Tow test: Ford Everest 2018

Importantly, the latest Ford Everest is also purportedly safer than before, fitted with modern driver aids including automated emergency braking (AEB). It's also better on the road, thanks to suspension revisions and added sound deadening.

The catch is the price, which has risen $1200 across most variants (and let’s face it, the Ford Everest wasn’t particularly cheap to begin with; the top-spec Titanium has been subject to luxury car tax in the past).

The other catch is that, despite its new emphasis of choice, not all Ford Everests are equal. Access to the new twin-turbo four-cylinder engine and new safety equipment is only on the mid-spec Trend and top-spec Titanium derivatives. The entry-level Ambiente sadly misses out.

Even so, the 2019 Ford Everest is a better, more rounded vehicle than those before it. And importantly, it still retains all the core strengths that have helped it find a place in driveways to begin with.

The engine room

The designers and engineers didn’t go about re-creating the wheel with the 2019 Ford Everest. Their brief instead was to make it “more car-like”, according to Ford Australia program manager, Dan Ciccocioppo.

Step one was the installation of a new engine option, a 2.0-litre twin-turbo-diesel four-cylinder borrowed from the new Ford Ranger Raptor.

In Everest form, the new engine produces carry-over 157kW/500Nm outputs, shuffling drive via a 10-speed automatic transmission.

As in the Raptor, the BiTurbo engine develops 500Nm from 1750rpm (like the 3.2 but only until 2000rpm, not 2500) and incorporates a fixed primary turbocharger for bottom-end response and a variable-geometry turbo for midrange and top-end power.

The smaller capacity diesel is fitted standard to the Trend and Titanium variants of the Ford Everest. It increases the Everest’s towing capacity from 3000kg braked to 3100kg braked, while also whittling official fuel consumption to as low as 6.9L/100km.

Ford also made a conscious decision to continue with the option of the 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel (shared with the Ford Ranger Wildtrak) that has served it so well since launch. That unit is unchanged, producing 143kW/470Nm and employing a six-speed automatic.

The five-pot is standard on the entry-level Ford Everest Ambiente and is optionally available on the Trend 4WD.

Next step in the 2019 update was a revisit of the Everest’s suspension. Ford re-routed the car’s front anti-roll bar and reset the front spring and damper rates for a more controlled, more compliant on-road feel.

Those underbody changes are flanked by considerably more safety technology.

More standard kit

In essence, all MY19 Ford Everest models score an 8.0-inch SYNC 3 infotainment with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, in-built sat-nav and 10-speaker audio with CD/AM/FM/DAB+, plus keyless entry/start, a laminated windscreen and five-year/unlimited-km warranty.

Standard safety equipment across the range continues to include twin front, front-side and full-length curtain airbags, driver’s knee airbag, reversing camera, Dynamic Stability Control, Roll Stability Control, Anti-lock Braking System, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, Traction Control, Emergency Brake Assist and rear parking sensors.

Inter-urban autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with vehicle and pedestrian detection is now standard in premium Ford Everest Trend and Ford Everest Titanium models but unavailable for base Ambiente versions.

Additional standard features on Everest Trend include Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Traffic Sign Recognition and Lane Keeping System, while Ford Everest Titanium models add Blind Spot Information System with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System.

From a styling perspective, the updated Ford Everest receives an ever-so-slight makeover in the form of a re-worked front grille, front bumper fascia and rear bumper fascia. Keyless entry buttons have also been integrated into the exterior door handles, while there is also a new 20-inch alloy wheel design.

The route involved towing a 2.5-tonne caravan out of the beach suburb of Bulli, then criss-crossing our way across to the Blue Mountains on a variety of roads.

Before that, we drove the new 2.0-litre engine (christened ‘Panther’ by Ford) unladen, where it impresses with a strong useable torque curve and a smooth, less-clattery soundtrack than its five-cylinder sibling.

The engine is particularly strong in mid revs, making use of the sequential turbochargers to offer a smooth wave of torque that is well suited to around-town duties. It never truly lives up to the 500Nm torque figure advertised, however, struggling to garner the initial low-down response you’d expect.

When it comes time to hitch the van, the 2.0-litre diesel instantly feels the added mass. On flat, regular suburban roads, the engine is calm and composed and the 10-speed auto gently segues through its ratios to build speed progressively.

Fuel use is also moderate in this kind of situation, even if the engine feels as though it is working markedly harder than before.

Struggles up hills when towing

Then, it’s time to take on Bulli Pass.

As the climb steepens, the new Ford Everest’s high-tech 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine increasingly has its work cut out. The automatic hunts up and down the gearbox almost manically for the right ratio, and the engine flares as it stretches to get the most of what’s on offer.

Out of tight corners, where speed has dipped to 20-30km/h, the four-pot struggles to muster the same enthusiasm as we’ve experienced from the 3.2-litre five-cylinder pre-update Everest. In our book, this all but rules out the new engine as the choice for cross-country towing tourers.

At least, that’s our initial impression. It's one also supported on an extended highway drive with considerable cross-winds. Here again, the engine had to work in order to maintain highway speeds, and occasionally lost momentum on ascents – even with the accelerator pedal pushed to the firewall.

All told, the four-cylinder averaged 17.5L/100km over the space of a 150km tow test -- not too bad for a vehicle this size. It managed to stave off heady crosswinds and arduous backroads well, however, recovering relatively quickly from bumps and offering decent body control despite the weight in tow.

We didn’t apply the same torture test to the carry-over 3.2-litre diesel, but an extensive cross-country blast unladen suggests it's still the engine to have if you plan on long-journey touring.

Better on-road

Elsewhere, the 2019 Ford Everest is a better resolved on-road proposition. The suspension changes result in a more composed ride at any speed, while additional sound deadening lends the Ford a slightly more car-like vibe.

Light steering and decent body control enable the Everest to pass as a seven-seat family hauler, which is important since it is Ford Australia’s only seven-seat offering for the foreseeable future.

Off-road, the Everest’s T6 Ranger-derived ladder frame architecture truly shines. It has enough ground clearance and wheel articulation to easily deal with moderate off-road trails and creek crossings. Furthermore, the fitment of a rear differential lock and low-range 4x4 help the Everest climb out of sticky situations.

Even with rear coil springs and four-wheel disc brakes, there remains an ever-so-slight truck-like bent to the Ford Everest. In the face of seven-seat competitors such as the Mazda CX-9 and Hyundai Sante Fe, which employ car-like monocoque platforms, the Everest lacks agility and on-road efficacy.

Broad, well-padded front seats combine with soft-touch materials at the contact points, face-level air vents and an adequate selection of cubbies and storage spaces throughout the cabin. The installation of extended wing mirrors, which offer a blend of convex and concave glass to see around your trailer/caravan, is a particularly nice touch.

Key infotainment functions are projected via an 8.0-inch central display that employs Ford’s effective SYNC3 interface, offering decent voice functionality and an inherent ease of use. The driver instrument cluster is likewise easy to navigate, comprising analogue and digital readouts and accessed via steering wheel-mounted buttons.

There remain hard-wearing interior elements to Ford’s large SUV; a gentle reminder that is foremost premise is that of an off-road, people carrier. The cabin is likewise narrow, limiting shoulder space and more-or-less regulating the third row to occasional use only.

In all, the fitment of new technology and the smaller diesel engine go some way in broadening the Ford Everest’s appeal. But as before, it’s the mid-level, 4x4 five-cylinder versions that we’d be splashing our hard-earned on.

2019 Ford Everest pricing and specifications:
Price: $43,190-$73,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel/3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 157kW, 500Nm/143kW, 470Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic/Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.9-7.1L/100km/8.4-8.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 298g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP