the Bucket: Bucket Seat: Ford Everest Wildtrak

The Ford Everest now in its 3rd generation see's for the first time having a Wildtrak derivative. The Ford Everest Wildtrak offers a range of features that enhance its styling, interior, infotainment, safety, technology, comfort, and practicality. These extras make it a more premium and capable SUV, than the entry level Everest. Having driven the range topping Platinum model, I was keen to get behind the wheel of this mid level variant from the brand to see how much it differed in terms of performance and ride quality as both, the Wildtrak and Platinum come powered with the same 3.0L V6 power train. Having spent a week with it, doing the daily routes I had the chance to take it away for the weekend on some light country side exploring to get a better feel of what the car had to offer and here are my thoughts on how it handled itself.

DESIGN

The design of the Everest is brilliant in my opinion, sticking true to its American routes, the massive frame its built on gives the car the presence it commands whether it be on the road or in the wild, this particular model, the Wildtrak offers some unique design characteristics that make it stand out from the other models in the stable, starting with the styling: 20-inch ‘Asphalt Matt Black’ alloy wheels keep the massive body up complimented by black wheel arch flares, black window trim, and Wildtrak badging and branding in black around the car. The dark colours contrasted well with the body colour of Arctic White which the one I had came in. The front of the car is really menacing with the wide grilled that integrates into the C-Clamp headlamps that follow the cars lines that lead to the cabin. The car is very box like in statue and the straight lines keep that theme going till the back. I'm a big fan of the rear light design which runs across the tailgate and has the Everest name badge in the center. My one grip would have to be the tow bar, it's a fixed one that can be removed manually and I understand the reasoning for it as it has a higher towing capacity but I would have really liked an automatic option which stows it away, especially for this and the Platinum models. Not only would help with the looks but also helps with parking it. On the interior, we have a full Ebony leather upholstery with Cyber Orange stitching, panoramic sunroof, , interior ambient lighting, which cannot change colour, unless I have no idea how to find the setting, but pretty much stock standard Everest interior.

PERFORMANCE

As mentioned before, the Everest Wildtrak is powered by the same 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel engine that is found in its Ranger sibling and the range topping Platinum models, this motor delivers a Power and Torque ratio of 184 kW of power and 600 Nm of torque which is coupled to a 10-speed automatic transmission. With the various driving modes available on the Everest, namely Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud & Ruts, and Sand which is all controlled via a jog shuttle dial in the center consol, it makes going from tar roads to gravel quite simple by flicking it in the appropriate setting and the car does everything for you. Ford claimed fuel consumption is 8.5 L/100km which could be achieved on long distance travels but realistically my range was hovering around the 10.6L mark which seemed fair for a big engine like this. As mentioned, that ugly tow bar is there for a reason giving the Everest a towing capacity of 3 500 kg braked, which is a lot more than some of its rivals. The driving dynamics of the Ford Everest Wildtrak with it's V6 is a gutsy unit, consistently delivering sustained power and torque at low and high speeds. It’s torquey and plenty of its 600Nm is available across a broad rev range. The 10-speed auto transmission has had the previous-gen’s thrashiness between ratios smoothed out – and if you want to take over duties yourself you can do so via the 'e-Shifter' in this 4WD wagon. The suspension set-up – with coil springs at every corner – helps to produce smooth, composed ride and handling although can feel a bit bumpy or bouncy at times. Off-road, the Everest has a long wheelbase making its undercarriage vulnerable to scraping rocks, tree stumps or exposed tree roots, especially during more technical 4WDing sections.

COMFORT

The cabin of the Everest is narrow but tall and second-row and the seating is a bit squeezy for three adults, especially in terms of hip and shoulder room for larger blokes, but it’d be fine with slighter adults and even gangly teens. The cabin is very quiet, with nothing much intruding in terms of NVH (noise, vibration and harshness), other than low-level wind-rush around the wing mirrors. The noise of the turbo diesel engine does come through every now and then when harsh accelleration is present but that is easily drowned out by the 8-speaker premium sound system. Like the Ranger the Everest focal point of the cabin is the 12-inch touchscreen that controls Ford’s powerful SYNC 4A infotainment system. This is the command center of the car and has wireless connectivity to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. While in the mobile apps, it is easy to access the Ford menu with shortcuts located to the top right side corner making it easy for the driver to toggle should they wish to change some vehicle settings. The dual zone climate control can be controlled via physical knobs or via the screen as well. The Wildtrak came with heated seats but not cooling like the Platinum. The car is equipped with advanced technology, including keyless entry and start, a raft of media ports around the cabin for charging your various devices and power outlets for coolers or pumps. The seats are comfortable, with faux-leather which covers the steering wheel as well. The digital dash is an 8-inch screen which can display various information via the multi-function steering, which the digital speedometer is cool, I would have like the option for it to display the old analog style speedo. The seven seats make the Everest Wildtrak extremely useful as a people mover, and incredibly spacious when the back seats are folded down which I had it for most of my time on the weekend as away as it was only the 3 of us. The Wildtrak has a 360-degree surround view camera, which is crucial for safe parking of this hulk. It’s an optional fitment but a very handy one if you ask me.

VERDICT

The Ford Everest Wildtrak is a comfortable and capable SUV with a luxurious interior, advanced technology, and a smooth and powerful drive. It's a great option added to the line up for someone who is looking for a large family SUV but has a more sporty side to them instead of someone who is looking more on the luxury spectrum of the Platinum. The standard features that come with the Wildtrak along with the styling, make this car quite attractive to the young at heart who love adventure, and in my weekend away at the sea side, it caught the eye of many surfers who were keen to not only check it out but wanted to see how many mates they could fit in for a trip to Mozam. So whether you're a family looking to vacay in the berg for a week, or a troop of surfers looking for the ultimate waves, the Everest is the ideal vehicle for you and whats even better it does the daily quite well too. Yes, the size of it does take getting used to be with the help of the PDC's and cameras, you will soon master parking this thing in the tightest of spots.