Ford Everest in the eye of a storm

Ford has found itself in a spot of bother recently, following the revelation that its Ranger-based Everest SUV has been engineered for heavy-duty work off the road, but has been approved by the federal government in a passenger-car role. This does not preclude it from being used in an off-road scenario, Ford says.

The company, knowing in advance that it would be introducing a 4x2 variant, wrote up the documents defining the Everest as a road-going passenger car, rather than a traditional-style all-terrain wagon... and then submitted those documents to the federal government's Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, which put an 'MA' stamp on the Everest's file.

That marks the Everest as a passenger car, not an off-road-capable passenger-carrying vehicle ('MC'). This has left serious bush-bashing fans of the Everest more than a bit miffed, especially if they've already bought one with hearts set on turning it into a mini monster truck.

Although the Everest remains a very capable vehicle in all sorts of terrain, it can't be fitted with the sort of tyres that would make it all the more capable. Many of these tyres, with lower speed ratings, are not legal for a passenger vehicle like the Everest – easily able to exceed the tyre's limitations on the road. However, Ford says that chunky N-rated tyres that are limited to 140km/h are legal for the Everest. The Bridgestone Dueler A/T D604V is one such tyre.

"The Everest has been engineered thoroughly and properly in Australia to be a genuine off-road vehicle – and it's been applauded and tested by the media for that very reason… its off-road credentials," Ford Australia Product Communications Manager Damion Smy told motoring.com.au today.

"To say it's not a proper four-wheel drive is not actually correct."

Smy confirmed that the Everest has been built to meet the federal government's MC standards, but Ford was content to homologate the Everest in accordance with the MA (road-going passenger-car) standard.

"MC standards refer to things like approach angle and suspension clearance and axle clearances. And the Everest meets all those clearance standards to be an MC vehicle," he said.

When asked whether Ford Australia would consider resubmitting the Everest 4x4 variants for homologation to the MC standard, the spokesman answered in the negative.

"It's not something we're looking at... it's a genuine off-road vehicle that we've designed and engineered – and that's not going to change no matter how we classify it."

Backing his remarks he pointed to the Everest's warranty provisions, which officially allow the Ford to go bush. And the owner's manual also includes tips on driving off the beaten track.

The Everest is not an isolated case, with Jeep's Grand Cherokee another all-terrain SUV that is an MA-category vehicle. Recent newcomer Haval has the same issue with its H9 – nominally a Toyota Prado rival, but in the MA category, unlike the Toyota. And BMW's X5 is another, despite its smaller stablemate, the X3, being rated MC.

Isuzu Ute, finding itself in the same predicament as Ford with its MU-X – available in both 4x2 and 4x4 models – chose to homologate the SUV twice, 'MC' for the 4x4s, 'MA' for the 4x2s. This, according to some buyers, is what Ford should have done, but the real weekend warriors who head out into the bush are understood to be a minority of Everest buyers, and the introduction of the 4x2 model reflects that.

We've compiled a list of MC-classified vehicles as a guide, so if the machine that interests you is not on that list it's important to ask the right questions before buying.

Audi Q5,
BMW X3,
Holden Trailblazer,
Isuzu MU-X (4x4 only),
Jeep Wrangler,
Land Rover Discovery 4,
Land Rover Discovery Sport,
Range Rover,
Range Rover Sport,
Lexus LX 570
Mazda CX-9 (AWD only),
Mercedes-Benz G-Class,
Mitsubishi Pajero,
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport,
Nissan Y62 Patrol,
Subaru Forester,
Subaru Outback,
Suzuki Grand Vitara (4WD only),
Suzuki Jimny
Toyota FJ Cruiser,
Toyota Fortuner,
Toyota LandCruiser Prado,
Toyota LandCruiser 200 (non-commercial)
Volkswagen Touareg,
Volvo XC60 (AWD),
Volvo XC70,
Volvo XC90