Imagine minding your own business behind the wheel of your car, and you suddenly drive past a handful of prototypes consisting of three Ford Rangers and a Ranger-styled utility vehicle. The Fast Lane’s Roman Mica did exactly that, and he’s asking us what is the mystery SUV prototype.
Well, it was obvious right off the bat. Not for American viewers of The Fast Lane, though, but for Aussie viewers who are accustomed to the Everest.
Introduced at the 2003 Bangkok International Motor Show on the Ranger’s body-on-frame platform, the first-generation Everest was replaced in 2015 with T6 underpinnings from the Ranger that Ford sells in America today.
The Ranger that’s currently heading to Australian dealerships is dubbed T6.2 after its slightly modified platform, which is shared with the Everest.
Revealed on March 1st, the 2023 model isn’t meant for the U.S. or European Union although the Ford Motor Company has been spied testing camouflaged prototypes in North America and the Old Continent. Given these circumstances, there is hearsay that Ford may expand availability.
Manufactured in Thailand and South Africa, the third-generation Everest can be had with three diesels and a gas-fed mill. The latter comes in the guise of the 2.3-liter EcoBoost, a four-cylinder lump that we know and love from the U.S.-spec Ranger and the Ranger-based Bronco utility vehicle.
Australia doesn’t get this engine, but a selection of two diesels. The 2.0-liter EcoBlue with a bi-turbo setup opens the list, packing 154 kW and 500 Nm or 207 horsepower and 369 pound-feet if you prefer imperial units. Backed up by a ten-speed automatic transmission, this powerplant is joined by the 3.0-liter Power Boost V6 that replaces the 3.2-liter Puma five-pot diesel. A less potent, single-turbo EcoBlue is offered in other markets.
The six-cylinder option certainly ticks all the right boxes, cranking out 184 kW (247 horsepower) and 600 Nm (443 pound-feet) of torque from 1,750 revolutions per minute. Regardless of specification, the diesel-powered Aussie Everest boasts a braked towing capacity of 3,500 kgs (7,716 lbs).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News