Ford Everest Platinum Prototype 2022 Review

If the new-generation 2022 Ford Ranger is the most anticipated vehicle launch of the year, then the new 2022 Ford Everest can’t be far behind.

The first generation of the seven-seat SUV over-reached a little in ambition and pricing, but still impressed us as a vehicle tuned with great sympathy for Australian conditions.

That made sense because like the Ford Ranger it’s fundamentally based on, the ladder-frame diesel-powered Ford Everest was designed and engineered in Australia at the US car-maker’s family of Victorian product development facilities.

Now, the Ford crew has had a chance to ingest the learnings from that vehicle, the feedback from owners and pour it all into the new Everest.

Much of what they’ve done has already been revealed in various carsales stories and videos we’ve linked to at the bottom of this yarn.

Check through them all and one thing that’s missing is drive impressions. Well, we’re fixing that today. But we’ll leave that bit till later.

First, a reprise.

Built in Thailand and going on sale in August, the new 2022 Ford Everest comes in four equipment specifications: Ambiente and Trend are carry-over and Sport and Platinum are new permanent members of the range, the latter replacing Titanium.

Ambiente and Trend come as 4x2 or 4x4 mated only with the familiar 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo diesel four-cylinder engine and 10-speed automatic.

Sport and Platinum are exclusively 4x4, powered by the new 3.0-litre ‘Lion’ V6 turbo-diesel mated to a 10-speed auto.

The old 3.2-litre inline five-cylinder engine has departed Everest, just as it has the Ranger.

The Ambiente comes standard with five seats while the rest of the range has three rows of seating.

Pricing rises around $3000 (give or take) across the range, which starts at $52,990 plus on-road costs and climbs as high as $77,690 plus ORCs for the Platinum.

That’s the model we’re driving here and its pricing places it head-to-head with the VX grade of the Toyota Prado, the iconic market leader in the family 4x4 wagon segment.

Distinguished by its chrome trimming and 21-inch alloy wheels, the Platinum includes exclusive gear such as auto-levelling matrix LED C-clamp headlights, a dual-pane powered sunroof, zone and ambient lighting, satin chrome exterior and interior trim accents, quilted leather seats, a heated second row and steering wheel, power-folding third row and a premium B&O 12-speaker sound system.

That’s on top of other Everest updates applied more widely like the new digital instrument cluster and ‘portrait’ infotainment touch-screen. Naturally, in both cases the Platinum picks up the top spec.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard and there is wireless smartphone charging.

The Ford Everest will be covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Service intervals and costs are yet to be announced.

The new 2022 Ford Everest comes standard with nine airbags (up from seven previously) including a new centre airbag between the front seats to prevent head clashes.

Advanced driver assist systems (DAS) are more comprehensive than before. Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is still the underpinning technology and has vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian detection.

Everest also includes blind spot coverage that extends to a trailer if towing, cross traffic alert, lane keeping with road edge detection and pre-collision assist with intersection functionality.

Adaptive cruise control with lane centring and evasive steering assist are also part of the package.

The Platinum alone gets a standard 360-degree camera and hands- and feet-off active park assist.

All models get front and rear parking sensors and automatic headlights.

The concept of the Ford Everest doesn’t change for this new generation but it sure does get a sharpen-up.

The 2022 Ford Everest now rides on the third-generation T6 architecture, sharing the first two-thirds of the frame, the 50mm-wider tracks and 50mm-further-forward front axle position with the new Ford Ranger.

The back third is redesigned. While the ute and wagon share double wishbones and coils up front, the Everest swaps from leaf springs to coils and a Watts link for its live rear axle. The wheelbase is also shorter than on the Ranger.

The electric assist steering is the same hardware as Ranger but tuned specifically for Everest. The disc brake system has been upgraded from the old model.

The Lion V6 is the big drivetrain news, boasting 184kW at 3250rpm and 600Nm between 1750 and 2250rpm. The sole transmission choice is an upgraded 10R80 10-speed auto mated with a full-time 4x4 system managed by a Borg-Warner electronically controlled on-demand two-speed electromechanical transfer case with selectable drive modes.

Those modes are Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud/Ruts and Sand.

Key Everest Platinum numbers include a boosted 3500kg braked towing capacity (up from 3000/3100kg), 6250kg gross combined mass, 3150kg gross vehicle mass, 2492kg kerb weight and 658kg payload.

In terms of measurements, the new Everest is longer, taller and has a stretched wheelbase and widened tracks. Body width is much the same, although Ford says it has eked out a little more passenger and luggage space with some clever packaging.

Off-road, the Everest gives up a little ground clearance compared to its predecessor, has slightly better approach and departure angles and an equivalent breakover. Its turning circle expands from 11.7m to 11.8m and its fording ability remains 800mm.

The muscular-looking new Ford Everest shares no sheet-metal or glass with its predecessor and only the front door skins, bonnet and fenders are shared with the Ranger.

And so to the drive of the new-generation 2022 Ford Everest Platinum.

Straight up we have to tell you the experience was very short and very limited. One low-range lap of Ford’s short, if enjoyably, technical off-road course at its You Yangs test centre.

Our pre-production Platinum was camouflaged as this drive took place last February before the covers came off. And you might also note the 21-inch wheels and tyres have been replaced by 18-inch wheels and all-terrain tyres.

This is an option that is being offered in production teamed with a swap to the Sport’s steel underbody from standard Platinum plastic.

Get in the Everest Platinum and new seats and the addition of reach adjustment to the steering wheel (alongside rake) are appreciated. So is the full-time tacho in the instrument cluster. No longer is it part of a selectable menu.

The new touch-screen is enormous but seemed set slightly low to me. It is not angled toward the driver. It includes a dedicated off-road mode and camera views, the latter handy as we picked our way around the course.

Being low-speed and off-road there’s not a lot we can tell you about on-road and higher-speed manners of the new V6 Everest, but our previous experience of the latest Ranger fitted with the new drivetrain bodes well.

The old Everest was a solid performer in four- or five-cylinder form, but this engine should elevate it to a whole new level as a long-distance cruiser, towing vehicle and family transporter.

It’s also apparent, from the display vehicles we have seen as well as our limited drive, the new Everest is a more welcoming place to ride, with a more modern feel thanks to those new digital displays.

So onto our short drive and best we can really say is the new Everest Platinum dealt with each obstacle posed by the course – which is just as well considering it was on home ground!

It powered up and over a short, sharp, steep hill climb with little fuss after the rear diff lock was engaged via the touch-screen (no dials nowadays).

Cross-axling a sand mound without diffs locked produced a few seconds of wheelspin at steady throttle until the traction control figured out which wheels to clamp.

The Everest also completed a chassis-twisting traverse of a deep ditch that flipped tracks halfway through. No creaking from the body was evident.

We had the chance to sample a previous-generation Everest on the same day and the new vehicle did feel that little more stable, probably thanks to its wider track. But that’s a very subjective view at this stage.

All we can really say after that experience is the Everest’s mechanical bits did all we could have asked of them. It dealt with each obstacle successfully and nothing fell off.

To be honest, this lap in the new 2022 Ford Everest Platinum was the absolute minimum exposure to a vehicle from which you could draw any sort of drive impression.

It leaves us keen for the proper experience, when we can sample the Everest in a variety of circumstances and road qualities.

It will also be fascinating to see how it stacks up against the Toyota Prado and other key opposition.

Stay tuned!

How much does the 2022 Ford Everest Platinum cost?
Price: $77,690 (plus on-road costs)
Available: August 2022
Powertrain: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Output: 184kW/600Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: TBA
CO2: TBA
Safety rating: Not tested