BY the end of this month, Ford will release the 2022 Everest, with a new level of sophistication and capabilities that, judging by all the information available on the Web, is a big leap in terms of design and refinement.
To say our goodbyes to the current Ford Everest, an extremely capable SUV that delivers both on the rough stuff and the smooth runs, we took a two-hour over-the-sea ride ride to the Calapan Port in Mindoro Oriental and a four-hour run near the foothills of Mt. Baco (well, close enough) to the towns of Pinamalayan and Bongabong.
We (that’s me, my father and two uncles) with stuff (that’s our own personal belongings plus four balikbayan boxes of groceries, medicines, and new kid’s clothing) and other business (that’s an envelope full of documents for some land titling thing). The one-day mission is to go to the Socorro municipal government, settle some unpaid real estate taxes, meet a legal group for transfers of land titles then proceed to relatives in Bongabong to drop off the boxes, drive back to Calapan port and make it back to Batangas by day’s end. The Ford Everest 4×2 Sport in a dark blue finish, with its black trim was to provide for ride for this mission.
First thing’s first–I cannot make a comparison with the 2022 Everest which is going to be officially unveiled by July 28. That being said, let me say what I think the old Everest can teach the coming-soon, newbie midsize SUV.
Rugged luxury is a not an oxymoron when it comes to the way style and design, the classy interior with well-chosen fabrics and seat materials plus a dizzying roster of technologies for safety and driving convenience speaks volumes about what the 2021 Everest is. The grunt of the fuel-efficient 2.0L single turbo diesel engine outputs 180 horsepower and 420 Nm of torque. This is mated to an almost infinitely geared and very responsive 10-speed automatic transmission. Will the new 2022 Everest have a hard time keeping up with what the current version has in its specification sheet?
Montenegro Lines was our vessel of choice primarily because it provided an almost 24-hour travel schedule and faster movement between the ports of Batangas and Calapan. The professional handling of the vehicles loaded onto the roll-on, roll-off vessels they manage.
Balanced capabilities come to mind when we look at the current version’s platform–the T6–on top of which also sits the Ford Ranger. To this platform is bolted is a double-wishbone suspension with coil spring and anti-roll bar up front. The rear axle is joined to the whole frame with a coil spring with Watt’s link, also with anti-roll bar. The Ranger gets a leaf spring in the back instead. The 4-wheel disc brakes won’t change with the new Everest, in fact, it will be refined and made better. The new Everest will have the same 20-inch wheels but with an even bolder yet refined pattern.
We were driving the Sport version of the Everest that has blackened out exterior details like the wheels and the grilles as well as other trim parts that would otherwise be chromed or silvery. Well-placed chrome bits enhance a faí§ade and can also mess it up. In the case of the current Everest the chrome trims on the non-Sport versions are a bit too much. This is not the case with the 2022 version as the shiny finish breaks the monotony of the blacks and provide a continuity of design. One look at the “C-clamp” look wherein the daylight running lamps replace the chrome-bits on the front edges give a fresh concept and a newness to the front.
At the town of Victoria on route to Socorro where the first order of business was to pay real estate taxes, a sudden downpour met us and a thick film of mud and water was flowing across portions of the SRNH–the Strong Republic National Highway that traverses the island along its edges. The Everest is definitely one of the toughest SUVs–and also one of the most expensive. One of both of these traits may be inherited in the new Everest. Since both models still sit on a body-on-frame chassis keeping the high 225mm ground clearance and 800mm water wading capacity is easy. Despite being a 4×2, the Sport still delivered the confidence and control much needed in an SUV in a condition such as liquid mudflows and rutted roads. This confidence will surely be felt by drivers of the 2022 Everest.
In the back, the 2021 Everest Sport offers a set of LED taillamps and a motorized liftgate, which will ditto on the 2022 version but with more oomph and panache. Yes, panache, that is the word to describe the current Everest and will it be “more panache” for the 2022 rebirth? Matching the robust front end with the LED Daytime Running Lights, the 2022 model will have a contoured and smoothly shaped tailgate finisher that cuts across the rear tailgate to connect both lamps matching the dynamic front face.
Ford’s Everest has always had a strong presence on the road (and off it). The Sport with its blacked-out details looks adroit yet subtle. The 2022 version will also have a Sport version with the same finishes that increases, even more, its presence wherever it is.
We loved the inside of the car–except for the difficulty in getting to the third-row seat from the left side. I guess that is for safety reasons. There are about 33 well-placed, dutifully-designed nooks, cubbyholes, and spaces to keep drink cups, bottles and devices, and multiple USB and 12V outlets to power devices from smartphones to laptops. I can only wonder, will there be more in the new Everest?
We took the 10 am Montenegro Lines ship where I finished off this article, arriving at Batangas Port at 12:10 noon and finally disembarking from the RORO vessel by 12:38. It was the last stretch of what was a wonderful 4-days with the 2021 Ford Everest Sport. I am expecting more of the same with the 2022 Everest. But with “more panache.”
