2015 Ford Everest spied off-road in readiness for production

The Ford Everest shares its basic body-on-frame construction with the popular Ranger ute, which also joined the convoy of Ford Everests we spotted during their drive.

With a large portion of Everest engineering performed in Australia, and some of the most demanding rough-/off-road markets in line for the big SUV, you can rest assured it is capable of tackling challenging terrain — if today's display was anything to go by.

It is interesting to note that the two cars we spotted wore different front bumpers - one finished in black with a grey garnish, the other colour-coded with a silver garnish - and both had front sensors that may be part of an automated parking system. Rear sensors and a reverse-view camera were also fitted to the cars we spotted.

Inside the cabin, the Everest is a massive step up from the current Ranger and other vehicles in the segment — such as the Holden Colorado 7 and Mitsubishi Challenger. Faux-leather with coloured stitching adorns the dashboard, while Ford's latest Sync 2 entertainment system is used for controlling communications, navigation and climate.

The Everest retains the Ranger's front suspension, but switches a leaf-spring rear-end for a solid rear axle with coil springs and a Watts linkage. The Everest also gets four-wheel disc brakes, instead of drum brakes at the rear.

As confirmed by Ford last year, Everest was benchmarked against other serious four-wheel drives such as the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, Mitsubishi Pajero and Nissan Patrol.

The Ford Everest goes on sale later this year and is expected to be priced from $45,000 - $50,000.

Click on the Photos tab to see more images of the all-new Ford Everest.