SPY PICS: Ford Everest in action

Ford's new Australian designed and engineered Everest broke cover in final production form last week, when a left-hand drive prototype emerged overseas looking distinctly similar to the concept that made its global debut in Sydney last August.

Now our local spy photographers have snapped a right-hand drive version of the seven-seat SUV undergoing testing on public roads in Victoria, confirming the smart new styling with which the Everest will come to market next year.

As with the vehicle spotted abroad last week, the Everest you see here wears a number of Ford SUV design cues, including blacked-out D-pillars that give the rear of the glasshouse a wrap-around effect.

However, unlike the Falcon-based Territory, which is expected to be replaced by North America's next-generation Edge when Ford Australia ceases production by October 2016, the Everest is based on the separate ladder chassis that also underpins the locally engineered Ranger ute.

That's why previous pre-production versions of the Everest snapped both in Australia and undergoing cold-weather testing in Europe wore cobbled-together panels from both the Ranger and Territory.

Ford has confirmed the Everest will be built in Thailand, which is where the vast majority of Australia's one-tonne utes are made, including the Ranger.

The Everest will be a direct competitor for Toyota's top-selling Prado, as well as a range of ute-based off-road SUVs including Holden Colorado 7, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Challenger and a replacement for Nissan's previous Navara-based Pathfinder.

Expect the Everest to be specified similarly to Ford's top-spec Ranger, meaning a 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo diesel and six-speed auto as standard, but the tray-back's leaf-sprung live rear axle to be replaced by a coil-sprung system with trailing arms and Watts links for the wagon.

The Everest could also introduce a new multi-mode 4WD system similar to the Terrain Management System seen in North America's Explorer.

Significantly for Ranger customers, the Everest could also herald the new-look front-end and revised interior that are expected to be adopted as part of a midlife makeover for the ute sometime after the SUV's release in 2015.