2024 Ford Everest Sport – Car Review | How is it two years later?

The Ford Everest is one of the most important models in the blue oval brand’s local portfolio. Ever since the nameplate was first introduced in 2003, it has always been one of their strongest-selling models. That remains the case with the current third generation, thanks to its very compelling and competitive specification list, among other factors. 

I’ve reviewed the current Ford Everest (and its Ranger sibling) a handful of times but Ford Philippines was kind enough to lend me the mid-grade 2.0 Sport 4×2 variant for the second time and for almost a week (I only had it for three days the first time). We’ll see how it has held up after a few years and if it’s still as good as I remember it to be.

The exterior is familiar Everest, having the same stuff as the 2.0 Titanium 4×2 such as its multi-reflector LED headlights matched with the signature C-clamp daytime running lights, 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Goodyear Wrangler highway tires, LED taillights, and the overall rugged and tough muscular design. 

With this being the Sport, many exterior bits have been blacked-out such as the front grille, fog light housings, wheels, door handles, side mirror caps, and even the Ford emblem. This gives it a more premium and sporty (duh) look which many buyers crave for these days.

I also really like this media unit’s Performance Blue exterior paint job which is exclusive to the Sport. It definitely catches eyes and gives it a rather unique appearance in a sea of white, black, and silver cars. I do however miss the previous generation’s Deep Crystal Blue option as that is one of my all-time favorite car colors.

Moving inside, it’s also basically the same as other Everest variants with the large center screen, and heavy use of straight lines. While many love the new interior layout, I’m not exactly the biggest fan. For starters, interior materials might be an issue. The previous generation’s completely leather-covered upper dashboard has been replaced with flat hard-touch plastics. 

Another is the color scheme which is completely black. The previous generation Sport had contrast blue stitching which gave the interior a bit more character. I wish Ford would update this and add those back as the full-black scheme is simply boring.

I’m also not a fan of how most of the vehicle’s functions are controlled (and can only be controlled) via the 10-inch center portrait touchscreen. While it isn’t that hard to navigate and is quite responsive, it just makes accessing basic functions a bit of a hassle. In addition, connecting my iPhone through Apple CarPlay (both wired and wirelessly) which was easy at first eventually became the biggest issue, with the system refusing to connect.

And before we leave those issues behind, this again was my second time with this specific media unit. I first had it when it was fresh, with less than 1,000 kilometers on the clock. Now with over 15,000 kilometers driven, some interior bits have noticeably degraded such as the steering wheel leather which seems to have lost its padding, and the upper dashboard storage now has a broken cover which can, but is not supposed to be able to be removed completely. Not so “Built Ford Tough,” huh?

Thankfully the Everest Sport makes up through other aspects such as the improved materials on the door panels which now get padded leather on top instead of hard plastics, and a very generous amount of adjustment for the steering wheel and front seats which are quite comfy, also giving the driver an excellent position. Not only that, storage space will never become an issue in this SUV with loads of cargo room whether the third row of seats is in use or not.

The Everest Sport also makes up in the performance department. While most buyers will want and aim for the top-spec Titanium+ 4×4’s bi-turbo engine, this gets a 2.0-liter EcoBlue Inline 4-cylinder single turbo diesel setup instead, making 170 horsepower and 405 Nm of torque, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Yes, that is less power, torque, and gears compared to the previous generation, but it actually makes things much better.

With the engine having less gears to choose from, it makes for a more seamless drive, and allows you to enjoy more of the power and torque that it provides. It’s simply much smoother than the bi-turbo engine with its four extra gears which may get confused at times. 

On the refinement aspect, the engine does already feel a bit unrefined compared to when I first tested it two years ago, with more vibrations that were non-existent before. It does make it up to you with a generally quiet ride largely thanks to excellent outside noise insulation. 

Admittedly, the Ford Everest’s suspension is now firmer than before but for good reason. With the previous generation, you got a very soft suspension which made the vehicle wallow over bumps and humps which was a common customer complaint. This was okay for a pickup-based SUV, but did not exactly feel good for passengers. By making it stiffer this time, it just balances everything out for a better overall ride and still gives the Everest the best ride quality when compared to its rivals.

Also, handling has improved by a lot compared to the previous generation. Steering is a bit more weighted now which gives the impression of more feedback which the old one sorely lacked. It’s still light enough for city drives but isn’t as heavy as you’d get with its rivals. Body roll is also well-tamed when taking corners. 

When it comes to driver-assistance technology, the Everest Sport gets none. It is equipped with cruise control but it’s only the regular kind. An added bonus would be the manual speed limiter which I appreciate for when traversing roads with strict speed limits. At its price which we’ll get to later, it should already have stuff like autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and others as standard.

You might also be looking for a full 360-degree around-view monitor. Unfortunately, this only gets a reverse camera but I don’t mind as it already has both front and rear sensors, and outward visibility is excellent thanks to the large windows and windshields.

The Ford Everest Sport is priced at Php 2,109,000 which puts it right at the same league, if not slightly more affordable than some of its rivals. This surely makes it a good purchase despite it lacking some features that it should already have, and being slightly toned-down compared to the previous generation, as it is able to balance everything out.

It presents itself very well not only in terms of design, but also in terms of performance and comfort. The only real question now is how will the Ford Everest hold-up once its rivals receive their respective new generation versions in the coming years. The only thing Ford has to do now is to make its equipment list more competitive.