KyleSpliceZA
WHERE WE DROVE IT
The Everest’s arrival on our market in 2009 marked the first time that Ford Motor Company South Africa played its hand in the fast-growing large SUV segment. Based on the old J97M Mazda BT-50, it was quite old by that stage. It wasn’t perfect – with vague handling and an interior that fell short of the quality of some of its rivals at the time – but it did have some legitimate 4x4 credentials and would sell just under 5 000 units.
When Ford took over developing an all-new second-generation model, launched in 2015, it represented a quantum leap forward in terms of styling and build quality. Its combination of respectable road manners and terrain-taming ability allowed it to take the fight to Toyota’s Fortuner, pushing total sales
