Three tonne towing for Everest

Owners of heavy caravans and campers will soon have another decent tow vehicle option with the arrival of Ford’s ute-based Everest SUV.

Developed in Australia, sourced from Thailand and built alongside the Ranger ute on which it's based, the all-new seven-seat off-road SUV goes on sale here by September

Although specifications and pricing are yet to be announced for Australia, the Everest SUV is available with either 118kW/385Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder or 147kW/470Nm 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel engines, matched to six-speed manual or six-speed auto transmissions.

Everest is shorter in length than the T6 Ranger on which it's based (another Ford Australia design project), but the SUV rides on coil springs located by a transverse Watts Link at the rear, rather than the Ranger's leaf springs.

Dual-range transfer with torque on demand is complemented by a wading depth of 800mm and ground clearance of 225mm, which Ford claims places the Everest ahead of its rivals in its class.

Ford has also promised three tonne towing, which will put the new Blue Oval off-roader on a par with ute-based rivals including Mitsubishi Challenger, Isuzu MU-X and Holden Colorado 7.

A rear-wheel drive Everest variant exists, but Ford has yet to confirm it for Australia.

Major features of the Everest include four-mode Terrain Management System, voice-operable SYNC2 infotainment and a series of driver-assist/active safety systems: Curve Control, Blind Spot Information System  (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert, Roll Stability Control and Active Park Assist.

For the sake of secondary (crash) safety, the Everest is fitted with seven airbags.

The Terrain Management System modulates throttle, transmission, final (four-wheel) drive system and traction control to limit slip in the following four situations: Normal, Snow/Gravel/Grass, Sand and Rock.

SYNC2 displays through an eight-inch colour touch screen and enables users to operate entertainment, climate control and connected mobile devices through that interface and voice control.

The Everest's audio system pumps through 10 speakers, and unwanted noise is suppressed by the car's Active Noise Cancellation technology, comprising three microphones situated strategically throughout the cabin.

Everest is an important new product for Ford Australia, anticipated to retain some of the customers, who would have otherwise jumped ship with the demise of the locally-built Territory SUV (2.7 tonne maximum towing).

But the Everest is more off-road-ready than the Territory, yet offers levels of refinement unknown among its peers, Ford claims.