Ford Everest Wildtrak: Brawny and powerful with a touch of luxury — but it's thirsty

Mail & Guardian

4 days ago

Big and beautiful: The Ford Everest Wildtrak combines rugged and sporty elements to make it a very attractive car.
In May 2023, when Ford released the next-generation Everest, it added a Wildtrak derivative to the Everest line-up for the first time.
The Wildtrak was placed above the Sport and just below the Titanium variants. It was meant to capture the dynamic flair of the Wildtrak series that has been so popular in the Ranger bakkie over the years.
The arrival of the Wildtrak variant also saw Ford give it some unique design features. The front is painted in a bolder grey and this is also applied to the bumper, which is exclusive to the Wildtrak.
While this does add more dynamism to the styling of the vehicle, the C-clamp headlights, the raised roof rails and the side step still make it clear that this is a huge vehicle and not for the faint-hearted.
In true Ford fashion, everything on the body of the vehicle feels solid.
Visually, the Everest Wildtrak gives off exactly what Ford wants it to, and customers have the option of 20-inch alloy wheels or 18-inch all-terrain tyres, should they want to venture off-road often.
The interior combines rugged, sporty and luxurious elements.
The steering wheel, seats and gear lever maintain that solid, brawny feel but the centre console, the infotainment system, the dashboard with its soft-touch materials and the airconditioner vents get a touch of luxury.
The Wildtrak gets contrasting yellow stitching on the dashboard, door trims, steering wheel, gear lever and on the seats, which adds to the sporty atmosphere of the interior.
I especially love how Ford has integrated the 12-inch portrait infotainment screen into the cabin. On many vehicles, it protrudes, but Ford has stashed it neatly in the dashboard.
Another really cool element is the hidden door handles which are positioned inside the armrest on the doors and need to be pressed to open them.
This was especially helpful when travelling with my toddler — he could not find the handles, so there was no need for a child lock.
The interior of the Ford Everest Wildtrak.
Space will never be an issue with this vehicle. It is huge. Front and back passengers get a ton of head and legroom and there is a third row of seats, which provides sufficient room for children, but takes away from the large boot space.
With its 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine that delivers 184kW of power and 600Nm of torque the Everest Wildtrak does not lack power.
At times, I wished that the engine was slightly more refined, but then I realised that Ford does offer the Everest in a 2-litre bi-turbo with the XLT and Sport variants.
While the drive is exceptional due to its all-wheel-drive capabilities (and there's no real wind noise), the engine is a touch noisy, but then again, it is a V6.
Road imperfections are almost non-existent and the 10-speed automatic transmission gives the vehicle seamless gear changes with very little drag on the engine.
One thing that impressed me is that, although this vehicle thrives on its rugged nature, it doesn't feel particularly bulky.
Because you sit in such an elevated position, you always know that you are driving a huge vehicle, and the engine noise will remind you of that too, but the drive itself is extremely smooth and comfortable.
Its large torque figure means that towing with this vehicle will be relatively comfortable.
I feel the 2.0 litre bi-turbo variants are sufficient for the Everest and the 3.0 litre V6 on the Wildtrak and Titanium models are just superb flexes from Ford.
However, it also makes the vehicle a tad thirsty. Ford claims 8.5 litres/100km. I managed around 10 litres/100km but if you are doing extensive off-roading, you might find that figure moves up to around 12 litres/100km.
The Everest Wildtrak can do the extensive off-roading when you want it to. Based on the driving conditions, 4H (for four-wheel drive high-range) can be selected by simply pushing a button, to improve grip and control on loose surfaces, or low-range 4L, for steep or rocky tracks and deep sand, where low-speed control is required. There's also a 2H mode which engages rear-wheel drive only.
The Everest Wildtrak has a bunch of drive modes including Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud & Ruts and Sand.
The vehicle comes standard with safety features such as adaptive cruise control with stop and go and lane centring; blind-spot monitoring with trailer coverage; cross traffic alert; evasive steer assist; a lane-keeping system with road-edge detection; pre-collision assist; reverse brake assist and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.
The 360-degree camera with park assist is an optional extra.
The Everest Wildtrak is that muscular friend in the group that can do everything.
Even though it sits as the mid-range model below the Titanium, Ford has put a lot of effort into the product and given it its own identity. It makes me question why anyone would go for the Titanium, and pay more, when the Everest Wildtrak has everything you need.
It comes in at a price of R1 084 000.
However, if you feel the V6 is too much for you, the XLT starts from R832 400 and the Sport starts from R918 500.
The range-topping Titanium will set you back R1 146 500.
All models come with a four-year/120 000km warranty, four-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance and a five-year/unlimited distance corrosion warranty.