Ford Everest Wildtrak 2024 Review

Priced from $74,404 plus on-road costs (it was $73,090 when it was announced in May), the 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak adds a third 4x4 V6 seven-seater to the line-up, splitting the Ford Everest Sport V6 4x4 (from $72,490 plus ORCs) and the flagship Ford Everest Platinum V6 4x4 (from $79,490).

Of course, there are also cheaper four-cylinder Everest models and even 4x2s.

The Everest is based on the Ranger ute and the Wildtrak name has been a permanent part of the line-up for years. But in the case of the Everest, the Wildtrak is a limited-edition of 800 units, with supply due to be completed from the factory in Thailand by early 2024.

It’s the first limited-edition since the new-gen Everest launched in August 2022, but it won’t be the last – Ford has already hinted another batch of Everest Wildtraks could be coming in the future. That’s handy, because this run is already sold out.

Limited-editions are already an integral part of Ford’s marketing of the Ranger, the off-road-oriented Wildtrak X being the most recent example.

Ford says the Everest Wildtrak is the peak off-roader in the range while the Platinum is more luxury and road-oriented. But there’s actually been no mechanical changes to the Everest Wildtrak to underline that.

The most logical rival for the Everest Wildtrak is the Toyota Prado, which even as it runs out ahead of a new generation in 2024 continues to be the sales leader in the segment.

Ute-based ladder-frame SUV rivals – albeit cheaper than the Everest – include the Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner.

The 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak is an almost entirely cosmetic effort. In equipment terms it raids the Platinum parts bin for a panoramic sunroof, zone lighting, chrome roof rails and a couple of safety items (which we’ll get to shortly), but otherwise it’s pretty much a Sport V6 by another name.

So, those cosmetics. The Wildtrak badging is obvious, but it also gets its own 20-inch alloy wheel and side step design and the grille and front bumper are presented in the same ‘Bolder Grey’ colour as the Ranger Wildtrak.

Wheel lip mouldings, fender vents and mirror caps are also finished in Bolder Grey.

Speaking of colours, the Wildtrak is available in Luxe Yellow like its ute sibling. It’s one of five $700 Prestige Paint options. Arctic White, as presented here, is no-cost.

Inside, the Wildtrak gets orange stitching and the Wildtrak name embossed in the front seats.

Otherwise it’s familiar stuff. The car is accessed by keyless entry and the tailgate is powered and hands-free. There is leather seat trim and a leather-accented steering wheel.

The front seats include heating and ventilation while the driver gets 10-way power adjustment and the passenger eight-way. Second-row outboard passengers also get heating.

The Wildtrak also comes with dual-zone climate control with second- and third-row outlets, an electric park brake and 12-volt charging in rows one and three and the boot.

A full-size spare tyre mounted on an alloy wheel is located under the floor at the rear.

A five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty is provided and service intervals are 15,000km/12 months. Service pricing averages out at $471.80 for each of the first five workshop visits, but Ford does provide indicative pricing out to 180,000km/12 years on its website.

Like the rest of the range, the 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2022 protocols.

It joins the Platinum in having tyre pressure monitoring and a 360-degree camera, but otherwise its safety systems and equipment are reflective of the overall range.

There are nine airbags including a centre-front airbag to prevent head knocks and curtain airbags that extend all the way to row three.

The driver assist system is one of the most sophisticated and best calibrated going around. Engage adaptive cruise control and the Everest Wildtrak will cruise fuss-free hands-off along a highway or freeway remaining centred in its lane.

Seriously, there are some rival car company engineers who need to drive the Everest so they understand how far off the pace their systems are!

The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system monitors for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Also included is traffic sign recognition with an intelligent speed adjust function, reverse brake assist, front and rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring (it adds trailer coverage if you option the $1700 Tow Pack) and auto LED headlights and high beam.

There are three child seat top tether strap points on row two and two on row three. ISOFIX mounts are in the outboard seats of row two.

There is nothing here that separates the 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak from the slightly cheaper Ford Everest Sport.

They both get the imposing 12-inch infotainment screen mounted vertically in the dashboard as well as an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster.

Only the Platinum Everest gets the bigger 12.4-inch instrument cluster (along with Ranger Platinum and Raptor) and that’s a pity because full-size screen is undoubtedly better and would have at least given the Wildtrak some obvious differentiation from the Sport in terms of tech.

The Wildtrak also misses out on the Platinum’s 12-speaker B&O audio system, making do with a 10-speaker unbranded set-up.

Most everything else is familiar stuff for all Everest owners: wireless or cabled Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging, embedded sat-nav, AM/FM and digital radio, Bluetooth streaming and the FordPass Connect phone app with embedded modem (very handy for remote unlocking). There are USB-A and USB-C points in the first and second seating rows.

The Ford SYNC 4A operating system underpins all this and does a consistently efficient job. Wireless smartphone connection is quick and rarely falters in my experience.

The 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak is powered by the 3.0-litre ‘Lion’ SOHC 60-degree V6 turbo-diesel that delivers 184kW at 3250rpm and 600Nm between 1750-2250rpm. None of the Everest’s rivals can top those outputs.

The engine mates to Ford’s 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission and then drives the wheels via a sophisticated Borg-Warner transfer case that can run in rear-wheel drive and open and locked centre diff 4x4 in high range and low range.

A locking rear diff provides help in the toughest stuff, while braked traction control on the front wheels is retained in low range.

Its drivetrain can be tuned by the driver through Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud/Ruts and Sand modes. There is no Sport mode.

The gearbox does not have a manual shift lever or paddles. Instead, it can only be manipulated via buttons on the weirdly shaped and unhelpful gear selector borrowed from the Ranger. It also includes a gear-hold button for towing.

The 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak is officially claimed to average 8.5L/100km and emit 224g/km of CO2 on the ADR Combined test cycle.

In the course of compiling this review we drove two Everest Wildtrak models in stop-start city and suburban traffic with the auto stop-start trying to save fuel, on freeways, in the country and off-road in low range and both emerged with a 10.7L/100km average.

Considering this thing weighs 2.5 tonnes (approx) and has the aero efficiency of a block of flats, that’s not too bad.

Ladder-frame SUVs don’t have much of a reputation as pleasant on-road drives, but the 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak goes some way to addressing that.

First off, that engine is definitely an asset. Look, it does feel the weight it has to pull, but it copes gamely. If you really put the foot down it will accelerate swiftly enough to ensure overtakes and hills are conquered efficiently. A Sport mode to sharpen the throttle would be appreciated.

Be less aggressive with the throttle and it’s happy to idle up from tip-in revs to redline with quietness and smoothness more akin to a petrol V6. Yep, refinement rather than gung-ho performance is its greatest strength.

The transmission isn’t quite so fuss-free. With 10 speeds it’s no surprise there’s a sense of perpetual motion coming from the gearset. It’s commendable that it’s not more intrusive.

However, the lack of manual gearshift paddles or a proper gear lever are missed. The gear blob is not as annoying as it was at launch – Ford has retuned the action, we think – but it’s still not optimal.

The added control manual shifting provides clashes with the way the Everest Wildtrak is designed to roll down the road with disciplined body control, reliable grip (in rear- or all-wheel drive) up to a point and electric assist steering that requires more effort than normally associated with Ford products (especially when lane keep is activated).

It’s about as sporting (translation: not very) as you could expect from a vehicle that weighs 2488kg, measures 4914m long, 1923mm wide and 1837mm tall, and has a double-wishbone front/live-axle coil-spring rear suspension.

Rolling on 255/55 R20 Goodyear Wrangler highway terrain tyres, the Everest Wildtrak has a firm basis to its ride. It does iron the sharp edges off the bumps and crags, but it’s not a softy.

It is more compliant than the Platinum that rides on lower-profile 21s and for that reason alone the Wildtrak is the more comfy family transporter.

It would be great for a long, adventurous journey on country roads. Around town? It’s going to mean some work.

The 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak has the ingredients to be a capable off-roader. The drivetrain is backed up by a generous 226mm ground clearance, 800mm of wading depth and an 11.8m turning circle.

Approach (30.2), departure (25) and breakover (21.9) degrees are the same as the Sport and Platinum V6 4x4 models.

As a no-cost option you can also trade in the Wildtrak’s 20-inch highway rubber for 18-inch all-terrains. If you’re going to do a decent amount of off-roading it’s a good idea.

We subjected the Wildtrak to a quite steep and technical climb. Once low range was locked in on the centre console dial and the rear diff via the touch-screen, the SUV motored over rock and root ledges, scrambled over humps and swales and coped with a fair degree of cross axle-ing … until it couldn’t.

Basically, the highway tyres ran out of grip and the driver ran out of talent. The system does not provide traction control in low range (like Toyotas do) and that was missed.

Driving back down the trail, hill descent control – also accessed by the screen – proved effective. Cameras also help see the extremities of the vehicle.

The message is clear, this is an effective off-roader as well as on-roader.

The Wildtrak comes with two front recovery hooks and steel underbody protection.

Like all seven-seat members of the range, the 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak is very flexible when it comes to how many people and how much stuff it can carry.

With all seven seats occupied there is 259 litres of luggage space, with row three folded there is 898 litres, and with only the front seats occupied there is a massive 1818 litres. Helpfully, all the seats fold flat, which makes loading and unloading easier.

The Everest Wildtrak can tow up to 3500kg braked. But combine that with its 6250kg gross combined mass (GCM) and you’re left with a payload of just 262kg, so pack lightly for that family trip. At 3000kg it inches up to 362kg, so it’s a challenge. Unladen payload is 662kg.

There is nothing apart from cosmetics that distinguishes the interior of the 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak from other members of the breed.

But that isn’t such a big deal. As already pointed out, Everest’s got a flexible interior, lots of tech and a comfortable and quiet cabin.

The driver gets a steering wheel with reach and rake adjustment and a supportive, sizeable seat that adjusts for height off the front and rear of the cushion (which is always preferable).

The digital instrument panel is not great. At best, the tacho is a bar graph scrunched in the corner. What’s the matter with two dials for speedo and tacho?

On the positive side, there is a lot of ways to customise the screen with info including multiple trip computers and off-road screens.

The huge infotainment screen imposes itself on the dashboard and provides a great map view. There are now favourite shortcuts on the screen and hard buttons for air-con and audio controls. They make life so much easier.

The presentation around the cockpit is predominantly dark, but there are soft surfaces where elbows and hands tend to land including the top of the door sills and the lidded bin. Other areas such as the top of the dashboard are quite hard.

Storage up front includes the aforementioned lidded bin, sizeable door bins, double cup holders and two glove boxes. Your phone can be tucked away on the wireless charger at the bottom of the centre console.

Move to row two and useability is aided by a sliding seat-base and 66/33 split-folding. There are also dual seat-back pockets, a fold-down arm rest with pop-out dual cup holders and door bins that will swallow cups.

Space is acceptable rather than generous in row two for adults. It just doesn’t have as much legroom as expected. The seat position is raised to help the view out, but it still feels pretty enclosed. There is little support offered as the seat is flat as a tack.

The sunroof does reduce headroom in row one and two, but you’d have to be a basketball centre to notice.

The row-two seats easily fold down or slide forward to aid third-row access. It’s for the kids back there. A taller person – not a basketball centre! – could survive for a little while if the row-two bench is moved forward. The third-row seats fold 50/50.

The boot area includes an underfloor storage area, lighting and four hooks in the floor.

If you’re in the market for a Ford Everest V6 4x4 then no doubt the Wildtrak fits the bill. But that’s because the Everest is a very good vehicle, not that the Wildtrak is a particularly impressive derivative.

Frankly, there’s virtually nothing beyond cosmetics that make the 2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak a must-buy ahead of the cheaper Sport V6.

Some upgrading of off-road capability would have been appreciated considering this model is intended to be the flagship in that regard.

To be blunt, this is very much a ‘roll the arm’ effort from Ford. A badging effort for marketing purposes and little more. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s all part of the automotive business.

But what we really want to see is an Everest Wildtrak X that really addresses the off-roading task, just like the Ranger Wildtrak X upgrades do.

And while you’re at it, Ford, how about a cheaper V6 Everest and even a 4x2? Those are the sort of Everest models plenty of us are waiting for.

2024 Ford Everest Wildtrak V6 4x4 at a glance:
Price: $74,704 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Output: 184kW/600Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 224g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)