Tremor treatment delivers a seismic shift for off-road addicts seeking an alternate to a certain Toyota.

CONTENTION a new V6 edition of the Everest sports utility wagon configured with a range of changes and upgrades aiming at enhancing off-road ability will be a ‘limited’ effort is underplaying the true game plan.

Having confirmed the Everest Tremor will be here from June to join existing 2.0-litre biturbo Trend and Sport and the flagship, and only current V6, Platinum editions, Ford New Zealand proposed the beefed up new type would be a ‘limited availability.’

Often that descriptive can trigger conjecture that a handful of examples might show.

In reality, it’s set to be a much bigger effort for a new choice that, with Ford adding upgraded suspension and tyres and a styling enhancement inside and out, appears to have particular talent to take on its only relevant rival, Toyota’s recently landed land Cruiser Prado.

The initial consignment alone has potential to make Tremor the biggest volume single variant in the family, which has been selling strongly for the past year.

“At this stage we will see around 300 arrive into NZ,” said marketing manager (for passenger) Rachel White. “If we can get more units we will definitely investigate that.”

White said that, with Everest hitting peak at the moment, having an additional variant seemed a good call.

“Everest has been a great success. In a year where there isn’t much change with the nameplate we thought it was a great time to introduce Tremor.”

Shake-up time for the seven seater comes a year after Ford first introduced this his off-road accentuated grade, to Ranger ute.

However, the latter restricts to the 154kW/500Nm four-cylinder turbodiesel, Everest Tremor is purely V6, so delivers with 184kW/600Nm. It marries to a 10-speed auto and requires AdBlue.

The new grade bases on a V6 Sport that no longer sells here, and at $87,990 will site as a $4000 cheaper entry to the V6, with the Platinum at $91,990. The biturbo Trend and Sport are $74,990 and $81,490 respectively.

Purely wed to a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel, Toyota Prado, by comparison, starts at $83,990 in GXL, ramps up to $93,990 in VX and tops in Adventure, for $103,990 with a two-tone finish adding $1000.

Everest Tremor is easily -spotted as the more bush-ready product.

It gets uprated suspension which comprises a 26mm lift. Along with new springs, larger Bilstein shock absorbers – with position-sensitive damping and piggyback-style external reservoirs – are used. Light-truck General Grabber AT3 tyres are used, these mounted on black alloy wheels that give a 30mm increase in track width.

The Everest Tremor retains the standard vehicle’s maximum braked towing capacity of 3500kg and it benefits from a Rock Crawl drive mode – just like the Ranger Tremor – which is essentially cruise control for off-roading. It appears to miss out on the 'Trail Turn' feature that Ranger Tremor has.

There's a steel bash plate for some additional off-road protection, as well as 'heavy-duty' side steps. In Australia buyers can look at a $A3500 Rough Pack (which includes fitment of an ARB Stealth Bullbar), a $A2500 Touring Pack, a $A1100 Premium Seat Pack and $A1900 Towing Pack. Status of these for NZ is not yet clear.

Premium interior features include Tremor-embossed leather-accented seats; ebony-coloured interior accents; and all-weather floor mats. Tech consists of a selectable drive mode system; Ford’s SYNC4 infotainment system; and a comprehensive suite of safety technologies.