Ford expands Everest range, cuts prices

FORD Australia has expanded its Everest SUV range to include rear-wheel-drive and five-seat versions of the entry-level Ambiente, while cutting prices of its existing range which now starts at $47,990 before on-roads for the rear-drive five-seat Ambiente.

The Ambiente has grown from a single variant to include four different spec levels, including rear- and all-wheel-drive and five- and seven-seat capacity, while the point of entry for the Everest range is now $7000 cheaper than before.

Pricing for the existing seven-seat all-wheel-drive Ambiente has dropped by $1000, while the pair of Trend variants and top-spec Titanium have come down by $2000 apiece.

Ford’s Sync3 infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is offered on all Ambiente variants, making it standard across the range, as is an 8.0-inch touchscreen display with reversing camera.

Other standard equipment for the Ambiente includes dual-zone climate control, driver instrument cluster with dual 4.2-inch LCD displays, 10-speaker audio and running boards.

The Ambiente is differentiated by black plastic front bumper, running boards and side vents.

All Ambiente variants include the Everest’s full suite of driver airbags that netted it a five-star ANCAP safety rating, as well as safety features such as dynamic stability control, traction control and rollover mitigation.

For those who want to haul a load, the Everest is rated for 3000kg of braked towing, while trailer pre-wiring and trailer sway control are fitted as standard.

It has 1050 litres of cargo space as standard, which can be increased with the 60:40 second-row seats folded down.

No changes have been made to the Everest’s powertrain, which still uses a 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel unit delivering 147kW/470Nm and teamed to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Ford Australia president and CEO Graeme Whickman said the reduced price of the five-seat Everest would give families more reason to choose the Ranger-based SUV.

“The addition of the five-seat Everest gives more Australians access to an award-winning SUV with five-star safety, space for the whole family and genuine off-road ability,” he said.

Last year Ford sold 3614 Everests, placing it ahead of the Holden Colorado 7/Trailblazer with 3285 sales, but behind other ute-based SUVs such as the Isuzu MU-X (7018), Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (6238) and Toyota Fortuner (3871).

To the end of March this year it has nabbed 888 sales, ahead of the Trailblazer (756) and Fortuner (472) but still off the pace of the Pajero Sport (2158) and MU-X (1537).

2017 Ford Everest pricing*

Ambiente RWD five-seat (a)	$47,990
Ambiente RWD seven-seat (a)	$48,990
Ambiente 4WD five-seat (a)	$52,990
Ambiente 4WD seven-seat (a)	$53,990
Trend RWD seven-seat (a)	$53,990
Trend 4WD seven-seat (a)	$58,990
Titanium 4WD seven-seat (a)	$74,990

*Excludes on-road costs