Sport grade expands Ford’s MY20 Everest range

FORD Australia has tinkered with the Everest large SUV for the third time in 15 months, with a blacked-out Sport grade added to its full-time MY20 range on this occasion.

Arriving in the late stages of this year, two Sport variants will be available, with one motivated by the Everest’s 143kW/470Nm 3.2-litre turbo-diesel five-cylinder engine, while the other uses its 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel unit.

The 3.2-litre version is mated to a six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission and costs $62,290 plus on-road costs, while its 2.0-litre counterpart is paired with a 10-speed unit and charges $63,790. Both feature all-wheel drive with a rear differential lock.

As such, the Sport variants command a $2300 premium over the Trend versions they are based upon, but buyers are compensated for the extra spend with a more sinister look.

Specifically, the Sport grade gets a mesh grille insert and ‘Everest’ lettering at the front edge of the bonnet, both of which are finished in black alongside the lower sections of the front and rear bumpers, 20-inch alloy wheels, side-mirror caps, window surrounds and roof rails.

The Sport variants also feature bi-LED headlights that provide up to 20 per cent greater lighting penetration than the Everest’s HID items.

The exterior changes are capped off by ‘Sport’ tailgate badging, while Deep Crystal Blue is a new paintwork option alongside the Everest’s existing Artic White, Shadow Black, Meteor Grey and Aluminium colours.

Inside, the Sport grade features Raceway Blue door trim, embossed ‘Sport’ logos on the front seats, a soft-touch dashboard pad, Capital Blue stitching and leather-accented upholstery for the first and second rows.

Standard equipment otherwise includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen Sync3 infotainment system, satellite navigation and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

Advanced driver-assist systems extend to autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, cruise control, a manual speed limiter, traffic-sign recognition, high-beam assist, hill-descent control and -start assist, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors.

Fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test is 8.5 litres per 100 kilometres in 3.2-litre form and 7.0L/100km in 2.0-litre guise, while maximum braked towing capacity is 3000kg and 3100kg respectively.

“Everest Sport is a new kind of Everest, bringing a unique style inside and out,” said Ford Australia and New Zealand president and chief executive Kay Hart.

“Everest Sport builds on the increased choice of the line-up and combines a premium, sporty package with renowned off-road capability.”

As part of the Everest’s minor MY20 upgrade, all variants get a windshield-mounted USB port to more easily accommodate dashcams, while the Trend and Titanium pick-up the aforementioned bi-LED headlights.

Despite these changes, pricing for the carryover Everest variants remains statics, starting at $49,490 and topping out at $72,290.

Everest sales have been steady this year, with 4520 examples sold to the end of October – a 1.1 per cent increase over the 4473 deliveries made during the same period in 2018.

Everest is the eighth best-selling model in the sub-$70,000 large-SUV segment, trailing Toyota’s Prado (15,741 units) and Kluger (9144), among others.

2019 Ford Everest pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs