The new Everest family SUV line-up (including the new Everest XLT Range and Everest Limited) has officially been launched in Nigeria by the exclusive distributor of Ford vehicles in the local market: Coscharis Motors Limited.
The 2019 Everest was unveiled at the Lagos International Motor Show, which ended on Saturday at the Federal Place Hotel, where it was presented as “the most sophisticated Everest seven-seater sport utility vehicle (SUV) in the market.”
The ceremony at Coscharis Motors stand had many auto enthusiasts and other very important guests in attendance, particularly the director-general of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu.
The Everest is now more appealing than ever with a range of styling, suspension and feature upgrades. As Ford’s premium offering in the rapidly growing SUV market, the new Everest puts the emphasis on quality, refinement and luxury, matched to exceptional space and practicality.
“We are excited the new Everest will be joining our local line-up. The new Everest will provide Ford an important position in the SUV segment, it is a segment which continues to grow in Africa, as well as around the world. Consumers are opting for versatile, family-oriented vehicles that suit their active lifestyles,” saod Abiona Babarinde, general manager, marketing and communications at Coscharis Motors.
“More so, the Everest comes in diesel engines, which is what some of our oil services customers have been yearning for, as it is more ideal for access into highly inflammable locations than its petrol counterpart.”
Refreshed design
The new Everest communicates rugged off-road capability with a sense of refined artistry that takes Ford’s seven-seater SUV to a new level within the segment. The refreshed grille introduces a new level of depth to the design through the layering of three distinctive grille bars that exude exclusivity and luxury whilst presenting a sense of strength and robustness.
The lower bumper has been redesigned to accentuate width, incorporating a connected horizontal beam that has been added to the fascia insert, which gives the Everest even greater on-road presence.
A classy new 20-inch wheel has been introduced on the range-topping Everest Limited, featuring a modern split spoke design that gives the vehicle a more upmarket and dynamic appearance.
Ford has also upped the ante in terms of overall quality and refinement, employing a more purposeful execution of colours and materials. Stronger contrasting elements are employed with the addition of the secondary grille texture against the chrome bright work.
The accents move from a single-layer satin metallic to a two-layer glossy metallic paint, giving a more liquid-like feel for customers expecting outstanding quality. The wheel accent paints are now darker to further accentuate the machine-cut surface of the alloys, adding more drama and a more premium look to the overall appearance.
Exceptional quality, refinement
The New Everest provides premium levels of quality, outstanding interior space and maximum versatility – now with a selection of new, richer materials and design details that emphasise luxury and style throughout.
The introduction of the Ebony environment colour changes the entire ambience of the interior cabin. The added depth allows the details and bright work to stand out and further aligns the interior to the customer’s expectation for a premium SUV, complemented by a greater selection of soft-touch materials.
Adding further exclusivity to the cabin is the use of contrast stitching on the Everest Limited, along with shadow chrome finishes, perforated leather and high-quality paints that add further lustre to the upgraded interior.
Proven 2.2 and 3.2-litre engines
The current 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi engine, with 118kW and 385Nm, is available in the Everest XLT derivatives, with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic derivatives. An electronic differential lock is standard across the Everest range to enhance off-road capability.
Customers also have the option of the powerful 3.2-litre five-cylinder TDCi engine on the XLT model with 147kW and 470Nm on tap, matched to a six-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.
All Everest 4×4 models are equipped with Ford’s seamless and intuitive Terrain Management System that facilitates easy switching between Normal, Rock Crawl, Mud and Sand modes to suit the driving conditions.
Improved ride comfort
As with the New Ford Ranger, the New Everest has benefited from numerous suspension improvements that further enhance ride quality and refinement. Most notably, the front-mounted stabiliser bar has been moved to the rear of the front axle, which allows for greater packaging and design freedom, along with an increase in diameter and stiffness to give the Everest improved roll control and handling performance.
The revised layout has also enabled a reduction in front spring rates, thus achieving an even more comfortable and pliant ride. Additionally, the jounce bumper, which softens the impact when the suspension is fully compressed over severe bumps, has been relocated from the lower control arm to the damper rod at the top of the suspension, thereby reducing the load on the suspension bushes. This gives an improved ride and reduced noise levels.
Overall suspension compliance has been improved, with three damper tunes being adopted for the Everest range in place of the single set-up used previously. This ensures that the ride characteristics are better tailored to the engine and drivetrain configurations, resulting in a plusher ride over rough surfaces without impacting the Everest’s maximum towing capacity of 3,000kg with a braked trailer.
Technology and safety
A new addition to the Everest’s impressive range of high-tech features is the Passive Entry and Passive Start (PEPS) system, fitted as standard on the XLT and Limited models. The keyless entry and passive start uses an intelligent access system that allows the driver to unlock the vehicle and start the engine without removing the key fob from their pocket or bag. When the key is in the vehicle, the driver simply presses the Start/Stop button while applying the brake pedal to start or stop the car.
The Everest Limited continues to set the benchmark for active driving features, including Semi-Automatic Parallel Park Assist (SAPPA) that uses ultrasonic sensors on the front and rear bumpers to search for and identify parking spaces that are big enough to parallel park the vehicle. A combination of the Everest’s electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) and sensors are used to steer the vehicle safely and perfectly into place, while the driver simply operates the gears, accelerator and brake.
Additional standard appointments on the Limited include Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Alert (which now recognises pedestrians, in addition to its ability to detect other vehicles), Lane Keeping Aid and Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and Auto High Beam Control for the high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps.
The impressive standard safety package across the line-up extends to Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system with Traction Control (TC), Trailer Sway Control (TSC), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Hill Descent Control (HDC) on the 4×4 models, Load Adaptive control (LAC) and Roll Over Mitigation (ROM).
SYNC infotainment system
Ford’s pioneering SYNC technology offers exceptional connectivity and multimedia options, along with intuitive voice control and ease of use. SYNC3 is standard on the Everest Limited and Everest XLT models and is linked to the integrated eight-inch touch-screen colour display, two USB ports, Bluetooth, iPod and SD Card slot connectivity. Navigation is only available on the Everest Limited.
The system boasts fully-featured embedded navigation, convenient multi-touch gestures (such as swipe, slide, scroll and pinch-to-zoom), plus voice recognition that uses simple, real-world voice commands.
SYNC®3 with Navigation provides a full 3D experience with an elevated map view, enhanced full colour graphics and point of interest (POI) building images. Similar to searching on Google, destinations can be entered via the simple one-box search by typing the address, POI category, intersection, city name, post code or GPS coordinates.