LONG-TERM FLEET
Ford Everest lends a platinum touch to our Heritage day plans
Having used our long-term mate in urban areas exclusively, it was time to explore the hinterlands
The diversion from the maelstrom of urban travel with which we’ve burdened our Ford Everest long-termer arrived with the recent Heritage Day long weekend.
In SA, we are in love with culture and travel and these two factors usually culminate over the annual Heritage Day celebrations when roads and airports are clogged with travellers packing colourful traditional garb, and making their way to hundreds, if not thousands of traditional weddings and events being held all over the country.
Armed with a wedding invitation, and with only two of us coming along for the 1,100km round trip, we too packed then pointed the seven-seat Everest Platinum south towards the village of Mbizana, deep inside Pondoland, in search of a merry time with isiXhosa culture.
Friday 11pm: Thick-as-soup mist welcomes us to the Hibiscus coast, and we dock at our first overnight stop in uMgababa, south of Durban at the behest of a close friend and fellow automotive journalist. Whereas the Everest Platinum could have been just a tool to go from point A to point B, it was a supremely comfortable, sturdy and quietly operating sanctuary along the busy N3 route.
Saturday 11am: The surroundings become an excuse to step outside and take photos. We are using a gravel route suggested by the in-car navigation where the roads meander and traverse majestic mountains dotted with colourful, isiXhosa-style village homes. We press on confident in our car’s off-road driving ability of a 226mm ground clearance and all-wheel drive with low-range gearing.
The might of the 3.0l V6 engine with 184kW and 600Nm makes light work of steep elevations, while the 10-speed automatic offers smooth and intelligible shifts in reply to the gradients. The 21-inch all-terrain tyres prove durable and grippy on the rough surface, and should more than suffice if we encounter mud or a river crossing.
Saturday 8pm: Another cloak of dense mist combined with darkness signals the end to the day's festivities. The once beautiful drive has turned into a harrowing prospect of low visibility driving next to steep ravines. The active LED headlights and fog lamps are working overtime as we snail our way up the hills, and we also rely on the vehicle’s proximity sensors to warn of unseen obstacles ahead, bovine or otherwise. The locals sail past unbothered by the treacherous conditions.
Sunday 3pm: Safe in our Sunwich, Port Shepstone, lodgings, we step out on an overcast town in search of an early supper. The Everest does well in urban surroundings and pootles serenely on damp, sometime craggy roads. Speed limits are displayed on the large and colourful main display screen for easy monitoring and adjustment, as are the many eateries in the area. We settle for a cappuccino and a scrumptious Durban curry at a warm and cosy restaurant overlooking the ocean.
Monday 9am: The traditional attire is packed away, and the Everest is once more poised and unfazed by the steep inclines as we head back north, reeling in Jozi and consuming 10.7l/100km on average. The standard fitment Bang & Olufsen music system provides quality playback while the climate control with rear-seat heating keeps things ambient.
Monday 6pm: We are back in familiar territory. The dirt and grime engulfing the Everest is evidence of an adventure-filled long weekend. In a quintessentially South African requirement, any of the available Everest models, the latest being the Ford Everest Wildtrak, has the ability to whisk seven members of a family to anywhere in the country in safe comfort.
Our Platinum model that’s available in V6 guise only adds a sheen of Instagrammable class with its exclusive styling of a “blinged-up” grille and exclusive alloy wheels, enhanced by the shiny, silvery shade of paint known as Aluminium Metallic.