We like
Exceptional value for money against nearest competitor; impressive out-of-the-box off-road ability; looks the business; family-friendly packaging, safety and technology remains

Room for improvement
Off-road ride a little firm; torque can take a moment to arrive; payload capacity may limit serious off-road applications; some exterior plastics catch despite improved clearance

Overview

 

THE Ford Everest Tremor has arrived in local showrooms ready to take the fight to the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser Prado Altitude (from $92,700+ORC), Isuzu MU-X Terrain (from $74,400+ORC) and a strong of others.

 

As a full-time member of the Everest line-up, the $76,590 (plus on-road costs) Tremor offers improved off-road capability over its derivative Sport variant, thanks in part to upgraded suspension and tyres.

 

With V6 turbo-diesel power and 3500kg towing the Tremor variant further gains Rock Crawl Drive mode technology, a toughened look, Bilstein position-sensitive dampers, revised springs (adding 29mm of additional ground clearance) and General Grabber AT3 tyres.

 

It also has the widest track width of the Everest range, some 30mm wider than the Everest Sport, an approach angle of 32.0 degrees, departure angle of 26.8 degrees, and a ramp-over angle of 23.9 degrees.

 

Water wading remains a class-leading 800mm.

 

The Everest Tremor is characterised by the availability of a unique Command Grey paint hue, distinctive honeycomb grille design with LED auxiliary lights, a steel bash plate, heavy-duty side steps, and signature Tremor badging.

 

It also features a premium interior with embossed leather accented upholstery, ebony-coloured interior accents and all-weather floor mats.

 

All other equipment, safety and technology offerings are as per the Everest Sport.

 

Optionally, the Everest Tremor offers customers Ford’s Rough Terrain pack featuring ARB accessories ($3500), a Touring Pack ($2500), Premium Seat Pack ($1100), Towing Pack ($1900), and Premium Paint ($700).

 

Power comes from Ford’s gutsy 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 developing 184kW and 600Nm, driving all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission. Fuel consumption is listed at 8.5 litres per 100km with storage in an 80-litre tank.

 

As before, the seven-seat model measures 4914mm in length, 1923mm in width, 1837mm in height and 2900mm between the axles. Cargo space is listed at 259 litres in seven-seat mode, 898 litres in five-seat mode, and 1818 litres all told.

 

Braked towing is listed at 3500kg and payload 638kg. By the time you factor in up to 350kg on the tow ball and a full complement of passengers and fuel, there is very little left for a dual battery, bull bar, winch, a set of drawers, long-range fuel tank, water tank, air compressor, or anything else you might wish to include…

 

As the Everest is a known quantity in terms of equipment, safety, specification, warranty, and aftersales support, we’ll focus here only on what makes the Tremor a stand-out, and refer those looking for information on the remainder of the range to our previous reviews.

 

Driving Impressions

 

The Everest is a great thing to drive, feeling both confident and immensely practical for family use.

 

Unlike many seven-seat rivals, it’s also a capable off-roader right out of the box with the clearance and driveline ability to tackle rugged trails without compromising on-road driving.

 

And of course, the Tremor variant turns that off-road wick up even further – and again without impacting the liveable nature of what is for most owners their daily driver.

 

Sure, it’s a little noisier (with more air passing across those all-terrain tyres), but it’s still a decent ride. It is arguably as planted and comfortable as the Sport on which it’s based, which says a lot about the level of tuning Ford’s engineers have worked into the chassis.

 

The addition of Bilstein dampers and added clearance stretch the off-road abilities of the Everest even further, the Ford Australia crew not holding back in allowing the media to test its vehicles well off the beaten track.

 

On gnarly forest trails north of Melbourne, the Tremor showcased fully its no nonsense all-wheel drive traction, added articulation and improved body clearance – even with the tyres left on their placard (road) pressures.

 

Despite this oversight, the Everest Tremor managed everything thrown at it with relative ease, clambering through ruts and up steep grades with little fuss. Steeper entry and exits to severe washouts did see the rear bumper and mudflaps scrape several times, but without any lasting damage done.

 

As is familiar to the Everest range the off-road assistants and camera technology add a significant level of ease to harder going. Added to light but predictable steering the Everest is a cinch to manoeuvre in rugged settings, something we can’t say of every rival in this class.

 

Of course, Ford’s mettlesome ‘Lion’ V6 combines sequential turbocharging and direct injection to offer up substantial output figures from just 3.0 litres of capacity. In our view, however, there’s not quite enough torque for the job in low-speed crawling, meaning you may prefer to choose your own ratio rather than allowing the transmission to do the job for you.

 

It’s a small issue in the scheme of things, and one that certainly isn’t present out on the open road. Just something to be aware of in the event you find yourself climbing a precipitous grade with nothing but a view of the clear blue sky through the windscreen…

 

Given it is over $16,000 cheaper than its Toyota counterpart, arguably every bit as capable, and offers 34kW more power and 100Nm more torque, we reckon the Everest Tremor will not only shake up things up for adventurous family SUV buyers… but the off-roader market in general.