2026 Ford Everest Trend review

All-new in 2022, the third-generation Ford Everest arrived in Australia to great fanfare, hot on the heels of the related Ranger ute.

Locally designed and engineered, the new Everest felt truly Australian, stirring memories of the days of Aussie manufacturing now long since past.

Later this year, more big changes are coming to the model’s line-up; the most significant, in fact, in those three years.

The lower end of the line-up is being swapped out for new trim grades, and Ford is removing the 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engine option due to increased demand for the V6, it says.

Is it worth grabbing one of the outgoing variants before they’re no more? I’ve hopped into the Trend as it exits the local market.

At the time of writing, the Everest Trend costs $67,290 before on-road costs, but Ford is knocking $3000 off the asking price on remaining stock before the Trend, alongside the entry-level Ambiente, is removed from the range for the MY26.5 update.

The new entry-level Active and mid-spec Sport will be offered with either the 2.0-litre single-turbo diesel-fuel four-cylinder or the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, with the line-up rounded out by the Tremor and Platinum.

As standard, the Trend comes with a 12-inch centre touchscreen, an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, voice assistant, digital radio, an eight-speaker sound system, and a wireless charger.

It also features a part-leather upholstery, eight-way powered driver's seat and four-way manual passenger seat adjustment, dual-zone climate control, privacy glass on the rear windows, 18-inch wheels and a powered tailgate.

Some creature comforts, such as heated and ventilated seats, a powered front passenger seat, and greater electronic manoeuvrability for the driver, can be added in the form of the Premium Seat Pack for $1100.

If you plan to tow with the Everest, the Towing Pack, which includes a tow bar and integrated brake controller, can be optioned for $1900, or the full-fat Touring Pack also adds a 360-degree camera and Pro Trailer Backup Assist as well for $2900.

The only free paint colour is Arctic White; all others cost $750.

The equivalent Toyota Prado GXL is priced from $79,690 and the Isuzu MU-X LS-U from $62,900, all before on-road costs.

The Ford Everest is not particularly fuel-efficient, but for a large off-road SUV without hybrid power, it isn’t too bad.

Ford claims a fuel economy figure of 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres, but on test I found it used a fair bit more, averaging 8.6L/100km on a mix of town and freeway driving.

A full tank of diesel should theoretically get you between 964km and 1212km, according to the car maker. From a full tank to when I returned it, I drove around 400km, and it was showing 350km and around one-third of a tank left on the gauge.

Comparatively, the Toyota LandCruiser Prado uses 7.6L, and the Isuzu MU-X just 6.7L.

The Everest is backed by Ford’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with servicing every 12 months/15,000km, whichever comes first.

Meanwhile, Toyota backs the Prado with its five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and Isuzu covers the MU-X with a six-year/150,000km warranty.

Isuzu requires its cars to be serviced every 12 months or 15,000km, while Toyota requires the Prado to be serviced every six months or 10,000km.

The Everest costs $399 per year through Ford’s capped-price servicing, totalling $1995, or with a prepaid plan the cost is cut to $1596.

Toyota asks $390 for the Prado, but with more frequent intervals over five years, the cost is a lot higher.

And the Isuzu MU-X costs $489 per year to service for the first five years, amounting to $2445.

The Ford Everest will cost $2210 to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

The Ford Everest has a five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2022 when the new-generation model arrived locally.

It received an 86 per cent score for adult occupant protection, 93 per cent for child occupants, 74 per cent for vulnerable road users, and 86 per cent for its safety assist technology.

The MU-X also has a five-star result from the same year, while the Prado’s five-star is more recent, having been awarded in 2024.

The Everest has a long list of safety equipment, as outlined in the table below, nine airbags, and a rear occupant alert. Its rear cross-traffic alert also includes trailer coverage.

In practice, its safety systems perform as intended without triggering unnecessary alerts, though the overspeed warning is mildly annoying. That being said, you can adjust its tolerance to be more forgiving and not ping you for being only 1km over.

Despite being four years old now, the Ford Everest still looks fresh and modern.

The C-clamp headlights help the Everest’s front end stand out, while its chunky, muscular proportions make it look tough.

Add to that the beefy 255/65 R18 Goodyear Wrangler tyres this test car was wearing, and it looks ready to hit the trails – even though these were highway rubber and not all-terrains.

The outgoing Trend has some visual styling cues that are different from other members of the Everest line-up, such as a mix of black and chrome detailing on the grille, compared to the Sport, for example, which is just black.

The Trend also has black stand-off roof rails, which other grades don’t.

The Sport, which will remain in the range when the Trend is cut loose, also has more prominent ‘Everest’ lettering.

Even though some grades cost more, the Everest is classified as a large SUV under $80K, competing with not just rugged off-road SUVs like the Toyota Prado and Isuzu MU-X, but also others.

Some of these, which are more urban-focused, include the likes of the middle- to high-end Hyundai Santa Fe and Palisade, as well as more budget options like the GWM Tank 500 and KGM Ssangyong Rexton.

Although the Everest is quite large, it’s not especially hard to park, and the side steps make it easy to get in and out.

The benefit of its large exterior is that the Everest is also incredibly spacious inside. The doorcards are capacious, big enough for even a wide drink bottle.

There’s good leg room in all three rows and plenty of head room too. The second row is more generous than the third, but sliding the middle bench forward even a fraction creates enough space in the third row for an adult.

There’s still not much room for your feet, though, as the seats in front are almost flush to the floor.

The third row of seats also sits higher than the rest, which can make it feel a bit bus-like, but on the plus side it gives the rearmost occupants great visibility and helps them feel less cramped and claustrophobic.

The Everest offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to seat configurations. The second row splits 60/40, and the third 50/50, so you can transport longer items by having one side all down and still have passengers on the other.

There are also five top-tether points: three in the second row and two in the third, so you can use all rear seats to transport younger children. There are also the usual two sets of ISOFIX anchors on the second-row outboard seats as well.

With the third row up, there is still enough room for a few shopping bags or school backpacks, but with it down the storage area is enormous.

All of the seats are quite comfy; however, those in the two back rows don’t have much support. This isn’t helped by the part-leather material's slippery nature, which causes you to slide across the bench during cornering.

It’s wipe-down-friendly, though, which is good for families with young children.

Overall, the interior aesthetic is a bit too rugged and masculine for my taste, but it does match the exterior and suits the vehicle's purpose well. I also like that it has a traditional gear shifter rather than a rotary dial or a stalk on the steering wheel, as it makes it more intuitive to use. 

However, the shifter unlock button makes it slightly awkward to put it in reverse, which is annoying.

It’s quite dark inside without a sunroof, because all of the materials are black or dark grey. In good light, however, the cream-coloured headliner helps lift the gloom somewhat.

When it comes to amenities, there are plenty of practical touches also to be found. The front row gets three USB ports, while in the middle there are two – one Type A and one Type C – and also a 240V proper plug socket. There are also two 12V sockets, one in the centre console and one in the third row.

The third row doesn’t have any USB ports, but it does have a cupholder on each side and also a wider storage slot for devices on the left.

The Everest’s vertical 12-inch touchscreen running Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system is class-leading. 

It looks better than the competition’s, has greater functionality, and is very responsive to input. The satellite navigation works as well as non-native apps and the picture is bright and clear.

The quality of the 360-degree camera isn’t quite as good, but it’s still reasonable.

As is becoming the norm, it runs both wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Ford has split the climate controls, with half the controls physical buttons and the other half displayed at the bottom of the infotainment screen. It would be better to have everything physical, or a smaller dedicated display underneath, as the controls take up a good chunk of the screen.

The 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster is a bit more basic. It doesn’t feel as evolved as the main infotainment system, but it covers the essentials and the advanced driver-assistance system warnings.

Ford also offers owners the Ford app (formerly Ford Pass), which is free to download and provides basic features such as remote start, lock/unlock, vehicle location, and health alerts. 

Some advanced connected services, such as live traffic navigation, require a subscription. A 12-month subscription is free when you buy the car, but after this period it costs $15 per month or $110 annually.

The Everest Trend is powered by Ford’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder bi-turbo diesel engine, making 154kW/500Nm, with power sent to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission.

It’s a shame the bi-turbo is on its way out, because it suits this vehicle nicely, with enough punch to get going and maintain momentum at higher speeds.

The 10-speed auto 'box is generally a smooth performer, but it can be caught out, resulting in slight lag at times at lower speeds around town, especially when traffic is stop/start or when slowing down and then suddenly speeding back up.

As a body-on-frame SUV, the ride is remarkably refined, with Ford’s hard work producing a vehicle for Australian roads paying off. It’s like it knows every bit of road like the back of its hand and how to react to it.

It’s unfazed by pretty much any surface, making it comfortable for all occupants in daily driving. The only exception during my time was some new, very sharp speed bumps at a shopping centre, which would catch out almost every car in fairness.

The steering is well weighted, not too light or heavy, making it easy to navigate parking, lane changes, or even winding roads. I like the chunky steering wheel too.

There’s a bit of roll in the body around corners, as is to be expected with such a large vehicle, but nothing too noticeable and it’s not wallowy. 

While the bi-turbo likes to make itself known, especially on start-up or under harder acceleration, with a gentle rumble at most other times, noise is generally not too bad. 

The sound of the wind can be invasive at higher speeds, but there’s not much kicked up by the thick Goodyear Wrangler tyres, unless you’re in the third row, where the noise seems to be more prominent. As well as helping make for a comfortable ride, they offer good grip too.

If you want this exact Everest, you’ll have to act fast, as the Trend is now in runout ahead of the MY26.5 model, which is coming soon.

Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and the replacement will be either the single-turbo four-cylinder diesel or the V6 in the new Active base grade or mid-spec Sport. We have reviews from other team members of vehicles with these powertrains, which you can check out here as an alternative.

I really liked this grade, as it is a comfortable, spacious and well-equipped vehicle for daily driving on sealed roads and is capable off the beaten track for off-roading, camping and towing. Its versatility as a do-it-all family SUV holds great appeal.

You can always add more fruit and shop up the range, but this has just enough if keeping costs down is a key consideration.

If you don’t plan to take it off-road or tow, other urban-focused SUVs such as the Hyundai Santa Fe or Palisade might be a better option, but compared to the Isuzu MU-X, especially, it feels more refined.

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

Read more about Kathryn Fisk