It's almost unimaginable to see a Ford Everest with anything other than a turbodiesel engine. Besides, it's what most of us are familiar with and has practically been the norm for over 20 years.
Outside of Southeast Asia, however, the gas-fed Everest does exist. In fact, the previous-generation model was available with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine in markets that aren't really keen on diesel. It's the same case for this third-gen model.
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So, where does one find the gas-powered Everest? You'll have to head to the Middle East for that. Of course, this isn't news for our kabayans over there, but it's rather amusing for us. Perhaps it's also no surprise that a turbodiesel option isn't available there give the, um, abundance of oil.
For the Middle Eastern market, out goes the 2.0-liter biturbo diesel. In its place is the latest version of the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine. Yes, the same one derived from the Ford Mustang. Mind you, it doesn't exactly have the same power output as the 'Stang, but it's an impressive figure nonetheless. We're talking about 296hp and 420Nm of torque. It then shifts with a ten-speed automatic.
Okay, so it doesn't have the pulling power of the diesel (420Nm vs. 500Nm), but the near-300hp rating surely makes up for that. There are no official acceleration times yet, but we wouldn't be surprised if it leaves the 2.0-liter biturbo diesel in the dust.
Other highlights include four-wheel drive as standard, regardless of the variant. And yes, even the 'basic' XLS is powered by that engine. Of course, it also gets all of the 4x4 goodies it'll need to take on the dunes.
These include a rear differential lock, hill descent control, off-road screens, and the Terrain Management System that's also found in our local version. But on top of that, it comes with a four-wheel drive automatic mode that allows the operation of its four-wheel drive mode even on the road.
We're well aware that the odds of this model ever coming to the Philippines are slim to none. Besides, the customers in that segment are unlikely to even consider gas power for their SUVs. Still, it's an amusing tidbit that we know there's are Everests out there packing heat under the hood. The only thing missing now is shoving the twin-turbo V6 from the Raptor into this SUVs body.
