2023 Ford Everest review: Ambiente 4WD

UPDATE, November 16: Ford Everest vs Toyota Prado

We've put the new-generation Ford Everest up against its most popular and obvious rival, the Toyota Prado. Get the full story at the link below.

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Story continues: Ford Everest Ambiente 4WD review

In its first generation, the Ford Everest made quite a stir and why wouldn’t it? The large SUV was essentially a wagon version of the hugely popular Ford Ranger ute but with added big-family appeal thanks to its impressive interior space and comfort-oriented chassis.

And now the second generation has arrived. Like the first Everest, the 2023 model shares much of the Ranger’s underpinnings and therefore many of the features that have earned it widespread acclaim.

But while much of the celebration and ceremony has been bestowed on the introduction of a new V6 diesel at the pointy end of the range, a returning bi-turbo four-cylinder version is garnering less of the limelight.

Like the previous four-cylinder Everest, the new version offers a powerful and efficient diesel engine bolted to a sophisticated automatic transmission, a long list of practical features and, in the Ambiente version tested here, all at the most affordable price of the 2023 model line-up.

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JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• How do rivals compare on value?
• Interior comfort, space and storage
• What is it like to drive?
• How is it on fuel?
• How safe is it?
• Warranty and running costs
• VERDICT
• Specifications

How much is it, and what do you get?

The basics

V6 versions of the new Everest are represented by the high-end Sport and Platinum, commanding prices from about $69,000 to $76,880 before on-road costs. However, the four-cylinder diesel is available in two more affordable variants and with a choice of four and two-wheel drive.

While the mid-pack Trend starts from $60,290, the entry Ambiente costs $52,990 (both before on-road costs) – although our version had a couple of options thrown at it.

Four-wheel drive adds another $5000 to the asking price and, while all other variants are seven-seat as standard, turning the Ambiente into the more accommodating bus costs an extra $950. The $1700 factory-fitted ‘tow pack’ completes the list of options on this particular vehicle for a final as-tested price of $60,640 before on-road costs.

Beyond that brace of additions, everything else is included in the asking price for the Everest Ambiente. That includes its all-LED lighting inside and out, side steps and a central portrait-oriented touchscreen measuring 10.1 inches that is complemented by a second 8.0-inch screen for the driver’s instruments.

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Neither screens feel lost in the Everest’s big dashboard, even though larger versions of the main display are offered in higher-grade variants.

Speaking of larger items, the standard 17-inch alloy wheels wearing all-season rubber can be upgraded to 18-inch with or without all-terrain tyres for up to $1100. Wireless charging is also offered for devices in the front row as standard, as is navigation, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, push-button engine start and keyless entry.

Leather upholstery is not offered until higher-end Everests but the entry version has an attractive and comfortable fabric covering for the seats, while a combination of pleasant materials and patterns cover all other interior surfaces and touchpoints.

Overall, the impression that the Ambiente specification gives is not of an entry-level variant but something more typical of a mid-range offering.

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How do rivals compare on value?

The Everest exists in a fiercely competitive market where price and value are king, but its impressive level of standard equipment combined with diesel/auto/4x4 powertrain stacks up convincingly against its rivals.

There is a modicum of other large SUVs that’ll offer space for seven occupants and diesel power coupled to all-wheel drive, but the list of proper 4x4-based options with respectable off-road credentials is far more limited.

Arch rivals in the ute-based large SUV segment include the HiLux-related Toyota Fortuner with the cheapest version costing $49,715 although the most expensive Crusade compares more closely to the Everest on spec for $63,000.

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Isuzu’s MU-X is the wagonised version of the D-Max priced from $47,900, although the 4x4 costs $53,900, while the mid-range LS-U costs $59,900.

Mitsubishi’s Pajero Sport offers a third alternative from $48,940 for the 4x4 GLX, although the $59,190 Exceed is a more fair comparison.

All these prices are before on-road costs.

While the Ford appears to align closely with these three examples, its four-cylinder diesel is class-leading with a 500Nm torque output that is matched only by the Fortuner, while none other can offer a 10-speed automatic transmission.

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Interior comfort, space and storage

Measuring 4914mm in length, 1842mm tall and 1923mm wide, the new Everest is a big SUV – but most of its space inside has been used wisely.

Up front, there are a variety of well-thought-out cubbies and storage nooks including a useful shelf immediately in front of the passenger, a big central phone charging bay and a storage bin under the armrest.

A conventional glovebox offers a standard amount of storage but, as a nice touch, a second compartment above boosts cubby options to hide things inside the blocky dashboard.

The new Everest is a big SUV, but most of its space inside has been used wisely.

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Front passengers have a clear view of the surroundings with ample room for legs, shoulders and heads, although there’s no electric seat position adjustment for either. Up to three second-row occupants are similarly accommodated with more generous space and their own ventilation fan controller, map lights and a 12-volt power supply.

The bench seat is slide-adjustable with a reclining backrest too, offering much-improved comfort compared with the dual-cab Ranger on which the Everest is based.

It’s not quite so good in the third row despite more roof-mounted vents and the provision of cup holders, with the overall space and high floor height limiting comfort in the two rearmost seats to the very smallest adults – or more sensibly their offspring.

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With the third row in place, the 2023 Ford Everest’s boot can swallow just 259 litres of cargo, which grows to a more impressive 898L with the third-row seats folded away.

This certainly liberates more volume but as the seatbacks do not form a perfectly flat boot floor, the full lugging potential is compromised. A 12-volt power socket is provided for plugging in a camping fridge for example.

If even more space is required, the second row can be stowed as well for the full 1823-litre cargo space, but the folded second row continues the upwardly sloping boot floor from the stowed third row.

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What is it like to drive?

The previous-generation Everest was widely praised for its driving manners both on the road as well as away from the beaten trail, and the 2023 model certainly continues that tradition.

Some ladder-chassis-based large SUVs can suffer a jarring ride with a suspension setup that feels more agricultural and while the Everest still has a little of the typical judder coming through to the cabin, for the most part it provides a smooth ride on a variety of sealed surfaces.

While tyre and wind noise is relatively low, a noticeable amount of noise permeates the cabin through the windows, particularly when passing other traffic at freeway speeds. It’s a shame because reducing roar from tyres and door mirrors is normally the harder battle to win.

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There’s also a fair bit of clatter from the 2.0-litre diesel engine up front. When revved, a drone fills the interior and under hard acceleration, the classic diesel knock and rattle is more intrusive than many rivals.

A lack of engine refinement is paradoxically contrasted by particularly good performance, however, and the four-cylinder unit behaves far better than it sounds.

Thanks to a brace of different-sized turbos, the Everest manages to generate its full 500Nm torque figure at just 1750rpm. And, unlike some cheap Chinese alternatives, the wave of torque is long-lasting with a gradual curve – not a cliff dive.

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When paired with the excellent 10-speed automatic transmission, the Everest’s performance delivery is beautifully consistent and useable.

Reprogramming of the transmission has banished the unit's annoying behaviour in the previous-gen Ranger and Everest, which anxiously hunted around the ratios and rarely settled into a cruise.

The e-Shifter gear selector is the only disappointment of the accomplished transmission. It looks as if it’ll move like a conventional lever but actually rocks around a short pivot point and is annoyingly easy to miss the desired drive position.

For a big workhorse, however, the Everest has a surprisingly sweet steering set-up with more feel and responsiveness than expected, paired with an ergonomically well-designed steering wheel. Even its plastic construction feels surprisingly premium.

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How is it on fuel?

While the high-spec V6 Everest variants pay the price for performance with thirstier fuel consumption, the more frugal four-pot manages to go further on each drop, with an official claimed combined figure of 7.2 litres per 100km says Ford, versus 8.5L/100km for the V6.

However, the real-world figure was quite different in practice.

During a long cruise out of Melbourne using mostly freeways, the Everest Ambiente used an indicated 11.3L/100km, while a more suburban drive increased fuel use to 13.8L/100km.

It goes without saying that a load of passengers, possessions or a trailer in tow would increase fuel consumption further still.

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How safe is it?

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has rated the 2023 Everest with a full five-star safety score, thanks to a suite of standard safety equipment.

In testing, ANCAP found the Everest’s child occupant protection to be particularly good, while adult occupant protection and safety assistance were identified as good.

The result was thanks, in part, to the inclusion of auto emergency braking, nine airbags, blind-spot monitoring that has been calibrated to work while towing, rear cross-traffic alert and reverse braking assistance.

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In testing, we found the adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist to be not only very effective but also one of the least intrusive and nagging of the driver on the market.

Other standard safety features include an integrated trailer brake system as part of the Tow Pack with the switchgear already neatly installed into the dashboard, an electric park brake and pre-collision assistance with automatic evasive steering.

It’s uncommon to find many safety features relegated to the options list in the large SUV segment but the Everest is nonetheless respectably equipped for a more affordable brand and variant.

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Warranty and running costs

Ford’s Express New Vehicle Warranty covers all its vehicles, including the Everest range, with unlimited kilometres for five years.

The most a scheduled service will cost an Everest Ambiente 4WD customer at any Ford dealer is $335 each for the first four visits, or up to 60,000km – whichever occurs first. Service intervals are timed at 12 months or 15,000km.

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VERDICT

Ford has wheeled out a version of its popular Everest that is significantly improved, if a little thirstier than expected, without dramatically impacting the bottom line.

Unlike some other mainstream brands including Mazda and Honda, Ford is not attempting to make massive inroads to more premium territory too fast. That’s not to say that the quality of its interiors, technological levels and general standard of design and construction aren’t improving steadily, because models like the new Everest demonstrate they certainly are.

However, too many big jumps in that direction quickly becomes apparent in the asking price of any brand’s models attempting to make the transition and yet, Ford has managed to wheel out a version of its popular Everest that is significantly improved, if a little thirstier than expected, without dramatically impacting the bottom line.

With a sharp interior highlighted by even sharper digital displays, segment-defying ride quality and dynamics, and a powertrain that’s more sophisticated and capable than almost everything in its class, the entry level Everest does a very good impression of something mid-to-top-end without the price to match.

In a world where many manufacturers are paying the price for prestigious reinvention, Ford continues to be an authority in getting a lot done with a little.

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2023 Ford Everest Ambiente 4WD specifications