Ford has revealed the 2015 Ford Everest and the Australian designed and developed SUV promises to be the most capable off-roader in the medium SUV segment.

FORD HAS REVEALED the 2015 Ford Everest at a media event in Beijing, China claiming it to be “one of the smartest vehicles on the road”.

“Technology is the bedrock of the Everest, and helps set it apart from its competitors. With its intelligent four-wheel drive system and its array of first-in-class smart and safe technologies, the new Ford Everest gives drivers a sense of confidence and comfort … In every aspect, the new Ford Everest is one of the smartest vehicles on the road,” said Trevor Worthington, vice president, Product Development, Ford Asia Pacific.

The newest member of Ford’s global vehicle line-up, the 2015 Ford Everest was developed here in Australia by Ford’s Asia Pacific Design and Development team – the same team that developed the Ford Ranger. Indeed, the Ford Everest is largely based off the Ranger.

While Ford Australia is yet to confirm an on-sale date for the Everest, it’s expected to arrive from mid-2015 and will be built alongside the Ranger in Thailand. Ford has always said the Ranger and Everest would share elements but details released today show just how different the two vehicles really are.

While some reports have hinted the Ford Everest would replace the Territory, it won’t, it will sell alongside the Territory in 2015 with that model being replaced by the smaller Ford Edge from 2016.

Design

The production version of the Ford Everest is almost identical to the design study revealed earlier in the year, but the vehicle’s most obvious feature is the bluff nose, which establishes the thing as a one Ford model. And while the new Everest looks about as aerodynamic as a brick, Ford says its 0.389 drag coefficient makes it the slipperiest in the class, aided by an underbody shield that helps air to pass underneath the vehicle.

On the inside, Ford has maintained the heavy horizontal lines theme of the exterior, with lines running across the dashboard and instrument panel, framing the touch-screen controller in the centre. “Sitting in the driver’s seat, you see a strong horizontal line that goes from one door, through the instrument panel, and on to the other door,” said Maurizio Tocco, interior design manager, Ford Asia Pacific. “Outside, the width gives you a sense of stability. Inside, it gives you a sense of spaciousness.”

Besides a two-stage moon roof above the first and second rows, the front seats offer eight-way power adjustment, while the 60:40 split second row gets air-con vents and controls, the third-row is 50:50 split fold and can be folded at the touch of a button. Both the second and third row fold flat into the floor.

With the second and third row seats folded flat there’s an impressive 2010 litres of storage space, and even fully loaded with seven passengers the Ford Everest can take a 750kg payload, there’s a 100kg roof load limit and towing capacity of 3000kg (braked). All models feature a powered rear tailgate. When towing, Ford’s Trailer Sway Control technology uses selective braking and engine management to mitigate unwanted trailer movement.

Ford says its paid particular attention to interior ambience in the Everest and has fitted Active Noise Cancellation, which is usually the preserve of high-end vehicles. ACV generates equal and opposite sound waves to cancel out noise from either the engine or the road; hydraulic engine mounts should keep the engine quiet, and Ford says its 3D modelling of the Everest mean that it’s quiet even with the windows down.

Like the Ranger it’s based on, the Ford Everest offers 30 stowage spaces stashed around the cabin, with a total storage volume of 48 litres. The glovebox is capable of swallowing a 16-inch laptop. Laptops can be charged through a 240-volt power outlet in the second row, while 12-volt outlets in the front console and in the second row let drivers and passengers charge multiple gadgets at the same time. There’s another 12-volt outlet at the rear of the Ford Everest.

Engines

Ford Australia hasn’t said which engines will be available in the Ford Everest here, but we know there will be three engines to choose from, one petrol and two diesels. And they are: 2.0-litre turbocharged, four-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine; 2.2-litre turbocharged, four-cylinder Duratorq diesel engine; and a 3.2-litre turbocharged, five-cylinder Duratorq diesel engine. Ford hasn’t released either power and torque or fuel consumption figures for these engines, but claims 2.0L and 2.2L engines will offer best-in-class fuel consumption, and suggests the 2.0L four-cylinder petrol engine will offer more power and torque than a conventional 3.5-litre V6 engine. The Ford Everest is available with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission – this is the same transmission used in the F-series.

Steering & Suspension

The Ford Everest offers Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) which varies assistance depending on vehicle speed, steering wheel angle, cornering forces and acceleration. Ford says it’s tuned the steering with ‘drivers’ in mind, offering a light action when parking and becoming heavier and accurate at high speeds. “The result is responsive handling that rewards the expert driver and flatters the novice, delivering Ford’s fun-to-drive spirit,” a statement reads.

The Ford Everest gets coil springs front and rear with the rear-end running a solid rear axle with Watts linkage for ground clearance and strength when off-roading. Despite the off-road bias, Ford says its engineers have tuned the Everest to ride as well on the bitumen as it does off it… we’ll take their word for it until we get to drive the thing.

Off-Road

Ford has made much of the Everest’s ability as a dual-use vehicle and on paper it looks like it’ll have the ability to rival more determined off-road models. The 2015 Ford Everest offers an 800mm wading depth, 225mm of ground clearance, approach angle of 29-degrees, ramp-over angle of 21-degrees, and departure angle of 25 degrees.

But what sets the Ford Everest apart from others in this segment, like Isuzu MU-X and the Holden Colorado 7, is its Terrain Management System (which appears to be very similar to Land Rover’s Terrain Response system in both looks and the way it works). The TMS offers four different terrain settings, including: Normal which is the default setting for road driving; Snow/Gravel/Grass which prioritises traction on slippery surfaces; Sand which helps maintain momentum when driving across sand via ‘aggressive’ torque transfer and increased throttle response/sensitivity; and Rock which works in conjunction with low-range four-wheel drive for maximum grip and low-speed control.

For particularly difficult terrain, the Ford Everest gets an electronic locking rear differential to keep the rear wheels from spinning, and can be manually activated via the differential lock button, or automatically when TMS is activated. The Ford Everest offers both hill ascent and descent assist which can be manually activated, allowing you to drive up or down steep tracks at a controlled speed without needing to use the pedals to control momentum. The Ford Everest also gets an Active Transfer Case that allows torque to be shuffled to either the front or rear axle automatically to maintain traction.

Connectivity

Like other models in the range, the new Ford Everest is available with SYNC 2, the latest version of Ford’s in-car connectivity system, which seamlessly integrates voice commands, a central eight-inch touchscreen and a vehicle control screen in the instrument cluster to let drivers personalize their time behind the wheel. The system is also equipped to be a Wi-Fi hotspot, via a USB modem or connected smartphone. Drivers can even personalize the touchscreen’s wallpaper by uploading photos via USB or with an SD card.

SYNC 2 is able to recognise Australian English and will respond to simplified voice commands, like “I’m hungry,” the system will then list nearby restaurants.

“With these simplified commands, SYNC 2 lets drivers keep their focus where it needs to be – on the road,” said Worthington. “The entire experience is more intuitive than ever, allowing drivers to smoothly move between using voice control, the touchscreen, and controls on the steering wheel and instrument panel to personalize their driving experience.”

Safety

Ford says many of the active safety technologies on the Ford Everest are segment-first, including Curve Control. Curve Control (a first for the medium SUV segment) is designed to ‘sense’ when a vehicle is entering a curve too quickly, and can apply four-wheel braking and reduce engine torque to slow the vehicle by as much 16 km/h in about one second.

Forward Alert with Collision Mitigation uses a front radar to measure the distance between the vehicle and moving objects ahead. If the system determines that the “time to collision” is below a certain threshold, it issues a warning – both aurally and visually via an indicator light projected on the windscreen. If the driver doesn’t react, the braking system is pre-charged, and brakes are automatically applied with 0.3g of deceleration as soon as the driver lifts off the gas pedal.

Ford’s Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) uses radar sensors to detect vehicles in blind spots during normal driving above 10km/h. The system provides a warning LED light in the wing mirror when a vehicle is detected. BLIS works in conjunction with Ford’s Cross Traffic Alert, which uses side radar to alert drivers of vehicles they can’t see. If, for instance you’re parked between two larger vehicles, Cross Traffic is able to detect a vehicle approaching from as many as seven parking spaces away on either side.

Roll Stability Control constantly monitors vehicle movement and can apply brakes and reduce engine torque to mitigate the chance of a rollover.
Ford’s Auto High Beam Control uses a front-mounted camera to actively identify and classify light sources like traffic and streetlights, and automatically activates the high beams as needed. The Ford Everest has both high-intensity discharge (HID) head lights and LED daytime running lights (DRLs) powered by smart technology, enabling them to automatically adjust themselves based on available light.

Beyond its active safety features and these also include Lane Departure Warning, Active Park Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control, the Ford Everest gets seven airbags – including front, side, curtain and knee airbags – as well as seatbelt pre-tensioners, and second- and third-row child seat anchors. More than that, in the event of an accident, Ford Emergency Assistance is able to connect drivers to emergency service responders through the SYNC interface – with no associated subscription fees.

The 2015 Ford Everest also features Ford’s MyKey technology which allows parents to program a special key for their children, limiting the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume, and encourage seatbelt use through a persistent Belt-Minder warning. Other settings block incoming calls on phones paired with SYNC, and display earlier low-fuel warnings to remind young drivers to fill up. The new Ford Everest also gets front and rear cameras and sensors.

“The new Ford Everest is fully loaded with advanced technologies that provide real-world benefits: It’s about providing the best driving experience, not just technology for its own sake,” said Worthington. “The Ford Everest reshapes what consumers can expect in a rugged, capable off-road SUV.”

Ford hasn’t released pricing or full specifications for Australian vehicles, so watch this space.