As expected from two of the more popular nameplates from Ford in the Asia-Oceania region, a lot of excitement came with the launch of the next-generation Ranger and Everest. The vehicles were immediately put to the test with the launch coinciding with the return of Ford Island Conquest – Ford’s extreme test drive activity – held at Arcovia City in Pasig.
Both the next-gen Ranger and Everest feature Ford’s new global truck design that is bolder, wider, and made more capable. On the outside, it features a redesigned hood and grille, as well as the distinctive C-Clamp LED headlamps and LED tail lamps. Inside, the redesigned dashboard is neater and more sophisticated. It’s huge integrated LCD touchscreen that serves as the vehicle’s command center serves as its centerpiece is really hard to miss. Both the vehicles come with Ford’s SYNC 4A which is the brand’s cloud-connected in-vehicle communication system. The 360-degree camera, as well as wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto are also welcome additions.
Deep dive
To showcase the capabilities of the next-generation Ranger and Everest, Ford Philippines held the Next-Generation Ford Drive Experience north of Metro Manila. Clark Freeport Zone was the home base, but San Marcelino, Zambales served as the testing grounds to highlight what the new beasts could do.
Before heading out, the group had a deep dive session with Ranger program boss Dan Ciccocioppo about the rationale of the upgrades and to give his insights on the new products. Ciccocioppo emphasized how advantageous it was, both for the designers and the end product, to redesign the vehicles from the ground up, then when the Everest was first launched and built from the existing frame of the Ranger. He talked about how much resources Ford has put into its global T6 platform, and how they maximized it across different models. He also stressed how much customer feedback was factored into the redesign, and how similar yet different the two nameplates were, despite sharing many parts.
Same same but different
Having traveled almost 500 kilometers from Manila to Clark to SBMA and then continuing to Lake Mapanuepe in Zambales, we were able to experience how the vehicles performed under varied terrain. Ford fielded a fleet top-of-the-line Ford Ranger Double Cab Wildtrak 2.0L Bi-Turbo 4×4 10AT and Ford Everest 2.0L Bi-Turbo Titanium+ 4×4 10AT units for the drive, and the 207hp of power and 500Nm of maximum torque under the hood, coupled with its 4×4 capabilities and driver-assist features proved more than capable of the activities we they had in store for us to experience.
While both performed flawlessly on the highway, in the riverbeds, and in the water crossings, it was obvious where each of them excelled. As expected, the Everest proved to be the more comfortable ride on the highways. With its stable ride and spacious interior, it was a pleasurable road trip companion.
The Ranger, on the other hand, proved why it was the vehicle of choice in the slippery and loose lahar beds. It made little work of the climbs and descents, as well as the rocky and sandy patches.
The event was designed to highlight the different drive modes, features, and driver-assist technologies. Throughout the drive, participants got to try the following:
- New Active Park Assist 2.0: The next-gen Everest makes parking easy even in tight parallel or reverse perpendicular spots. With a press of a button, the system can help steer the car into position with ease. This makes use of the high-tech eShifter found locally only on the Everest, as the local-spec Ranger still comes with the mechanical shifter.
- New Reverse Brake Assist: Also only found in the Everest, this smart feature can detect obstructions from behind and provide an audible alert. In a real-life situation, this can be a vehicle crossing, a pedestrian, or cyclist. The next-gen Everest can come to a complete stop if the driver doesn’t react in time.
- Hill Descent Control: With just a few taps on the screen, this system continually adjusts brake pressure to help control slippage and maintain a constant preset speed while going down a steep gradient. This allows the drivers to keep their attention on steering the vehicle and not have to worry about the throttle and brakes.
- Normal Mode: The new adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane centering detects lane markings and helps keep the vehicle centered in its lane while on the road. This feature helps the drivers maintain a safe following distance and stay within the speed limit, especially on highways and busy high-speed roads.
- Eco Mode: With fuel economy an important purchase consideration for vehicles these days, attendees experienced selecting Eco mode in 2H to maximize gas consumption. This mode continually assesses the effects of driving behavior to optimize power and transmission as well as cruise control tuning.
- Mud/Ruts Mode: Through a muddy lahar trail on the way to Camp Ford, participants got to know how the vehicles handle such conditions using the Mud/Ruts mode.
- Water Wading Capability: With enhanced visibility provided by its 360˚ camera as well as its 800 mm water-wading capability, both the next-gen Ranger and Everest made handled the water crossings en route to Lake Mapanuepe with ease and confidence.
At the end of the overlanding exercises was an oasis called Camp Ford. Pitched in a picturesque area lined with lush greenery along Lake Mapanuepe – also called the New Zealand of Zambales – the camp also served as the venue to highlight the practical additions to the new models.
“The next-generation Ford Drive Experience was designed for participants to get up-close and personal with the next-gen Ford Everest and make them truly appreciate its features. With its bold and rugged look, spacious and comfortable interiors, and purposeful technology, the next-gen Everest is truly meant for families who are looking for a safe and reliable SUV for their adventures,” said Mike Breen, managing director, Ford Philippines.
“We planned the trip to really showcase its versatility, reliability, safety, and connectivity. We hope that through this experiential drive, our media partners were able to appreciate the features of our next-gen Ford Ranger which makes it the perfect vehicle for work, play, and family,” added Breen.
Rugged yet refined
While these two adjectives are often used to describe the number of creature comforts vehicles has, it has never been more apt until now. The activities on the riverbed were just the tip of the iceberg of what the vehicles are capable of but gave us non-offroaders a glimpse of the possibilities.
For the Everest, it was the spaciousness and versatility of the cabin that is able to create more space to transport people or cargo, just by folding down the seats. It’s dark interior and array of intelligent features add to the comfortable and posh ride. On the other hand, for Ranger, the thought-full additions to the bed like the step-up near the rear wheel, the clamp pockets, its molded compartment slots, and the improved bedliner, as well as the 230-volt inverter cargo outlet proved to be useful not just for glamping.
Just as beautiful as Lake Mapanuepe was, both the next-gen Ranger and Everest impressed like no other models of the Ranger or Everest in the past.
For more information about the latest Ford vehicles, visit www.ford.com.ph.
Read more:
- Ford Philippines Celebrates 25 Years; Launches FordPass
- Ford Island Conquest Heads to Cebu on October 28-30
- 25 Years of Ford in the Philippines
- Ford Territory Marks 2nd Anniversary in the Philippines
- Ford Launches Next-Gen Ranger and Everest at Ford Island Conquest Event
- LAUNCHED: Next-Generation Ford Everest