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- Ford Everest 3.0 V6 4WD Platinum (2023) Review
When Ford announced that the new generation Ranger and Everest were soon to inbound to South Africa, the hype was palpable. Although being launched last year the first units are only now available to the public and the hype is still very much alive. We spent the December holidays getting acquainted with the new 3.0 V6 Platinum model and put the vehicle to many a task to see if it is still built Africa tough.
Interior & Space
Peak Adventure SUV
The Ford Everest first landed in 2009 in South Africa and immediately began to make an impact on the local 7-seater SUV market. 4000 units were initially sold until the second generation arrived in 2015. The second-generation model elevated the model to new highs and sales almost reaching 27 000 units.
The latest generation hype started relatively early on with teasers and pre-release press conferences being held with Ford Thailand and Ford Australia giving us early insights into the new model and what to expect when it finally landed in South Africa. We attended the official launch late last year but it would be a further few months before the fresh new fleet of Everests arrived in South Africa and became available to the public.
Ford South Africa however had a few of the launch models left over and offered one up for an extended test during the December break and we decided this would be the ideal time to put the bulky people mover to task and do as much as we could in just a few short weeks.
Styling
The new Everest not only looks completely different but is also longer, wider, and taller than the outgoing model. Gone are the rounded-off edges and dumpy styling cues and in their place is Ford’s signature styling that you now find across Ford’s truck range. The Everest is big and square and very American in its appearance with large square LED C-clamp headlights, a big bold grille, and enough Platinum badging to remind you what you’re in.
The Platinum gets 21-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels with Goodyear OEM fitment All-terrain tyres that are planted out in the corners of the vehcile to aid not only in stance but stability. A set of running board step sills give the Everest a lower to the ground appearance while chunky LED taillights and a horizontal bar joining them give the back end a prominent feature to look at.
The Everest manages to look bigger and meaner than it is. The previous model looked European but this new version seems to have taken back its American roots. We do very much like the way it looks and it somehow manages to make every other 7-seater SUV in South Africa look archaic by comparison.
Space & Interior
The interior of the new Everest is what truly elevates it out of the segment. The seating is clad in soft plush leather with a quilted pattern while the dash, centre console, and door cards get the soft touch leather covering accompanied by faux wood. The interior is well-appointed and clutter-free lending it an air of spaciousness that is well-deserved. We actually made use of the Everest to move a house and were able to fit an astonishing amount of goods inside once the seats had all been laid flat.
Close to 2000l of space is available this way with the space decreasing as the rows of seats are raised. There are also a number of storage compartments for drinks, snacks, and electronics scattered about the cabin that make just about any road trip a luxury experience.
Comfort & Convenience
Comfort is high on the list of priorities with the Everest. Three-zone climate control with heated front and rear seats, the front seats are also cooled and for those very frosty mornings there is a heated steering wheel. There are a host of type-C and Type-A USB ports as well as 12v outlets and a 400v inverter plug to keep all your devices connected and charged.
The dash is dominated by a 12-inch touchscreen featuring Ford’s latest generation SYNC 4 system and sends tunes to a Bang and Olufsen sound system. This system has a number of handy features such as the full electric owner’s manual available at the touch of a button as well as Android Auto and Apple Car Play for connectivity.
The Platinum model gets a sleek gear selector that has a handy party trick, if you forget the vehicle in Drive and switch off the engine at the Stop/Start button, the selector will automatically shift itself into Park. These are just a few of the highlights of a vehicle that is packed to the brim with features that you randomly stumble upon.
Performance
The new Everest range is powered by two different engines. The Everest Sport gets the 2.0 Bi Turbo that we are familiar with but the Platinum is equipped with the new 3.0l V6 turbo diesel engine that is perfectly paired to the 10-speed auto transmission. The power plant delivers 184kW and 600Nm and will accelerate to 100km/h in under 9 seconds.
Making use of the various drive modes mainly works for surface conditions and has little noticeable effect to on-road driving with the vehicle suspension taking on most of the changes. This does not hamper drivability but ensures that the vehicle behaves in a balanced and controlled way when you are getting on it.
Fuel Economy
Ford South Africa puts consumption figures of the 3.0 V6 at 8.5l / 100km. After a few weeks of varied use, we can report figures ranging from 9.8 to 14l /100km. Our best returns came during the long-distance open road travels in ECO mode while the heaviest came during the short trips towing a loaded trailer.
Safety
Another standout of the Everest is the high level of safety equipment on offer. For the Drive, there is the regular alphabet soup of acronyms to assist drivers such as ABS, EBD, TSC, and tyre pressure monitoring but you will also find BSM (Blind Spot Monitoring), Lane Keeping Assist, Hill Descent, and Ascent Control as well as 6 airbags.
You also get a 360-degree camera system to assist with close maneuvering in tight spaces and sensors at the front and rear that detect cross traffic and pedestrians. ISOFix is fitted for child seats and there is Adaptive Cruise Control to keep everyone safe and happy on those longer trips.
Price
Some may balk at the million rand price tag for a seven-seater SUV that has gone tow to toe with vehicles in the 785k ballpark in the past but the new Everest has elevated itself out of that bracket and is now worth every penny of its price tag and is even considered a bargain when taking into account the new weight class it finds itself in.
| Model | Price (incl. VAT) |
| Ford Everest 2.0 BiTurbo 4×4 Sport | R 965 400 |
| Ford Everest 3.0 V6 4WD Platinum | R 1 113 100 |
Competitors
Many consumers will remember that the Everest squared up against other 7-seater rivals such as the Isuzu D Max, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, and the ever-present Toyota Fortuner. With the new model now sporting higher levels of tech, better features, and premium fitment it now takes a step up and out of this category and now competes against the Toyota Prado and Land Rover Defender 110, both of which are somewhat more expensive, making the Everest an absolute deal.
Verdict
The new Everest has set the bar very high for upcoming 7-seater SUVs. WIth its new styling, copius amounts of tech and features, and a price that is hard to beat, the competitors are going to have to step up the game to even come close to how good this new adventure vehicle is.
The Everest is one of those few vehicles that we are sad to see leave our stable and hope to one day own because its just that good.
Lawrence MinnieLawrence has been involved with motorsports for almost 30 years. Whether it's two wheels or four, if it has an engine, he will try to race it. This love of motor vehicles has led him to ride, drive, film, photograph, and write about his passion. Freelance for a while but now a permanent fixture on the AutoTrader team for over 7 years, Lawrence contributes written, photographic, and video content for AutoTrader and AutoTrader Bikes.View News & Reviews
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Keyword: Ford Everest 3.0 V6 4WD Platinum (2023) Review