2022 Ford Everest review: Prototype drive

Hot on the heels of the 2022 Ford Ranger ute launch, the Ford Everest wagon will be dropping in showrooms around August.

As Ford Australia did with the next-gen Ranger ute, it invited a select group of media to preview the new wagon months before it was revealed to the public.

First up was a visit to the Ford Design Studio in Broadmeadows, Victoria, where we got our first look at the 2022 Everest. Those details were revealed in March, along with the powertrain specification.

UPDATE, September 13, 2022: New Ford Everest on sale, and we've driven it!

The new-generation 2023 Ford Everest is finally on sale in Australia, and our man Matt Raudonikis has driven it. Get the full story, and our first-drive video, at the link below.

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The story to here

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After the design reveal it was a trip to the Ford Proving Ground at You Yangs for our first stint behind the wheel of the new model. The ride for the day was a pre-production prototype, so it was still camouflaged and in some areas incomplete.

It was a high-spec Platinum model distinguished by its raised roof rails and ludicrous 21-inch diameter alloy wheels, which only the top model gets as standard. The Everest Platinum is set to start at $77,690+ORC.

More importantly, the prototype was powered by the new 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive system, which is basically what has just debuted in the Ranger ute.

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The 600Nm diesel V6 revealed its performance chops on an unsealed road loop with a couple of little ruts that required slowing down to cross. There’s plenty of grunt available under the driver’s right boot that should equate to what’s needed to haul the now 3500kg maximum tow rating. That’s right, the T6 wagon now gets the same tow rating as the Ranger ute on the similar T6 ladder frame platform.

The Everest has a coil-spring live axle under the back end as opposed to the Ranger’s leaf springs, and combined with the wider track of the new model provides a stable and well-behaved chassis package on rougher roads.

It will be really interesting to drive these cars with a load on board and/or with the Ford-approved optional ARB Old Man Emu suspension fitted.

Low range

After the road loop we selected low range in the new full-time 4x4 transfer case, and mud/ruts in the Multi Terrain Selector, to tackle the off-road loop.

I still think that selecting the modes in the MTS will take some familiarisation, as it is possible by using the off-road pages on the large centre-stack screen or using a dial on the console. Selecting some of the off-road modes in MTS automatically shifts the transfer case in to low range and activates the rear differential lock. I’m sure it will become second nature after more time behind the wheel of the new Fords.

This is the same off-road course we did in the new Rangers a few months prior, and again the Everest covered it with relative ease. Steep climbs and descents, a hump taken diagonally that showed up the cross-axle articulation, a rocky dry creek crossing and steep side slopes, all put the Ford through its paces but well within the limits of the vehicle.

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Engaging the front camera provided a handy forward view when crossing the blind crests to show which way the track went. It’s a bit like having a spotter to give you direction. The big portrait screen that displays images from the camera forms the hub of the info and entertainment system. It takes up most of the new centre of the dash.

The Everest will be available in five- or seven-seat models, with the new seat actions that fold completely flat on the second and third rows to give you the best cargo storage options. The interior isn’t really any bigger than the outgoing model, but the location of the seats gives more space for second- and third-row occupants than what was available in the outgoing model.

It’s an interior that promises to be more accommodating for families, and when combined with the new powertrains and features, this new Everest should provide Ford with its best opportunity yet to take on the ageing yet seemingly unapproachable Toyota Prado in this category of wagon.

2022 Ford Everest 4x4 pricing