SYDNEY: Pricing has been announced for Ford’s new Australian-developed SUV the Everest, which will be launched in New Zealand in September.
Although the vehicle is being built with a choice of three engines, four-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive, and various levels of specification, only two 3.2-litre turbo-diesel 4WD versions will be sold to Kiwi buyers – a Trend for $75,990, and fully-loaded Titanium for $87,990.
The New Zealand pricing was revealed on Monday at the international media launch of the Everest in Northern Thailand. The big SUV is being built at the same Auto Alliance assembly plant in central Thailand is the vehicle it has been developed off, the Ford Ranger Ute.
A single Everest was on display at the Chiang Rai resort on Monday – headquarters for the media event – with New Zealand journalists scheduled to drive the new vehicle on Tuesday.
Ford New Zealand’s decision to offer just the pair of Everest’s is at odds with what will happen in Australia, where a less expensive entry model will also be sold. But Ford NZ said the Kiwi model selection not only reflected the much smaller size of our market, but also because New Zealand consumers traditionally purchased the highest-specified versions.
A less expensive entry model will also have carried a price that may have out it in competition against the top Titanium version of the Australian-built Territory SUV.
The announcement of the New Zealand prices did raise some eyebrows however, because they mean the Everest will be as much as $21,000 more expensive than the Holden Colorado 7 which up until now has been seen as one of the Ford’s biggest potential rivals.
But the pricing actually lines up more against such product as the Toyota Prado, Hyundai Santa Fe and Jeep Grand Cherokee – and that means Ford sees the Everest as premium product.
This is underlined by comments from the Everest project’s chief programme engineer Ian Foston, who said that very early in the development of the vehicle, Ford Asia-Pacific set some very aggressive targets for vehicle refinement.
“Through extensive computer modelling, smart engineering and real-world testing, we’ve been able to achieve dramatic reductions in interior NVH levels for a truly refined driving experience,” he said.
Both of the Everest’s for New Zealand will be powered by a 3.2-litre Duratorq turbo-diesel. This is the same engine as that aboard the Ranger, but it has been de-powered slightly in the interests of driving refinement. Maximum power is 143 kilowatts and the top torque is 470 Newton metres.
Also adding to the refinement will be the suspension. While the Ranger Ute has the traditional leaf-spring rear setup, the Everest has coil-sprung front and rear suspension with Watt’s linkages on the rear axle, which should result in a stable and quieter ride.
The new Ford’s six-speed automatic transmission has driver recognition software that “learns’ the driving style of the person behind the wheel and adjusts transmission settings accordingly.
The vehicle also has an intelligent all-wheel drive system with an active transfer case and supplies torque on demand, and a Terrain Management System that can be set to four settings – Normal, Snow/Mud/Grass, Sand and Rock – which alters such inputs as throttle response, transmission, AWD and the traction control to best suit ground conditions.
Everest will offer advanced connectivity and driver assistance technology including Active Park Assist, Blind Spot Detection, Cross-Traffic Alert, and – a first for the SUV segment – Curve Control which electronically assists during cornering.
The new Everest is being built in right-hand drive form in Thailand, and in left-hand drive form in China. Development of the vehicle was very much an Australian project, and its arrival will expand the Ford SUV portfolio in New Zealand, where it will join the EcoSport, Kuga, and Territory.
