In my last post about the 4WD search (It’s time for a 4WD update) I said the Toyota Prado is ‘going to be the car we get’. I thought that was it. But something has changed recently.
I also said in that post about the Ford Everest:
I’ve tested this twice now, and it would be a good choice. The seats are comfortable, and it’s got reasonable on-road power when you put it into Sports mode. But I was hesitant because of an issue with Ford officially classifying it as a passenger vehicle instead of a 4WD, which can create problems when adding accessories or modifying it.
What’s changed recently is that Ford have decided to officially re-classify the Everest as a 4WD instead of as a passenger car, and with the new classification it is now legal to modify it for improving 4WD capabilities in ways that are otherwise illegal for passenger cars (adding a bullbar, getting a suspension lift, using bigger tyres, etc) . As a result, it became interesting to me again.
And then I was watching a video review on YouTube of it compared to a Toyota Prado, and something very important to me was said by the reviewer: “It’s as good as the Prado off-road, but better than the Prado on-road….” That makes it better than the Prado in overall terms, and makes me wonder why I’d even consider a Toyota Prado when the Ford Everest is a better choice.
I can understand why people would consider the Prado over the Ford, if cruising range is important. The Ford can only go about 900km (560 miles) on a tank of diesel, whereas the Prado can go about 1800km (1100 miles) instead. That’s of considerable advantage when travelling across the desert and there’s no petrol stations…. But I don’t think I’ll be doing something as adventurous as that. And considering that the range on the Toyota FJ Cruiser was only about 500km and I had no issues with range in the 4 years I had it, I don’t think I’ll have any issues with the Ford either.
Other than the fuel range, there’s nothing else that the Toyota has that’s better than the Ford except for the brand name, and there’s certainly plenty of people who are brand loyalists and would buy the Prado instead of the Everest simply because it’s a Toyota. That’s all that would be important to them.
But I’m not so much interested in brands as in what would give me the best experience according to my requirements. It’s why I switched from Apple to Android in 2012, and then back to Apple in 2016, because Android gave me a better experience in 2012, but which Apple finally caught up on and exceeded in 2016. For me, it’s about what does the job better.
So now it comes down to which version of the Everest. There’s 3 of them: the base Ambiente, the midrange Trend, and the luxury Titanium. I was interested in the Titanium, which includes these features that the other models don’t have:
- Electric seats
- Panoramic power sunroof
- Active Park Assist
- Blind Spot Monitoring
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
- Leather seats
- High intensity headlights
But do I need electric seats? Sunroof? Park assist? Blind spot monitoring? Tyre pressure monitoring? Leather seats? Brighter lights? Yes, I would love to have them all, especially since my wife will be driving it occasionally too, so having the park assist and blind spot monitoring is important.
It would mean I need to get a demo or used Titanium, but most of them only have Sync2, which is the Ford infotainment system. The new Sync3 is a much better option, but it’s only come out in the past couple months, so I’ll have to wait a few months before a demo/used Titanium becomes available within my budget.
Here’s a bit more information on the Sync3 system:
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2016/08/15/ford-sync-3-5-reasons-im-ready-to-trade-in-and-upgrade/
Ford told us that this may be the most researched product in the company’s 100 year history, involving consumer feedback, virtual reality testing and much more to deliver a fast, smart and easy to use hub for controlling your phone and your car with touch and voice.
I do like the fact it can be upgraded via wifi, so I can still get new features and improvements in the future.
So at some point this year, probably by June (unless something else happens to change my mind!), I’ll be getting the Everest Titanium. And then we’ll be going bush again.
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