REVIEW: Ford Everest Platinum earns a gold medal in family road trips
The range-topping SUV delivers hearty V6 performance and lays on the luxury
11 May 2023 - 04:00
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The V6 Everest is roomy, refined and has lusty power.
Picture: JUSTIN HOWARD
Having tested the 2.0l Sport version of Ford’s new SUV in December, this time it was the turn of the range-topping 3.0 Platinum which will spend the next few months with us on a long-term test.
The Everest is a car that shouts “road trip” and shortly after it arrived we did just that, with a long weekend jaunt from Jozi to the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.
The new Platinum is the most powerful Everest yet and is moved along by the same twin-turbo V6 diesel that powers the recently-launched Ford Ranger Wildtrak bakkie.
With outputs of 184kW and 600Nm this V6 provides the kick in the pants that is missing from the 154kW four-cylinder 2.0 Sport, as good a cruiser as the latter is. The V6 has real shove when you jab the throttle and had no problem hauling the burly, heavily-loaded vehicle. The Everest weighs 2.4 tonnes unladen, and five people on board with all their holiday gear really upped the ante, but the powerful 3.0l Ford hardly broke a sweat, even up steep inclines.
It’s a quiet diesel engine which adds to the Everest’s general refinement, making for a hushed cruising experience. The lack of wind noise is surprising given the new Everest’s bluff shape, a burly American-style design that, combined with the C-clamp headlamps, really stands out on the road.
The V6 Platinum averaged 10.6l / 100km on the open-road trip, a relatively frugal figure for the power on offer and not worlds away from the 9.7l we achieved in the less powerful 2.0l Sport. The large 76l fuel tank provides a decent 700km-plus range.
The Platinum has a few extra features over the Sport, including an electrically-folding feature for the third row of seats. Unfortunately these weren’t working in the test vehicle and we couldn’t find a way to fold them manually so we had to pack luggage in the third row of seats. The rest we stashed in the boot behind the third row which, unlike in many seven-seaters, is reasonably spacious and enough for three or four tog bags.
Shortly after returning to Joburg the vehicle failed to start one morning and Ford had it towed it to a local dealer. It turned out to need a new battery, a curiously premature failure in a car with just 10,000km on the odometer. At the same time the Ford dealer applied a software patch which got rid of a recurring pre-collision assist error message in the instrument panel. The electrically-folding third row function was fixed too.
The Everest was returned to us the same day, a quick repair which Ford SA told us was due to its new Rapid Hub teams which have been deployed in all provinces to assist customers more quickly. They provide Ford dealerships with a set of extra hands and technical expertise should a dealer not be able to resolve a technical issue in a recommended time frame.
Technical glitches aside, we’ve enjoyed our first few weeks with the range-topping Everest, though we’re still getting used to its huge size. It’s not easy squeezing this hulk into parking spaces, though the task is made simpler by a parking camera and proximity alarms.
The plus side of the bulk is the spaciousness offered inside the cabin. Three adults are able to fit into the middle seat, and though the elbow room isn’t ideal, there isn’t a shortage of leg- and headroom. The middle row backrests are adjustable, which made for happier campers on the long road trip.
Rear-seat passengers get their own USB charging ports, and passengers in all three rows can set their own fan speeds.
Diamond-stitched leather seats raise the luxury appeal inside the range-topping Platinum.
Picture: DENIS DROPPA
Up front, a huge 12-inch touchscreen handles infotainment and climate control duties, supplemented by handy quick-access physical controls for oft-used functions so you don’t have to go digging for them in a digital menu.
There is a 400W inverter for powering laptops and a number of 12V sockets, including one in the boot.
An embedded factory-fitted modem allows customers to connect to their vehicle when linked with the FordPass App, which has features like remote start, vehicle status check and health alerts, vehicle locator and remote lock and unlock functions.
The KwaZulu-Natal road trip didn’t give us a chance to evaluate the Everest’s 4x4 skills but it’s the same system used in the Sport model we tested in December, which proved very competent at driving on muddy rural roads. Over the coming months we’ll plan 4x4 expeditions to fully test the Everest’s adventuring abilities and make use of all six driving modes: Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud & Ruts, and Sand.
The Everest has a generally plush ride but potholes and major bumps can be jarring through the low-profile 20-inch tyres. We’ll try convince Ford to fit the vehicle with higher-profile 18-inch rubber better suited to the upcoming 4x4 expeditions.
The Everest Platinum has a few extra features over the Sport model, including an electrically-folding feature for the third row of seats.
Picture: JUSTIN HOWARD
Standard features Seven seats, ABS brakes, stability control, six airbags, tyre pressure sensor, keyless access, leather upholstery, electrically adjustable front seats, heated and ventilated front seats, 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless smartphone charger, auto-on headlights, rain-sensor wipers, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, navigation, dual zone climate control with rear vents, dual panoramic sunroof, electric tail gate, LED headlights, high beam assist, tow bar, surround view parking camera, hill descent control, driving modes, FordPass
Cost of ownership Warranty: Four years/ 120,000km Service Plan: Optional six years/90,000km Price: R1,146,500 Lease*: R25,166 per month * at 11.25% interest over 60 months no deposit
Competition Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2.8 GD VX-L,150kW/500Nm — R1,310,100
Ford Everest V6 4WD Platinum WE LIKE: Refinement, power, all-terrain ability WE DISLIKE: Technical glitches, low-profile tyres VERDICT: A formidable family adventure vehicle
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LONG-TERM FLEET
REVIEW: Ford Everest Platinum earns a gold medal in family road trips
The range-topping SUV delivers hearty V6 performance and lays on the luxury
Having tested the 2.0l Sport version of Ford’s new SUV in December, this time it was the turn of the range-topping 3.0 Platinum which will spend the next few months with us on a long-term test.
The Everest is a car that shouts “road trip” and shortly after it arrived we did just that, with a long weekend jaunt from Jozi to the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.
The new Platinum is the most powerful Everest yet and is moved along by the same twin-turbo V6 diesel that powers the recently-launched Ford Ranger Wildtrak bakkie.
With outputs of 184kW and 600Nm this V6 provides the kick in the pants that is missing from the 154kW four-cylinder 2.0 Sport, as good a cruiser as the latter is. The V6 has real shove when you jab the throttle and had no problem hauling the burly, heavily-loaded vehicle. The Everest weighs 2.4 tonnes unladen, and five people on board with all their holiday gear really upped the ante, but the powerful 3.0l Ford hardly broke a sweat, even up steep inclines.
It’s a quiet diesel engine which adds to the Everest’s general refinement, making for a hushed cruising experience. The lack of wind noise is surprising given the new Everest’s bluff shape, a burly American-style design that, combined with the C-clamp headlamps, really stands out on the road.
The V6 Platinum averaged 10.6l / 100km on the open-road trip, a relatively frugal figure for the power on offer and not worlds away from the 9.7l we achieved in the less powerful 2.0l Sport. The large 76l fuel tank provides a decent 700km-plus range.
The Platinum has a few extra features over the Sport, including an electrically-folding feature for the third row of seats. Unfortunately these weren’t working in the test vehicle and we couldn’t find a way to fold them manually so we had to pack luggage in the third row of seats. The rest we stashed in the boot behind the third row which, unlike in many seven-seaters, is reasonably spacious and enough for three or four tog bags.
Shortly after returning to Joburg the vehicle failed to start one morning and Ford had it towed it to a local dealer. It turned out to need a new battery, a curiously premature failure in a car with just 10,000km on the odometer. At the same time the Ford dealer applied a software patch which got rid of a recurring pre-collision assist error message in the instrument panel. The electrically-folding third row function was fixed too.
The Everest was returned to us the same day, a quick repair which Ford SA told us was due to its new Rapid Hub teams which have been deployed in all provinces to assist customers more quickly. They provide Ford dealerships with a set of extra hands and technical expertise should a dealer not be able to resolve a technical issue in a recommended time frame.
Technical glitches aside, we’ve enjoyed our first few weeks with the range-topping Everest, though we’re still getting used to its huge size. It’s not easy squeezing this hulk into parking spaces, though the task is made simpler by a parking camera and proximity alarms.
The plus side of the bulk is the spaciousness offered inside the cabin. Three adults are able to fit into the middle seat, and though the elbow room isn’t ideal, there isn’t a shortage of leg- and headroom. The middle row backrests are adjustable, which made for happier campers on the long road trip.
Rear-seat passengers get their own USB charging ports, and passengers in all three rows can set their own fan speeds.
Up front, a huge 12-inch touchscreen handles infotainment and climate control duties, supplemented by handy quick-access physical controls for oft-used functions so you don’t have to go digging for them in a digital menu.
There is a 400W inverter for powering laptops and a number of 12V sockets, including one in the boot.
An embedded factory-fitted modem allows customers to connect to their vehicle when linked with the FordPass App, which has features like remote start, vehicle status check and health alerts, vehicle locator and remote lock and unlock functions.
The KwaZulu-Natal road trip didn’t give us a chance to evaluate the Everest’s 4x4 skills but it’s the same system used in the Sport model we tested in December, which proved very competent at driving on muddy rural roads. Over the coming months we’ll plan 4x4 expeditions to fully test the Everest’s adventuring abilities and make use of all six driving modes: Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud & Ruts, and Sand.
The Everest has a generally plush ride but potholes and major bumps can be jarring through the low-profile 20-inch tyres. We’ll try convince Ford to fit the vehicle with higher-profile 18-inch rubber better suited to the upcoming 4x4 expeditions.
Tech specs
Engine
Type: Six-cylinder diesel turbo
Capacity: 3.0l
Power: 184kW
Torque: 600Nm
Transmission
Type:Ten-speed automatic
Drive train
Type: Rear-wheel drive with selectable four-wheel drive
Performance
Top speed: n/a
0-100km/h: n/a
Fuel consumption: 8.5l/100km (claimed); 10.6l/100km (as tested)
Emissions: 224g/km
Standard features
Seven seats, ABS brakes, stability control, six airbags, tyre pressure sensor, keyless access, leather upholstery, electrically adjustable front seats, heated and ventilated front seats, 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless smartphone charger, auto-on headlights, rain-sensor wipers, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, navigation, dual zone climate control with rear vents, dual panoramic sunroof, electric tail gate, LED headlights, high beam assist, tow bar, surround view parking camera, hill descent control, driving modes, FordPass
Cost of ownership
Warranty: Four years/ 120,000km
Service Plan: Optional six years/90,000km
Price: R1,146,500
Lease*: R25,166 per month
* at 11.25% interest over 60 months no deposit
Competition
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2.8 GD VX-L,150kW/500Nm — R1,310,100
Ford Everest V6 4WD Platinum
WE LIKE: Refinement, power, all-terrain ability
WE DISLIKE: Technical glitches, low-profile tyres
VERDICT: A formidable family adventure vehicle
Motor News star rating
Design * * * *
Performance * * * * *
Economy * * * *
Ride * * * * *
Handling * * * *
Safety * * * * *
Value For Money * * * *
Overall * * * *
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