Ford Everest Active review signal: capable on the road, with limits

What the four-cylinder Active delivers on the road

The entry Ford Everest Active gives away power and torque to its predecessor, but CarExpert’s week-long Australian test found it more capable in ordinary driving than the figures suggest. Its five-seat, single-turbo test vehicle responded well in commuting and highway overtaking, helped by a 10-speed automatic the reviewer found well matched to the engine. CarExpert’s strongest praise went to the ride over sealed and unsealed roads and the steering’s weighting. Those impressions were formed without a full passenger load or heavy trailer. ¹

CarExpert lists the Australian Active’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel at 125kW and 405Nm, down 29kW and 95Nm on the outgoing bi-turbo. Its catalogue also lists the 125kW/405Nm engine and 10-speed automatic. The four-cylinder Active uses part-time four-wheel drive: CarExpert says its 4H and 4L modes are intended for off-road driving, unlike the previous bi-turbo’s 4A mode, which allowed four-wheel drive on the road. The reviewer took the Active over only a couple of trails and reported no difficulty; that is a limited off-road finding. ¹²

A separate road test offers a narrower point of comparison. The Manila Times reported that the 10-speed automatic kept a Philippine-market 2.0-litre single-turbo diesel working effectively. Its principal Everest assessment, however, concerned a Philippine-market Platinum V6, which the outlet found smoother and more effortless than the four-cylinder. That V6 test car was not the Australian Active driven by CarExpert, so its driving impressions should not be transferred to the entry variant. ¹³

Fuel use and capability

CarExpert lists claimed fuel consumption for the Australian Active at 7.1L/100km, unchanged from the previous engine. It recorded 9.3L/100km on an inner-city, suburban and highway loop and 8.5L/100km over more than 500km of driving. Both are observations under the outlet’s test conditions, rather than revised official figures. CarExpert also lists an 80-litre tank, 855kg payload, 3100kg gross vehicle mass and 6250kg gross combination mass. ¹

The listed braked towing capacity is 3500kg, but CarExpert said the new engine’s performance with a trailer at that weight, relative to the bi-turbo, remained unresolved. The rating therefore establishes a specification, not a finding about how the Active accelerates or climbs under maximum tow load. CarExpert lists a $2000 Towing Package with a tow bar, integrated trailer brake controller, trailer connection alarm and blind-spot monitoring with trailer coverage. ¹

Cabin, space and safety

CarExpert lists 18-inch alloy wheels, a full-size alloy spare, locking rear differential, LED headlights, a 12-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster and dual-zone climate control for the Active. The reviewer liked the screen presentation and the retention of physical climate controls, but criticised the extensive hard plastics, urethane steering wheel and cabin finish. Its test vehicle had optional all-terrain tyres, a relevant detail when considering the outlet’s finding that tyre noise was subdued. ¹

The Active has five seats as standard, with a third row available for $1350, according to CarExpert. The outlet found sufficient second-row space for three adults and noted rear air vents and USB-A and USB-C outlets. Its five-seat tester had a flat boot floor and shallow underfloor compartments in place of the third-row seats. CarExpert’s listed 898-litre cargo figure is measured to the roof with a third row folded; it is not a separate measurement of that five-seat test car. ¹

CarExpert reports a five-star ANCAP rating for the Everest based on 2022 testing. It lists autonomous emergency braking with intersection assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera among standard features. The Active misses the stop/go and lane-centring cruise functions and surround-view camera listed for higher grades. In the outlet’s drive, its lane-keep assist intervened smoothly when needed. ¹

Price, range position and availability

In its September 2026 review, CarExpert listed the five-seat Active at $58,990 before on-road costs and reported a Ford Australia offer of $60,000 drive-away for the base Active. These are different price bases, not competing list prices. CarExpert said the Active was then the least expensive Everest in Australia, with four-wheel drive standard and no rear-drive version, and reported that the cost of entry to the range had fallen by $500. It listed optional all-terrain tyres and metallic paint at $750 each. ¹

CarExpert says the Active replaces both the former Ambiente and Trend grades. That change does not mean it carries all of the Trend’s equipment: the outlet notes that the Active lacks the Trend’s power tailgate, 400W inverter and zone lighting. The revised entry specification therefore needs to be weighed alongside the reported lower starting price. ¹

CarExpert’s Everest catalogue displayed a separate $64,057 estimated drive-away price for an Active when accessed on 28 September 2026. Its pricing note bases displayed drive-away amounts on a Sydney location, says costs vary by location and cautions that estimates may not reflect current dealer offers. That estimate should not be substituted for either the before-on-roads list price or the drive-away offer in CarExpert’s September review. The outlet calls its review and catalogue listing ‘2027 Ford Everest’, while the review also refers to a May MY26.50 launch; those publication references do not establish a manufacturer-designated Australian model year for the tested Active. ²¹

Ownership and the review signal

CarExpert lists a five-year, unlimited-kilometre Everest warranty. Its review gives service intervals of 12 months or 15,000km and describes capped-price servicing over five years or 75,000km at $399 per service, with a $1596 five-year prepaid plan. It says roadside assistance covers the first 12 months and can then be service-activated for up to seven years. Those terms set out published ownership costs and coverage, not a finding about the new engine’s long-term reliability. ¹²

The clearest assessment concerns everyday use of the Australian Active: CarExpert found agreeable performance, ride and steering, offset by higher test fuel use than the claim and an interior it considered poorly finished. Its limited trail drive and unloaded road testing leave heavy-towing performance open. The Manila Times’ Philippine-market transmission observation lends separate support to the usefulness of the 10-speed automatic with a single-turbo diesel, but its V6 Platinum findings remain specific to a different Everest. ¹³