4x2 raised to the power of Ford

It’s a little hefty for a daily drive, feels a tad impetuous on first gear because of the torque (385 Nm) pulling a lighter two-wheel drive body, and has a grunt like a bear in heat, but it is probably one of the most sophisticated trucks at its price point.

The Ford Everest Titanium+ 2.2L 4x2 AT costs a cool P1.918 million, but aside from the more refined third-gen body and the 2.2L turbodiesel engine, it brings down many of the toys that were previously reserved for its more well-heeled siblings.

Here are six of my favorite features that not only make the using it fun and safe, it makes you want to spend more time behind the wheel — even in this Metro Manila traffic.

Blind Spot Information System (BLIS)

Known as BLIS, an orange dot on the top, far end of the side mirror automatically lights up indicating that the presence of another vehicle in the range of up to 10 feet from the beyond the rear bumper.

On our roads where you’ll encounter vehicles with one headlight or PUVs without any, I can’t begin to tell you how big of a help this feature is. It’s a great assist from Ford but doesn’t mean that drivers can neglect their duty to visually check the exterior mirrors before changing lanes.

Power liftgate

Some compact SUVs have liftgates that will already give you an arm workout, especially on the closing part. Looking at the size of the Everest, that will surely go without saying. Welcome the ‘power liftgate’ that, at the touch of a button, will automatically lift and close the hatch making ingress and egress of cargo so much easier.

The rear space also comes with Ford’s Cargo Management System that uses panels to increase storage space by opening up to reveal more compartments underneath. Park Assist

Parking sensors are one of my favorite features, in any vehicle, and Ford has it front and rear. Sensors audibly signal proximity to a wall, another vehicle, or any obstacle if you’re parking nose first. Reversing into a slot uses not only the sensors but also activates the camera so you can really sidle up pretty close.

If parallel parking is your waterloo, fear not as Ford has equipped this trim with Active Park Assist. Just activate the system, select a slot, point to it using the turn signal and simply follow instructions as the Everest does the rest. Adaptive Cruise Control

Think of it as cruise control with a brain. Using radar, it detects the distance between you and the vehicles in front in order to slow or speed up the Everest to keep up with traffic or just the pace you set.

Gone are the days when you’ll have to turn cruise control on and off because of the changing traffic conditions. Set the distance you want to maintain with vehicle in front of you and voila, it does all the legwork for you.

Lane Keeping System is a bit unsettling at first because of the haptic feedback on the steering wheel, but think of it like a ‘shock collar’ for drivers too lazy to use the turn signals. Using cameras to detect lane markings, should you intentionally veer out of it without signaling or inadvertently do so, steering will stiffen just a bit to get your attention. Pull it back or activate turn signal to release the resistance and merge onto new lane. Collision Mitigation

As the feature’s name suggests, this is to prevent a fender-bender. A horizontal light bar and audio cues turn on when your speed and movement — as calculated by the system — will result in a collision.

Brakes are pre-charged as well for maximum stopping power during this time although it isn’t as drastic as it all sounds. The system activates no matter what speed you’re at and what it really does, for me at least, is keep you alert and constantly aware of the vehicle ahead. SYNC3

And we come to the crème de la crème of its features, the SYNC3. Displayed on an eightinch touchscreen system, SYNC3 controls most everything essential during the drive, music, navigation, climate control, telephone functions and various apps. It has Apple CarPlay for iOS devices and Android Auto as well so you’re pretty much covered in that department. All that you need — music, maps and more — just a click or command away.