2017 Ford Everest vs 2018

What's the difference?

As Ford Australia continues to reinvent itself in its new role as an importer, rather than a carmaker, its SUV line is one that really needs to succeed to give the company a solid footing to move forward.

Launched in 2015, the Everest wagon is based on the same chassis as the company's successful Ranger ute series, and shares many of its mechanicals, apart from a rear coil-spring suspension system, replacing the ute's leaf spring arrangement in the interests of comfort.

The line-up is comprised of the base level Ambiente in rear- and four-wheel drive (4WD) and five- and seven-seat layouts, the seven-seat Trend in rear- and 4WD, and the top-spec Titanium, which comes as a seven-seat 4WD as standard.

The current Ford Everest has earned numerous awards and widespread praise from the motoring media since its release in 2015. So it's unsurprising that In 2018, with more variants being available at lower price points, the Everest has enjoyed a sales surge of more than 50 per cent compared to the same time last year, and it now holds a much healthier five per cent share of the large under-$70K SUV market.

Even so, its sales still fall way short of Toyota’s dominant segment leader, the Prado, which commands more than 16 per cent of the market. Given the runaway success of Ford’s multi-award-winning Ranger ute, which was Australia’s top-selling 4x4 in 2017 (and from which this SUV is derived), the Everest’s relatively small sales raise questions about differing buyer preferences between Australia’s ute and SUV segments.

Given this apparent disparity between Ranger and Everest desirability, we thought it timely to take a fresh look at the 2018 Ford Everest range in search of some answers.