2023 Ford Everest First Impressions Review: Back for more
In any competition, one needs to improve continuously in order to stay in contention. An athlete or an organization should always find a way to finish ahead of rivals. The same concept applies to the Philippine automotive industry wherein car brands are pushing each other to get a slice of the market pie.
Ford Philippines has relatively been quiet in the local market, and the Territory is probably the only model that kept it afloat in maintaining its standing among the top car brands. It’s as if Ford PH was on a rebuilding phase, waiting for draft picks or rookie athletes that can help shoot its way back up the ladder.
The Blue Oval brand’s patience is looking to be beneficial as it now launched the next-generation 2023 Ranger and Everest. We’ve previously shared our thoughts on the new Ranger, and now it’s time to see what the next-gen Everest has to offer. Here’s Philkotse’s first impressions review of the 2023 Ford Everest Titanium+.
2023 Ford Everest First Impressions Review: Exterior
The 2023 Ford Everest comes with a revamped exterior design, leaving no hint of its predecessor’s look. The front end comes with LED headlights, C-shaped daytime running lights (DRLs), fog lamps, a black grille with chrome accent, and a resculpted hood.
It shares a lot of similarity to the new Ranger, especially when you look at the Everest’s headlight assembly that’s integrated with C-shaped DRLs. Another design similarity you can spot is the Everest’s resculpted hood as well as the squared front fascia. It has veered away from its old rounded shape, and like the Ranger, the Everest is now more ripped.
The black grille is complemented by chrome trims, which is a nice touch as it gives a subtle yet distinctive appeal to the Everest’s front. I’m not much of a fan of chrome, but I like the one seen on the next-gen Everest. The bumper is also filled with straight character lines, giving the vehicle a confident look.
The straighter or more chiseled appeal continues to be seen at the side. Again, you can instantly see that the next-gen Everest doesn’t employ a rounded shape on its side profile. The fender flares or wheel arches are less bulging compared to the old model. Despite that, the Everest still looks composed when viewed from the side. It also has step boards, roof rails, and 20-inch alloy wheels.
I do wish though that Ford opted to use a flat silver or a dark grey trim for the door handles and side mirrors of the top-spec Everest Titanium+ variant.
While the design updates on the front and side look good, the thing that stands out the most is the Everest’s rear end. It has a modern-looking aura along with a more assertive demeanor. The LED taillights along with the black bar accent running along the tailgate make the Everest one of the stylish SUVs in the Philippines to date.
You’ll also notice that the rear comes with a flatter surface design compared to the old Ford Everest. The rear is also fitted with a power tailgate, spoiler, black cladding, and reflectors.
2023 Ford Everest First Impressions Review: Interior
Once inside, you can instantly notice the new layout of the Everest. It now has a more modern-looking interior while keeping up with the promise of giving a premium cabin feel.
It has hints of the next-gen Ford Ranger’s interior as seen on the dashboard design, aircon vents, and the massive infotainment touchscreen placed at the center. It has leather seats with both the driver’s and front passenger’s seats equipped with an 8-way power adjust.
Ford also made use of soft padded leather materials throughout the next-gen Everest’s cabin. Drivers will be treated with a leather padded armrest on the door panels. The center glove box cover also has the same material, which adds to the overall drive comfort.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel has also been redesigned. It’s now less bulging, and the controls are integrated more neatly. The 2023 Ford Everest Titanium+ also has light blue ambient lighting, which complements and adds character to the black interior theme.
The modern-looking interior continues to be seen in the Everest’s new gear shifter. Gone are lever-type gear layout as it now comes with an electronic shifter that looks like a computer or laptop mouse.
Second-row passengers are treated with generous leg- and head-room while cooling the cabin is made efficient through ceiling-mounted aircon vents. The second row can accommodate up to three individuals but the one seated in the middle could have a tight seating position. Aside from sacrificing a bit of elbow room, the Everest’s high center tunnel affects the seating position.
Meanwhile, two adults standing 5’5” can sit in the third row with enough wiggle room. In case third-row passengers want more legroom, the second-row seats can easily be slid forward. The floor layout on the Everest’s third row seems to be revamped as well. It now has fewer bulges, resulting in a more relaxed seating position compared to the outgoing model.
2023 Ford Everest First Impressions Review: Tech & Safety
Similar to the next-gen Ranger Wildtrak, the 2023 Ford Everest is also loaded with tech and safety features. Ford did not just give us a heavily revamped exterior but it has also put an effort into making the 2023 Everest a more tech-savvy midsize SUV.
Placed at the center of the dashboard is the massive 12-inch infotainment touchscreen that comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and has Android Auto connectivity too. This is the same touchscreen design that you can find in the 2023 Ford Ranger Wildtrak.
As such, the Everest’s touchscreen features a crisp and clear resolution, that could easily rival its competition. To make things more enticing, the Everest also has a wireless mobile phone charger, which can keep your phone’s battery juiced up while you’re out on the road. Add that feature to the wireless Apple CarPlay, then what you get is a seamless and clutter-free smartphone connection.
One of the things that separate the Everest from the Ranger can be found on the instrument cluster. The one fitted on the Everest is a larger digital instrument cluster measuring 12-inches, which is larger than Ranger’s 8-inches.
The extensive list of safety and tech features equipped on the 2023 Ford Everest includes the following: Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning System, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Keeping Aid, Hill Descent Control, 360 Degree Camera, Parking Sensors, among many others.
2023 Ford Everest First Impressions Review: Driving & Handling
The 2023 Ford Everest is powered by a 2.0-liter bi-turbo diesel engine that puts out 210 hp and 500 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The said power unit is similar to the one fitted in the next-gen Ford Ranger.
I was able to drive the next-gen Everest on a test track prepared by Ford PH at the Arcovia Open Grounds in Pasig City. It featured different obstacles where the Everest highlighted its driving capability.
During my quick drive, I was able to maximize the Everest’s 360-degree camera as it helped me navigate through tight spaces without hitting the edge or the cones. The Everest’s camera system also works to my advantage when I needed to align the wheels in order to drive through the ramps safely.
The Everest’s water wading depth was also previewed as I make my way through the make-shift pool, which equates to driving through a flood or a river. Aside from that, I was able to test the Everest’s ride quality as I charged through the rough terrain that features uneven surfaces, and elephant holes (aka huge potholes).
What I can say from my quick unpaved road drive is that the Everet’s suspension absorbs impact well. It cushions the overall ride despite driving on a rough surface. Yes, you can still feel that you’ve driven through a pothole but it doesn’t affect the overall ride as the suspension minimizes the impact.
The steering wheel also feels light, considering the overall size of the vehicle. However, it still gives you enough road feedback allowing you to have that sense of full control of the vehicle. The light steering feel will also come into play in reducing driver fatigue, which I’m looking forward to testing out more soon.
Climbing steep inclines is also not a problem for the Everest even though the pressure I applied on the accelerator pedal is conservative. Then, it can also crawl its way down a steep drop efficiently. The hill descent control allows you to have a surefooted approach, giving you the confidence to dive in nose first.
But, the feature that I think will be the most used tech is its updated Parking Assist. With just a push of a button, the Everest will find a suitable parking spot. Once the system has detected a spot, the Parking Assist will park the vehicle for you without any intervention needed from the driver. All you need to do is just hold and press the Parking Assist button while you let go of the brake and the steering wheel with the shifter placed in Neutral. Pretty cool and useful feature, especially considering the heft of this vehicle.
2023 Ford Everest First Impressions Review: Initial Verdict
The 2023 Ford Everest comes with a starting price of Php 1,799,000 while the top-spec Titanium+ 4x4 retails at Php 2,495,000.
From the looks of it, the next-gen Everest has all the features needed to make its presence felt once again in the tightly contested seven-seater midsize SUV segment. Not just that, Ford Philippines is offering the next-gen Everest (as well as the Ranger) with a 5-year or 150,000 km vehicle warranty. That said, it seems that Ford PH’s patience is worth it as it now has two models that can seriously contend with their respective segment rivals.