Next-Gen Ford Everest Puts Safety At The Heart Of Every Adventure

Whether conquering off-road trails or city traffic, the Next-Gen Ford Everest’s driver assist technologies and safety systems are designed to help owners and their families explore with confidence.

From its ultra-strong safety cell to driver assist technologies to intelligent sensing systems, the Next-Gen Ford Everest introduces new technologies that work alongside existing, enhanced driver aids to deliver a greater level of safety than ever before.

“Drivers told us that their number one concern was safety on the road,” said Stefan Seemann, driver assistance technology engineer for Ford International Markets Group. “Next-Gen Ford Everest gave us the opportunity to really look at ways we could help keep drivers and their passengers safer than ever before.”

More driver assist technologies^i,ii

The Next-Gen Ford Everest’s suite of driver assist technologies are designed to reduce stress behind the wheel and help keep drivers focused on the road ahead.

BLIS with cross-traffic alert and trailer coverageⁱⁱⁱ offers blind spot information system (BLIS) coverage for both the Everest and the trailer it’s towing. Using sensors built into the taillights, BLIS can alert the driver when a vehicle in an adjacent lane is detected in the blind spot, which helps avoid collisions when switching lanes. If you’re towing, the system can be set to the length of the trailer, supporting trailers up to 2.4 metres wide and 10 metres long. The system also allows you to store your trailer’s dimension for quick setup. Once set, the system re-adjusts to account for the trailer, picking up vehicles in the customer’s blind spot sooner.

The integrated electric trailer brake controller^iv is fully integrated into the instrument panel as well as the vehicle’s on-board computer, removing the need for bulky, after-market units. The system ensures smooth and effective trailer braking by powering the trailer’s electric brakes with a proportional output based on the towing vehicle’s brake pressure. It also allows for manual override by the driver.

Reverse Brake Assist can detect a stationary object, a vehicle crossing, or a pedestrian or cyclist behind you and provide a Cross-traffic alert warning showing the direction a vehicle is coming from. What’s more, Reverse Brake Assist can bring you to a complete stop if you don’t react in time.

Depending on the model, Everest features Ford’s adaptive cruise control system with stop and go and lane centering ^i,ii  allows drivers to maintain a pre-set speed and distance from the car ahead and will even bring the car to a complete stop if required. Lane centering is able to detect lane markings and help keep the vehicle centred in the lane.

Lane-keeping system with road edge detection^v is designed to be used on rural roads from 65km/h and uses Everest’s wide-view camera located below the rearview mirror to monitor road edges 50 metres in front of the vehicle. Where a paved road becomes a soft verge, gravel hard shoulder or grass, the system provides gentle steering support as required to prevent the vehicle from drifting off the road.

Pre-collision assist with intersection^vi uses camera technology to detect a potential collision with a vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist directly in front of the vehicle, and then alert the driver. If the driver’s reaction is not sufficient, Automatic emergency braking (AEB) will pre-charge and increase brake-assist sensitivity to provide full response when you do brake. If you fail to react and a collision is imminent, the system can apply the brakes automatically to avoid or reduce the severity of the collision. AEB also has the ability to provide emergency braking support at an intersection.

Evasive steer assist (ESA)^vii employs the same wide-view camera and radar sensor technology used by the pre-collision assist and AEB systems to help avoid collisions. If there’s enough distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead, and if a collision can’t be avoided by braking alone, evasive steer assist can help drivers to steer with less effort required by providing additional steering support.

Reverse brake assist helps drivers to reverse into parking spots and other tight spaces by providing audible and visual warnings. It can also detect a object behind the vehicle, such as a vehicle crossing, a cyclist or a pedestrian. The system even can bring the Everest to a complete stop if the driver doesn’t react in time.

Parking can be stressful, but with the Active park assist ^viii feature, the Everest will guide itself into parallel or perpendicular spots with the press of a button. Ultrasonic sensors can detect an appropriate parallel parking space and autonomously steer the vehicle into the space, taking care of the steering, accelerator, gearshift and brakes. The driver can take over at any time by applying the brakes or taking their finger off the Active Park Assist button. The system also can drive you out of parallel parking spots. Simply activate the system and select N for neutral and active park assist will do the rest. Once the system drives the vehicle to a position where the parking space can be exited in a forward movement, a message appears instructing you to take full control of the vehicle. Combined with a 360-degree camera, rear camera, and front and rear parking sensors, the Next-Gen Ford Everest has you covered.

Post-collision braking applies the brakes after a collision to reduce the risk of secondary collisions. The system automatically engages with moderate brake pressure when an initial collision is detected, potentially reducing the likelihood of a secondary collision, or injury to occupants or damage to the vehicle.

Occupant protection systems include load limiting pretensioning driver, front passenger and outboard second row seatbelts, as well as six airbags – dual front airbags, driver knee airbag, side curtain airbags that cover all three rows, and new-to-Everest front far-side airbag between the front seats, providing an extra protection between front seat occupants in the event of a side impact.

“Our team was focused on one goal – to make this Everest the safest we’ve ever created,” said Seemann. “From a more robust structure and chassis to new and innovative safety technologies, Next-Gen Ford Everest is equipped to help reduce stress behind the wheel and help keep drivers focused on the road ahead.”