Sport with rear-drive brings high spec at lower price point – but only in Australia.

DETERMINATION by Ford to reposition a semi-premium specification version of Everest to a lower altitude base camp won’t occur here.

Announcement of a rear-drive edition of the mid-spec Sport derivative for Australia has elicited a quick response from Ford New Zealand.

Simply, the answer from head office in Auckland is ‘no.’ It says the latest version is only parking up in Australian driveways.

On this side of the ditch, the model will continue to represent purely in the trio of four-wheel-drive formats – base, Sport and Platinum - it has just launched with.

“We’re sticking with our current three model line-up,” was the response to a query about the chances of the rear-drive dollar saver joining the local lineup.

The new version combines the Sport fitout with the 154kW/500Nm 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine that, over here, only provisions on entry Everest.

The all-wheel-drive Everest Sport and Platinum take the grunty 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre V6 diesel here and in Australia.

The new model prices at the equivalent of $NZ69,791 plus on-road costs, which makes it just over $NZ7000 cheaper than the AWD Sport on our neighbour’s turf.

If that sticker transitioned to NZ, then a rear-drive Sport would be just $2000 cheaper than the entry Trend here, with the same engine but all-paw, and also almost $10k cheaper than the all-wheel-drive Sport.

Trend has 18-inch alloy wheels, leather accented trim, an eight-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, satellite navigation, a 360-degree camera, a 12-inch touchscreen infotainment display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, LED DRLs and taillights, rain sensing wipers, steel underbody protection, two front tow hooks, wireless phone charging, keyless entry, a locking rear differential, a power tailgate and a full suite of safety features, including nine airbags, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, as well as trailer tow assist.

Sport kit steps up to black exterior accents, 20-inch black alloy wheels (with 18s in an options pack), a 10-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat and an 8-way passenger's seat, and the front seats have electric heating and cooling.

The Platinum, which costs $4500 more than a Sport here, avails heated seats for second row occupants, gets the largest instrument display and has a pretty decent 12-speaker Bang and Olufsen audio system.

Rear-drive also affords on an entry Everest in Australia, badged Ambiente, that is also absent from the NZ schedule.

Everest sits on the same heavily revised T6 platform as the Ford Ranger utility. As such, it sees a stretch of 50mm in both track and wheelbase over the last model, while it also gets a new coil-sprung Watts linkage rear end in place of the Ranger’s leaf spring set up.