We get a lot of requests from our viewers on what they believe our next review should be. Trust me, we’re doing our best to get our hands behind the wheel of the cars, you and I both want. Sometimes, it’s easy peasy Japanesey, other times, not so much. And then there are other requests for cars that have been around for quite some time, still look good, but for some strange reason, have eluded our radar. And to be honest, we don’t know why.
Or why really, since it’s named after the Earth’s highest mountain above sea level and it’s bathed in the color they call the Sunrise Red. I hope it’s not too late for a throwback Thursday because this is the 2018 Ford Everest 3.2 4×4 Now, it is intimidatingly calm–like a protector. From the get go, this thing looks at you as if it wants to say, “let\’s go” in this deep, deep voice. Upfront, you’ve got a large grille that can compete with a whale shark that’s feeding, flanked by HIDs and DRLs on either side. Fog lamps are found down below, as is the very generous approach angle of 29.5 degrees. That space is roughly about–half the tire which means you got that much space before you hit anything and your face turns to Is it just me or does the lower bumper make it look like Hudson Hornet from Cars?
Now, I ain’t gonna lie to you; standing next to this thing makes me look even more like an Oompa Loompa plus we parked it next to these trees so now I look like tinker bell but it’s not just my small frame and don’t let these tires fool you because those are 20s down there. Now, granted the car has 20,000km on it and those tires are about 50% of their life but they are still very thick. It’s just that the car is the second highest and the longest mid-size SUV available in the Philippine market at 4,893mm. It can also wade at 800mm of water.
That’s 31 inches! Now, at the back, above the very generous departure angle of 25 degrees, you will find a pair of extremely bright rear fog lamps which I think are pretty cool. Above that, a simple but functional rear lamp design. Now, the power tailgate will reveal only 450 litres of space in it’s 7-seater configuration. Not much really. But if you apply some David Blaine on this thing, then you’ll have 1,050 litres. If you fold the second row, then you’ve got enough space for the Lions to warm-up for a Monday night game David Blaine gets chicks with hot pants and I get stuck with him. The third row is as you’d expect from most 7-seaters, better for smaller passengers like myself. However, this is a proper 7-seater–it’s not an afterthought these guys for purpose built. It’s comfortable enough though because the air vents do stretch the entire length of the car and the second row has the ability to move forward just a little bit to make it a bit more comfortable. Visibility? Nothing great. You’re in the third row–you don’t really expect much and the windows here aren’t that great so for shorter trips–yeah, shouldn’t be a problem. Comfortable with space and lots of it.
This thing right here was built for Americans–tall ones too because the amount of headroom and legroom is actually pretty generous, so too are the toys found back here. You start off with two cupholders in the center arm rest, there are speakers on both doors, you’ve got your air vents up here air controls are found down here with temperature control too and of course, this is a serious note– there is a 230 volt 150 watt plug that you can use for emergency purposes. Imma make me some American pie. The interior shapes give it a very alpha male vibe. It’s got circles, it’s got squares. It’s a carbon copy of the Ranger really so it’s outdoorsy. In the instrument cluster, the speedometer is obviously round but it’s flanked by square trip and entertainment computers, the chest out audio and air controls and even the 8-inch touchscreen, all enhanced the overall function over fashion vibe that you can find all over this car.
And I like it. I mean it looks like it can eat the game it just caught raw and spit out the buck shots. But with finesse naman– I mean after all, it’s covered in leather. The seats are comfortable. You’d expect just a little bit more though in terms of power. See, there is a way to adjust it via the levers for the driver and the passenger which is electronic It’s just that the lumbar support is a manual lever. Why? I don’t know. Maybe they’re saving all that energy to power the 12v sockets and there are four of them inside this car the two USB charging ports plus there’s a plug to boot. That’s enough energy to start-up the Philippine Arena.
Okay, maybe too much. Maybe Meralco Theatre? Active park assist, blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise, and cabin noise cancellation are just some of the toys and technologies found in the Everest to keep you happy as clam. Visibility? Not a problem when you are moving forward. It’s when you slow down and take tighter turns, that’s when it can get kinda dicey. See, the eight pillars is relatively small for a car of this size. It’s the Will Smith’s (ear) sized side mirrors that can catch you off guard. When you make a turn, you don’t know if you’re looking at the road or at your reflection. It can get kinda tricky. The steering is light–very light in fact that first time drivers might have to play catch up when they lay the power down. The power comes from the 3.2, 5-cylinder, 6-speed automatic diesel which produces 200 horses and 470 nm of torque which nets you a combined 8.2 kilometres per litre.
Now, when I say combined, it’s because we took it down south, we took it up north, and through Metro Manila traffic. Back to the steering, it will keep you honest though because if you try to change lanes without indicating, man, this thing will tighten up and tighten up good. The 3.2 makes for a very comfortable drive. And the seats as I mentioned earlier are comfortable as well. It’s like a very alert lazy boy. It’s very nice.
Now, thanks to the leather, it makes it getting in and out of the car easy for driver, for front passenger, or for rear passengers. However, as the law does stipulate that seat belts should be worn at all times, for the rear passengers even more so. Because the lack of bolstering on the chairs back there will put you in for a ride on tighter turns. Vincent! The 2018 Ford Everest 3.2 4×4 Titanium comes in at P2,288,000 Now, there is a more affordable variant–the 2.2 litre 4×2 which has almost the same amount of toys as this good looking BFG right here. One cylinder, 85nm, 40hp, and P230,000 less which makes for a great car–still and both cars do wade in 800mm of water which makes it great for flood prone areas. But if you want big daddy over here, well, I’m sure you’ll find a reason to scratch the palm.