While the Explorer may have shifted from a truck-based sport-ute to a car-based crossover, Ford still offers buyers on the other side of the Pacific a Ranger-based SUV in the form of the Everest. And at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Beijing today, the Blue Oval revealed the all-new version you see here.
Previewed in concept form over a year ago and made specifically for the Asia-Pacific market, the new Ford Everest is designed to be more refined on the road and more capable off of it. Like the Explorer once was, the new Everest is based on a stretched version of the overseas Ford Ranger pickup. Depending on the specific market, Ford will offer the new Everest with a range of engines including a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbo four and two Duratorq turbodiesels – a 2.2-liter four and a 3.2-liter inline-five – mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Earmarked to take on the likes of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (known in these parts as the Lexus GX) and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the new Everest promises rock-crawlers even better off-road capabilities. It's got nearly nine inches of ground clearance, over 30 inches of wading depth, a 29-degree approach and 25-degree departure angles and a set of features including on-the-fly adjustable four-wheel drive.
Inside you'll find a seven-seat cabin with flat-folding second and third rows and all the bells and whistles: A Sync 2 infotainment system with an eight-inch touchscreen, active noise control, an optional panoramic moonroof and the full spectrum of electronic safety features you'd expect from a major automaker like Ford. The list includes autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure and lane-keeping systems... the works.
Unfortunately, we don't expect the Everest to ever make it Stateside, where Ford's utility lineup already includes three-row models including the Flex, Explorer and Expedition – sales of which the Everest (truck-based or not) would almost certainly cannibalize
