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Ford of New Zealand has announced that it will be selling a new Ford Ranger-based SUV called the Ford Everest Wildtrak. Come on, Ford, we want one here, too! A smaller rough-and-tumble SUV with a rear four-wheel drive and a 3.0-liter diesel? It sounds perfect, Ford.

Ford turned the Ranger into the Everest Wildtrak SUV

For 2024 we will get a new Ford Ranger pickup truck in the U.S. The new truck should be more capable, more powerful, and likely more fun when it debuts here in mid 2023. In New Zealand, though, the Ranger is getting SUV-ized into the Everest Wildtrak.

The new Everest SUV will be based on the new Ranger and is essentially an SUV with Ranger mechanicals underneath. It even has three rows of seating! sounds perfect, right? In Australia, the all-new 2024 Everest already has thousands of orders, according to Car Expert.

What is a Ford Everest?

The Wildtrak
2024 Ford Everest Wildtrack | Ford

Ford sells the Everest SUV in Asia, the Middle East, Australia and parts of the Pacific. We can’t get one here. Many Everest’s are right-hand drive SUVs, but they all seat five and have many of the same features, like SYNC, that Ford’s American offerings get. The Everest Wildtrak is a special version that gets 20-inch alloy wheels, a new H-bar and grille, and fender vents.

The previous version of the Everest was based on the older Mazda-derived Ranger truck. Instead of the Everest in the U.S., we get the Bronco Sport SUV. It’s not based on the Ranger, but instead the Maverick and Escape. While the Bronco Sport has all-wheel drive, the Everest is a tougher, larger, SUV.

What can we expect from the 2024 Ford Ranger?

The Ford Everest | Ford

A lot of us are looking forward to the next generation of Ford Ranger. The new truck will have a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and possibly the diesel from the Everest. The current truck has the 2.3-liter with 270 horsepower and it gives the Ranger enough power to do most of the small truck stuff you’d expect.

The big difference should be inside. The new Ranger gets a large vertical screen and a digital gauge cluster. Ford will likely offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as an upgraded B&O stereo, like in the top trims of the F-150. The current truck, too, can tow up to 7,500 pounds. We expect the next generation of Ranger to tow about the same, and haul about the same. That’s plenty of towing capacity for a midsize truck, and it doesn’t step on the F-150’s capabilities.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor snags all the headlines, however. Ford has Raptor-ized the Bronco SUV, and the Ranger version should also earn monstrous off-road cred. But, come on Ford, now that we’re getting the new truck, can’t we also get the new Everest SUV?

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.