everest made its way to the various Ford showrooms. As promised, it was formidable with a more refined turbo diesel engine and a well-organized interior. Unlike its rivals of that time, it carried 7 in complete comfort as well as improving on features such as air conditioning and flexible seating/cargo capacity. It too, brought safety equipment to the masses. Stuff such as airbags, anti-lock brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution made its way to a truly affordable SUV. For all it’s worth, it should have been the king of the sales charts, and not just the specification sheet. So what happened?
In a word: price. Although marketing pundits term the Everest as a mid-sized SUV, the segment barely existed at the time. So while it claimed to have been dominating its rivals, it could and should have entered the true mainstream, fighting against the likes of the Adventure, Crosswind and Revo. By all means, it could have pummeled its rivals if it were priced below the 1.215 million peso price tag it originally had.
Now, the market is very, very different. The AUV is dead, and everyone has moved on. Mitsubishi may be sticking their guns with a revamped Adventure, but it has introduced the Montero Sport. Meanwhile, Isuzu has the Sportivo and Alterra and Toyota, the Innova and Fortuner. So, where does that leave the Everest—the pioneer in a segment it helped create? Spending a week behind the wheel only reaffirmed anyone’s original guess: it’s not best-in-class, but it’s certainly not dead in the water.
On paper, the Everest’s drive train is the most primitive. While the Fortuner/Innova and Alterra are both running on new generation common rail diesel injection engines, the Ford has to be content with its crude, but robust Ranger pick-up sourced engine. The 110 horsepower rating isn’t mind-boggling, but on the road, the Everest doesn’t feel lacking thanks to its 280 Nm of torque. This pushes the almost 2-ton body forward with relative force that will satisfy all except the aspiring racers.
However, it’s worth noting though that the Everest has little to give once it reaches the century mark, especially if mated with the 4-speed automatic. On more than one occasion, the Everest would seem to meet an invisible barrier beyond 110 km/h. On top of that, refinement isn’t high on the drive train’s list of qualities. The 6-speaker system will prove to be useless beyond 100 km/h, and the accompanying shift shock is certainly too much to bear, even for a SUV this old.
So where does it score an ace versus its newer rivals? Robustness and solidity. While the Toyota and Isuzu both have fancy four-wheel drive systems, old-schoolers will certainly enjoy the Everest’s use of levers and RFW switch to engage/disengage its front wheels. It has good ground clearance, meaning it can traverse any sort of challenge mother earth throws at it. The meaty tires also give additional footing (it has one of the widest compared to its rivals). The trade off to this robustness, of course, is a bouncier ride quality. Though not as rough riding as the more primitive AUVs, it certainly won’t score high on anyone’s card.
In terms of design, the simplicity of the Everest is admirable. Compared to the awkward looking Alterra, the Ford is perfectly penned in a cubic sort of way. And while the tail lamps scream CR-V rip off, designers have integrated the A and B pillars of the Ranger well onto the extended cabin. The angular, 90-degree approach signal the Everest’s intention as a do-anything, go-anywhere vehicle—much like a Land Rover Defender. At the same time, the lines are classic and will age gracefully in time.
Inside, designers were severely limited to using Ranger switch gear and dash components. So while ergonomics and driving position are sound enough for everyday operation, they aren’t pretty to look at. They look pretty much dated, especially the audio head unit and the messy placement of the ventilation controls. The materials aren’t top notch too, but they certainly feel solid enough to take on a lifetime’s worth of abuse and misuse.
Into the most important aspect, the seating, the Everest actually does pretty fine. All rows have ample room, but the best is the limo-like space on the second row. Passengers are treated to their own seatbelts and air conditioning vents, but the third row lacks any sort of headrest, which doesn’t bode too well with lessening whiplash injury especially for kids. Ingress and egress is equally excellent on the Everest since the second row is equipped with an ingenious one-touch folding seat. Sadly though, the third row doesn’t offer any sort of split fold-tumble option. It merely folds.
On the pricing front, the Everest now lands smack in the middle of the mid-sized SUV pack—somewhere in the middle of the Toyota Fortuner and Isuzu Alterra. And although this means that it still can’t beat the Toyota in terms of value for money, the Ford isn’t a push over when compared to the Isuzu. It must be remembered that although the Alterra has more than 14 variants spanning different audio set-ups and colors, the base model still comes up more expensive than the top of the line Everest. Some may contest that the inclusion of the common rail diesel engine and more modern underpinnings justify the higher price tag, but certainly not enough.
The Isuzu Alterra may have a better mold to start with (the D-Max), but the final product isn’t that convincing, given the ridiculous price tag. The Ford Everest’s mold may be older, but the rest certainly deserves attention. At the end of the day, a fine automobile isn’t just judged by the engine and drive train. It’s the entire package, and that’s where the Ford Everest would stand a chance. Overall, it feels better thought of and built. It may not end up as the segment winner, but it’s time is certainly not yet up. Not by a long shot.
By Ulysses Ang | Photos By Jason K. Ang
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