WhichCar

2023 Ford Everest review: Full range detailed

The Ford Everest is a popular large SUV that in 2023 won Australia's biggest automotive accolade: Wheels Car of the Year. Learn more about the Everest range including price, interior, boot space, safety, and performance.

595f294d/2023 ford everest sport v6 suv blue esperance bremer bay adventure series wa edewar 230717 133 jpg
Gallery487
8.5/10Score
Score breakdown
8.5
Safety, value and features
8.5
Comfort and space
8.5
Engine and gearbox
9.0
Ride and handling
8.5
Technology

Things we like

  • Great powertrain combinations, both 3.0 V6 and 2.0 Bi-Turbo
  • Benchmark ride and handling for a ute-based SUV
  • Extensive tech features
  • Spacious and practical cabin

Not so much

  • Ride not always perfect when roads get rough
  • Gear lever manual mode not ergonomic
  • Occasional transmission shunt

The Ford Everest is a large five-door, three-row SUV that is spacious and comfortable for up to seven occupants and is the 2023 Wheels Car of the Year.

It is one of the smoothest and refined SUVs of its type.

Based on the Ford Ranger ute platform, this is one of the better ute-based SUVs for driver engagement and up-to-the-minute standard safety equipment, as well as being a strong heavy towing candidate, with its 3500kg (braked) capacity.

Even though it’s not built here, a lot of the Everest’s engineering was done in Australia, so it could lay claim to being built for our conditions more than most. The new Everest is a new benchmark for large 4WD ute-based wagons.

In addition to the Wheels COTY award, the Everest was also judged Best Off-Road Large SUV Under $70K and Best Overall Large SUV in our Wheels Best Large SUVs series.

15171d3a/2023 ford everest trend 4x4 suv glassy mountain explore 28 jpg
487

JUMP AHEAD


Pricing

The Everest has a choice of two diesel engines, either a 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrain and is automatic-only.

Both engines provide tractible torque, a good reserve of power and acceptable fuel economy.

The Ford Everest range all comes with the technology we all expect such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and comprehensive safety resulting in a five-star ANCAP result. The Ford five-year/unlimited km warranty is about average.

2024 Ford Everest range and pricing
Ambiente 2.0 Diesel Automatic RWD$53,490
Ambiente 2.0 Diesel Automatic 4WD$58,490
Trend 2.0 Diesel Automatic RWD$60,990
Trend 2.0 Diesel Automatic 4WD$65,990
Sport 2.0 Diesel Automatic RWD$62,990
Sport 3.0 Diesel Automatic 4WD$70,590
Wildtrak 3.0 Diesel Automatic 4WD$72,804
Platinum 3.0 Diesel Automatic 4WD$77,000
Prices exclude on-road costs
8f341a5ahKc/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9101 jpg
487

🔼 Back to top

What body styles are available for the Ford Everest?

Five-door SUV only.The Everest drives either its rear wheels or all four wheels, depending on the version.

It is classed as a large SUV, and aside from obvious sheetmetal changes, different trim specs and the use of a coil-spring rear axle instead of leaf-spring, it shares much with its ute sibling the Ford Ranger.

🔼 Back to top

417f2388/2023 ford everest sport v6 snowy mountains spinxs snow thomaswielecki 034 jpg
487

What features are standard in every Ford Everest?

The features listed below are standard in the entry-level Ambiente model and will appear in higher-grade models, unless replaced by more premium equivalent features.

2024 Ford Everest standard features
Colour 10.1-inch touchscreen.Urethane steering wheel, gear shifter, and handbrake.
Colour eight-inch digital instrument cluster.Manual driver seat height adjustment.
Three 12v auxiliary and three USB input sockets.Cloth upholstery.
Wireless charging.Five seats in two rows (third row seats optional).
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.Dual-zone climate control air conditioning.
Built-in satnav with three year Connected Navigaation Services.Keyless entry and start.
DAB+ digital radio.Rain-sensing wipers.
Four speaker audio system.Dusk-sensing headlights.
17-inch alloy wheels.Auto high beam headlights.
Full-size 17in steel spare wheel.Power-adjustable, power-folding side mirrors.
LED head and tail-lights.Roof rails.
LED front fog lights.An automatic transmission.
Rear parking camera.Rear differential lock (4x4 only).
Rear parking sensors.

🔼 Back to top

f33715ba/2023 ford everest sport barrington 100 jpg
487

What key features do I get if I spend more?

The entry Everest model, the Ambiente, has cloth seats, 10.1-inch touchscreen, five seats and 17-inch wheels.

All Ford Everests in Ambiente, Trend and Sport trim have a 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel as standard, with the 3.0 V6 turbo-diesel in Sport 4WD and standard for Platinum. All have a 10-speed automatic and the only major mechanical option for Ambiente, Trend and Sport trim levels is to choose either the 4x2 (rear-wheel drive only) drivetrain or full-time, dual-range 4x4, which in Sport and Platinum you must choose the V6 diesel engine.

Aside from the steel underbody protection plates and locking rear diff only available on 4x4 (where is it standard on all spec levels), there is no difference otherwise between 4x2 and 4x4 in trim line features.

3211291a/2023 ford everest sport v6 suv blue esperance bremer bay adventure series wa edewar 230717 44 jpg
487

For extra equipment over Ambiente, you could spend more for an Everest Trend, where the extra money brings a third row of seats (making it a seven-seater), power tailgate, and rear privacy glass.

2024 Ford Everest Trend additional features
A bigger 12.0-inch touchscreen.Two USB ports in second row.
Leather steering wheel.12V power outlet in third row.
Leather-accented seats (except third row).Puddle lamps.
Accoustic laminated winscreen to reduce noise inside the cabin.Front floor mats.
Power driver’s seat.Bigger 18-inch alloy wheels, including an 18-inch alloy spare.
15531d3b/2023 ford everest trend 4x4 suv glassy mountain explore 49 jpg
487
2024 Ford Everest Sport additional features
Ten speaker sound system.Memory power driver seat.
20-inch alloy wheels, including the spare wheel.Power front passenger seat.
Hands-free power tailgate operation.Heated and ventilated front seats
‘Sport’ embossed front seats.
14a01d2e/2023 ford everest trend 4x4 suv glassy mountain explore 50 jpg
487
2024 Ford Everest Platinum additional features
Finished steel side steps.Zone lighting.
21-inch alloy wheels, including spare.Ambient lighting.
Active Park Assist, which heps you park the car automatically.Colour 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster.
Tyre pressure monitoring system.B&O premium audio with 12 speakers.
360-degree camera.Chrome roof rails.
Quilted leather seats, including third row.Power third row seats.
Panoramic roof.Heated steering wheel.
Matrix LED headlights with auto levelling and dynamic bending.Premium front floor mats.

🔼 Back to top

90061a6856Q/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9416 jpg
487

How safe is the Ford Everest?

The Ford Everest is laden with safety features with all models fitted with the most comprehensive active and passive safety systems, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), a lane support system (LSS) with lane keep assist (LKA) and emergency lane keeping (ELK) functionality that helps steer the Everest within the road markings.

The AEB can initiate a full emergency stop automatically from speeds up to 80km/h if the system senses you are in danger of driving into something. First it sounds a warning; if you ignore that, it applies the brakes partially; and if you do not intervene it applies maximum braking.

The AEB is capable of detecting and reacting to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, in daylight. There’s also rear AEB, which fwill warn of an obstacle and stop when vehile when travelling in reverese at speeds between 2-12km/h.

14e31d32/2023 ford everest trend 4x4 suv glassy mountain explore 26 jpg
487

Active cruise control with stop and go, auto high beam, traffic sign recognition, roll-over mitigation, post-impact braking, trailer sway control and drive attention assist are also all standard.

There’s also a standard reversing camera and a seatbelt warning for every seat. Dusk-sensing headlights, nine airbags and the mandatory stability control top-up an very strong standard safety package.

The Everest Platinum’s Active Park Assist, 360-degree camera and tyre pressure monitoring add to what is already extensive safety across the range.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) rated all models of the current-generation Everest at five stars for safety, its maximum, in 2022.

🔼 Back to top

90bc1a71Cq3/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9694 jpg
487

How comfortable and practical is the Ford Everest?

In a segment where driving position can be a compromise, cabin plastics are not always contemporary let alone made of anything like premium materials and infotainment systems are outdated, it’s refreshing to jump into an interior that nails the basics.

Up front, the seats are comfortable, the mix of materials strikes a nice balance between feeling premium and hardwearing, and there’s ample storage thanks to large cup holders, generous door bins and a deep centre console.

The cabin design feels modern and premium, too, and the Everest trounces its rivals when it comes to infotainment.

90201a6cfOc/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9066 jpg
487
Like the new Ranger, the Everest is built on Ford’s heavily updated T6.3 platform

The portrait-style 12.0-inch central screen In Trend and Sport) is quick to respond and easy to navigate thanks to a logical menu structure and, mercifully, it retains a dedicated panel for the HVAC controls at the bottom so you don’t have to click through multiple submenus to adjust the temperature or fan speed.

There’s also plenty of room in all three rows. Like the new Ranger, the Everest is built on Ford’s heavily updated T6.3 platform and the wheelbase has been stretched by 50mm. Unlike the new Ranger, however, which has a slightly cramped rear seat, the Everest’s second row offers plenty of space.

Ford says the middle seat has been redesigned to improve passenger comfort and Trend variants and above also score an additional set of USB ports (to make a total of five), which is useful to keep the kids’ devices powered up.

8ff51a63iuG/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9074 jpg
487

As before, the second row slides but its movement fore and aft has been increased this time around to improve access to the third row.

Speaking of, those relegated to the very back seats won’t feel too hard done by thanks to improved shoulder room and decent vision out through large windows.

Taller adults might find it a touch squishy for knee- and headroom but there’s plenty in the way of amenity including two cup holders, a slot to store a tablet and dedicated air vents in the roof.

And importantly, curtain airbags cover all three rows of seats regardless of what Everest variant you choose. In fact, the level of standard safety equipment is impressively high across the entire Everest range.

🔼 Back to top

8fb31a67l2k/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9304 jpg
487

How much boot space does Ford Everest have?

Boosting the wheelbase and fitting a boxier, more muscular body has also improved the Everest’s luggage space.

With all three rows of seats in use, Ford says there’s 259L of boot space available which is large enough for a few golf bags stacked on top of one another.

Drop the third row and your boot grows to a generous 898L or with all the back seats folded you’ll have 1823L at your disposal. Need some context? A Fortuner offers 200L/716L/1080L so it’s a clear advantage to the Ford in the load-lugging stakes.

🔼 Back to top

8fe11a68aAm/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9342 jpg
487

I like driving - will I enjoy this car?

Yes. The Everest is no hill-climb special but is among the much more satisfying large SUVs to drive from the traffic crawl to Outback touring.

This is the Everest’s biggest strength. In a segment that tends to feel fairly agricultural when it comes to steering feel and bump compliance, the Everest’s dynamics are remarkably polished. Even tight and challenging mountain roads, that would have made most large SUVs feel slow and ponderous, the Ford took on more like a traditional monocoque family SUV than a ladder-framed wagon.

The steering is naturally weighted and a good speed at 3.2 turns lock to lock, plus there’s none of the vagueness off centre that you get with many rivals. The seating position is bang on, too, thanks to ample reach and tilt adjustment on the steering wheel.

8f251a597WI/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 0722 jpg
487

Excellent visibility is aided by enormous wing mirrors and cabin refinement is class-leading. Ford went to great lengths to reduce wind noise and improve cabin insulation, and the result is a large off-roader that’s impressively quiet on the freeway.

Body control is also nicely contained for such a big vehicle. On twisty sections, the Trend stayed commendably flat and unflustered despite several quick changes of direction. Happily, the ride is also relatively supple, despite the firm hand needed to keep the body in check, and the Trend’s 18-inch alloys do a decent job of ironing out all but the biggest of surface imperfections.

You do occasionally notice a telltale tremor or shake through the body that plagues all body-on-frame vehicles but for the most part, the Everest handles like a conventional SUV.

911d1a73YLP/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9798 jpg
487

One thing that does erode the cabin’s sense of refinement, however, is engine noise.

The 2.0-litre bi-turbo is impressively quiet on the freeway but it can get vocal at higher revs and under hard acceleration there’s noticeable diesel clatter to contend with.

At least there’s plenty of performance to exploit. With 154kW/500Nm on tap, the diesel feels reassuringly muscular and while the engine is mostly carried over from the previous Everest, Ford’s engineers have made changes to improve reliability.

The 10-speed automatic transmission has also been improved. In the previous Everest and Ranger, it could hunt for the right ratio but this time around it’s more assertive. In saying that, the gearbox isn’t perfect. We felt the occasional bum shift and on a part throttle over hilly terrain, there was some driveline shunt.

90021a648ql/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9830 jpg
487

Still, there’s no denying the 2.0-litre/10-speed combo is one of the strongest powertrains in this segment. It’s just a shame that there’s an even better engine within the Everest range…

The 3.0-litre V6 is smoother, quieter and with 184kW/600Nm it’s also noticeably more muscular. Weirdly, the performance gap between the 2.0-litre and 3.0-litre engines feels wider than it does in the Ranger.

In the Everest, the V6 is noticeably more urgent and while every Everest has a braked towing capacity of 3500kg, it’s the larger capacity engine we’d recommend if you plan to tow on a regular basis.

8ece1a5e/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 0321 jpg
487

Away from paved roads, the Everest continues to be one of the most capable 4x4 wagons you can buy.

Ford’s engineering team set a goal early in development that the second-gen Everest had to be better to drive on-road and off-road, not one or the other, and in several key metrics this new model is an improvement.

Moving the wheels closer to the corners of the body has increased wheel articulation and reduced head toss for occupants. Shorter overhangs have also improved the approach and departure angles, which now sit at 30.4 degrees and 25.3 degrees respectively. The ramp-over angle is also better than before at 22.2 degrees.

🔼 Back to top

90201a6cy1N/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9444 jpg
487

Which Ford Everest engine uses the least fuel?

The 80-litre fuel capacity suggests a decent range on one tank of fuel, with a combined-cycle average of 7.2L/100km for 2.0L 4WD models or 8.5L/100km for the 4WD-only 3.0L V6.

Even if you manage to repeat exactly the V6’s average claimed consumption you’d still get 941km before running out of a full tank.

🔼 Back to top

90a91a6dfO2/2023 ford everest suv blue long term abrook 220926 9298 jpg
487

What is the Ford Everest’s towing capacity?

The Ford Everest has a braked towing capacity of 3500kg, with a towball rating of 350kg.

🔼 Back to top

f37815bd/2023 ford everest sport barrington 112 jpg
487

How long is the warranty and what are the Ford Everest’s servicing costs?

The Ford Everest comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with 12 months of roadside assistance also included.

You’ll need to visit the dealer for scheduled servicing every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first, and the most you’ll pay for each of the first four visits is $329 under Ford’s capped-price servicing program.

🔼 Back to top

659a1d6c/2023 ford everest sport v6 adventure series wa edewar 2307197 jpg
487

Which version of the Ford Everest does Wheels recommend?

There is so much tech and particularly safety equipment thrown into the base model, but for that extra bit of bling – and sensible extra gear – the Everest Trend 4WD is worth the extra money.

The problem is that for not quite $5K more, you can get the Sport 4WD with its V6 engine – which opens up a while lot more performance, potentialespecially if you’re towing heavy trailers.


🔼 Back to top

370fb2f7/2023 ford everest trend vs 2023 isuzu mu x 48 jpg
487

What are the Ford Everest’s key rivals?

🔼 Back to top


8.5/10Score
Score breakdown
8.5
Safety, value and features
8.5
Comfort and space
8.5
Engine and gearbox
9.0
Ride and handling
8.5
Technology

Things we like

  • Great powertrain combinations, both 3.0 V6 and 2.0 Bi-Turbo
  • Benchmark ride and handling for a ute-based SUV
  • Extensive tech features
  • Spacious and practical cabin

Not so much

  • Ride not always perfect when roads get rough
  • Gear lever manual mode not ergonomic
  • Occasional transmission shunt
Phil Lord
WhichCar Staff

COMMENTS

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.