You’ll have to venture to the other side of the globe if you want a shot at Everest. Not the mountain, but Ford’s latest 4x4.
Designed in Australia and set to be built in Thailand and China, the not-for-U.S.-sale body-on-frame SUV is built on the same platform as the global Ford Ranger pickup that you also can’t get here.
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The three-row, seven-passenger Everest is about the size of our Ford Explorer, which became a crossover a few years back. It features a live rear axle with locking differential, can ford nearly three feet of water, and features short overhangs that provide for off-road-friendly approach and departure angles of 29 and 25 degrees, respectively.
Two turbo-diesel engines are offered – a 2.2-liter four-cylinder and a 3.2-liter five-cylinder – along with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline motor. A six-speed manual transmission is offered with the diesels, and a six-speed automatic is available across the board.
No roughing it in the cabin, however, it’s nicely appointed with the latest tech and a full panoramic sunroof that should help it compete with the Chevy Trailblazer SUV that you probably didn’t know is also sold overseas.
The good news is, if you’re not up for semi-circumnavigating the earth and can hold out for a few months, the Everest will be on sale a little closer to home soon. That is if you consider Africa close.
Anyone up for a road trip to Kilimanjaro in the Everest?