Evaluating the Ford Everest Wildtrak over 5,000km in the last four months through a range of conditions means we’re capable of giving it a comprehensive hands-on review.

The bottom line is the Everest Wildtrak 2024 V6 ticks all the boxes. Whether it’s towing our 2.5-tonne 745 Extreme Gameking, getting across town to a meeting, or heading to the Far North with the jetski for an adventure, it’s up to the task.

The Everest Wildtrak has a modern, stylish look with finishing touches that hint at an SUV that will get the job done. Twenty-inch rims carry off-road capable HT tyres, and there’s a range of cool paint options to suit all tastes.

On the inside, the fully adjustable leather seats can be configured to suit your requirements. Whether it’s taking the family out to dinner or an adventure with some mates, the combinations of seat options are numerous. The second row is split so you can mix that as seating and gear storage, and with the third row folded down there’s a total capacity of almost 900L. With second and third rows folded flat there’s an extremely generous 1,800L of space – try and fill that with all of your fishing gear!

The driver’s seat can be fully adjusted to suit, but the better news is that up to three driver profiles can be memorised by using the door-mounted buttons. It’s always a pain having to go through the process of getting the driver’s seat back to the perfect position after someone changes your settings. Driver and passenger seats also have heating and cooling options, and the back-row seats have air vents with controls, USB ports, and drink holders so your passengers can travel in complete comfort.

The extensive sunroof can be opened in two sections which is a plus for the second-row passengers, and interior ambient lighting can be activated as required.

The power-operated tailgate is operated with a double click of a button on the key – a very handy feature. And while we’re on keys, close-proximity, keylessentry technology means you can have the key in your pocket and by simply touching the pad on the handle, hey presto, it’s either locked or unlocked. Important information such as speed, four-wheel-drive status, fuel economy, and engine info is available at a glance thanks to a clear, uncluttered driving screen.

The 12” LED screen nestled above the centre console is a real feature of the Everest, and is the hub for access to an array of technology. It covers everything you think it should and quite a few things you hadn’t thought of but are amazingly useful.

There’s all the standard fare like navigation, music, and climate control, but it gets clever with customisable trailer set-up options, screens for offroad driving where it displays predictive tracking, and buttons to change options on a myriad of other settings. I can’t think of anything else you’d want to add unless you wanted to get airborne!

The drive is simply summarised as super comfortable and smooth. On a recent trip north on Northland’s scruffy, bumpy highways I had the unsolicited comment from a mate who owns another popular SUV brand:

“It’s a really nice ride on these shitty roads, isn’t it?”

That sums it up for me – the drive is everything you’d want it to be and makes those longer trips effortless.

There’s a range of drive modes including a smart AWD option where the proportion of power delivered to front and rear varies according to the conditions, improving safety. Flick the centre console selection to ‘slippery’ and you have 4WD immediately. There are also hill descent controls and diff lock if required for off-roading or beach launching. The Everest is certainly as capable off-road as it is on the highway or around town.

The V6 turbodiesel and 10-speed box delivers 184kW of power and is tow-rated to 3.5 tonnes. The towing system can be customised for multiple individual trailers and is coupled with a dedicated towing mode and sway control.

Towing our Extreme 745 on a custom Balex trailer is a stress-free exercise, and the wide, clear side mirrors make backing on launching ramps a breeze.

The Everest is at home in the city, on the highway, and off-road. With a 3.5- tonne tow rating and the latest tech, it’s up for any adventure you ask of it. The Everest has been great to drive in a range of conditions and is a shining example of the quality we’ve come to expect from the Ford engineers and designers.