SPY PICS: New Ford Everest hits the road

The first interior images of the all-new 2022 Ford Ranger have emerged courtesy of these spy shots of the next-generation Ford Everest published by Spanish website Motor.es.

Ford commenced its official teaser campaign for the next-gen Ford Ranger last week, ahead of its world debut later this year and its global release early next year, and these images show the new Everest won’t be far behind.

Once again the next Ford Ranger and Everest will share the same Australian-developed ladder frame (in this case dubbed T6.2) as well as the interior and the same engines.

As we’ve reported, the latter will include a single-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder at base level, a carryover twin-turbo version of the same engine and, for premium models, a new 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel – all matched with a 10-speed automatic. A plug-in hybrid powertrain is expected to join the Ranger line-up later.

And as these first spy shots show, the 2022 Ford Everest will share the new Ranger’s tough new F-150-inspired front-end design with C-shaped LED signatures punctuating the headlights.

But the big news here is the all-new interior that will be shared by the replacements for Australia’s top-selling dual-cab 4x4 ute and the popular seven-seat off-road SUV.

While the vehicle pictured here appears to be a base model with a small central infotainment screen surrounded by hard controls, higher-spec models will come with a much larger colour touch-screen with SYNC4 interface.

Below that is a familiar climate control unit but the big changes reside on the centre console, where a new rotary gearshift selector dial replaces the traditional shifter in existing Ranger and Everest models.

Alongside it in this pre-production engineering mule is another rotary dial, which is likely to be a new drive mode selector that will move from its temporary position in this test vehicle and back to the centre console.

Also evident in these images of the next Ford Everest being tested in Europe is an electric parking brake and a new multifunction three-spoke steering wheel.

All that said, apart from the steering wheel and multimedia unit, the dashboard you see here appears virtually identical to the unit in the outgoing Everest, and is expected to be replaced by an all-new design.

That would explain why it hasn’t been concealed in this engineering vehicle, unlike the revised centre console, which appears to also be carryover but with the new rotary gear selector bolted on.

So it remains to be seen exactly how much change is coming inside the new Ford Ranger and Everest – and the closely related second-generation Volkswagen Amarok that will follow in 2023.

Images courtesy of Motor.es