Take the new Ford Everest for your trip to the Wild Coast, they suggested, just as I had planned our route down to the Transkei in our long-term Raptor.
I’ve been to those parts twice in the past few months and had a good idea of what the roads looked like. They once looked good but now, they are stuffed, both tar and dirt.
Which is why the Raptor would have been the ideal vehicle, but my parents taught me not to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially a generous one, so I agreed.
I could choose between the Platinum 3.0-diesel V6 with 184kW and 600Nm or the 2.0-litre bi-turbo Sport, providing 154kW and 500Nm, with both paired to Ford’s 10-speed automatic gearbox. My choice of the Sport was practical and economical.
We were going to be driving a couple of thousand kilometres and fuel isn’t exactly a bargain and the 20 inch rims with a higher profile tyre were going to handle the poked roads better than the Platinum’s 21-inch alloys.
The white Everest Sport duly arrived at the office, ready for another December adventure.
The first thing I checked was whether it had an inverter for a camping fridge and freezer. Bargain, we would be able to keep meat frozen and have a constant supply of ice while the veggies and other goodies that need to stay cool were sorted too.
I’d asked before delivery whether Tracks4Africa was loaded onto the impressive 12-inch touch-screen infotainment system with its new Sync 4A operating system, like it was in the previous generation. Unfortunately, that was a negative.
More on that later but I did have a detailed Wild Coast Slingsby map with waypoints. Yes, an actual paper map you can fold out on the dining room table or car’s bonnet. Remember those?
We would be away for 16 days so there was a lot that needed to be packed including luggage, the two fridges, cooler box, portable braai, beach chairs, food in ammo boxes and, according to my partner, the whole of the Amazon Forest. Because you know. Braai.
Dropping the second and third row of seats of the seven seater revealed its 1 276 litres of rear space, about the size of a studio apartment in Sea Point.
We loaded it up and turned the nose towards the KZN South Coast for two nights at my parents’ home before crossing into the Eastern Cape. At least we were safe from the floating pooh that far down the KZN coast.
Acceleration, considering how much we were carrying, was smooth throughout the trip and, once we got down to sea level, the bi-turbo added slightly more punch with the extra air at its disposal.
Our phones connected easily while my partner’s phone rested on the charging pad, allowing us to listen to music. A word of advice on music and driving the N3 in December: choose calm vibes otherwise you’re going to become apoplectic and end up in ICU.
I say it every year when the transport minister releases holiday traffic stats. South Africans must be some of the worst and most aggressive drivers in the world. We have no respect or care for other road users, gladly putting ourselves, our families and others in mortal danger.
I wondered how many of those cars were fitted with a Lane Keeping System, which includes Lane Keeping Alert and Lane Keeping Aid, along with Road Edge Detection and Driver Warning, Pre-Collision Assist with Dynamic Brake Support, Forward Collision Warning and Automated Emergency Braking, not forgetting ABS and a swathe of airbags.
I stopped counting how many drivers I saw with a beer or a glass with ice in their hand or cup holders, and it seemed okay to throw empties and fast food packets out the window (everywhere we drove), with gay abandon.
Perhaps Hunter S Thompson had South Africa in mind in his book “Generation of Swine”.
Oh, and if there’s a massive truck accident (don’t get me started on the trucks), with bodies under silver blankets, the emergency lane is basically there to jump in front of the queue. Say something and you’re threatened and abused.
Right, rant over but I wasn’t going to be doing stop-start for a few hundred kilometres and put us at risk from crazed lunatics, so I turned off at Harrismith, onto the R74, past the Sterkfontein Dam, down Oliviershoek Pass and back onto the N3 at Winterton.
Rain had washed away part of the pass but at least they’re repairing it and it was the first time I’d be driving the Everest fully loaded along some tight turns. I was pleasantly surprised by how well it did, thanks in part to the 50mm increase in the new Everest’s track and tweaks to the suspension.
It’s a large SUV but even when quick action is needed to avoid the inevitable potholes, it holds the line well, with slight body roll quickly taken care of by that suspension.
Steering is light and direct, which turned out to be a blessing later when we turned off to Coffee Bay and were confronted by a road that had been destroyed.
Uneventful for the rest of our time on the N3 and N2, we set the cruise control and pulled into Leisure Bay. Not exactly stress free but at least the seats were comfortable for the nine or so hours we spent in the cabin.
After a couple of days with the family, we punched White Clay Resort into the GPS, filled the tank and started the journey to Coffee Bay. At this stage, the fuel readout showed 9.5l/100km.
The route took us through a couple of smaller towns which, a couple of days before the new year celebrations, were overflowing with people and cars loading up. It took a while to get through them, not helped by whatever load-shedding stage we were on, as we deduced from the sound of the multiple generators on the pavements.
Taking a left a few kilometres after Mthatha, the fun and games began.
I’ve seen some buggered roads but what the GPS showed as main road must be one of the worst I have driven.The last 35km is all but destroyed as we snaked our way behind taxis and locals trying to avoid the carnage. Some weren’t so lucky and we counted five cars stranded next to the road with damaged rims and tyres.
Our saving grace were the tyres but, even then, it took careful driving on and next to the road to try to avoid the worst, making a trip that shouldn’t take longer than half-an-hour into an hour-and-a-half ordeal.
I’m not exaggerating when I say it looks like the Nazis’ scorched-earth destruction as they retreated from the advancing Allies.
Comfortable accommodation, magnificent views, a fire and a drink eased us into the holiday mode. Our neighbours on either side were in larger family units and it didn’t take long before they asked about the Everest.
One was a long-time Ranger fan who had been waiting for the new one to hit the showrooms and on completion of a thorough inspection he confirmed his appreciation leaving with his wife and discussing whether perhaps the Everest wasn’t more suited for the family rather than the double cab.
The Wild Coast really is wild but beautiful with unspoilt beaches, clear water and bountiful sea life that regularly landed on the coals. It’s also a fantastic place to head into the wilderness and explore some of the lesser visited areas.
Almost all of it is dirt, some in better condition than others but mostly in a state of disrepair thanks to years of Eastern Cape and national government neglect and lots of rain.
All our driving was done in 4H using mud & ruts or sand mode selected via the dial in the centre console. Pushing the offroad icon on the 12-inch vertical screen displays some cool graphics as you drive.
To make the roads a bit more bearable we dropped the tyre pressure to 1.5 bar to allow for a slightly softer drive.
Using the map that had some of the GPS coordinates to the places we wanted to go we punched the first one in but for love or money it wouldn’t allow us to plan a route with follow up coordinates.
No matter how many times we attempted using trial and error it wouldn’t come to the party and the electronic owner's manual only gave a very basic description of its functions. Google couldn’t help either because reception was sketchy at best.
Back to the map then, but I wasn’t going to be beaten by an electronic gizmo and after having spent time at the stunning Hole in the Wall site we took a drive inland.
Eventually the rain became so bad that we turned back so I put the resort’s destination in and followed the voice prompts. It started out well but because I’m a man (yes, I’ve identified as one) asking directions isn’t my strong point and anyway this has the latest technology.
I suspected something was amiss when we crawled through a soggy tree laden spoor and ended in a dead end in front of one of the many spaza shops scattered all over the area.
A bemused gogo explained to us a way back and from then on the GPS discussion was taboo and used only again when we hit the poked road back to Mthatha.
Days were spent fishing, reading, driving to different beaches and interesting look-out points constantly on the look out for Transkei traffic calming methods in the form of cows, goats, pigs, dogs and sheep or as the locals call them, the big five.
Because of this there was a lot of stop start driving and idling which pushed consumption to just over 13L/100km when we reluctantly repacked significantly lighter to go back to the big smoke.
My partner spent a good few hours behind the wheel both on tar and dirt and commented that despite her small stature the driving position is comfortable and easy to set and passing slower traffic is impressive.
When we pulled into the driveway after a much less stressful drive home we had covered 2 932km and consumption had dropped back to a more respectable 10l/100km.
The Ford Everest is the ideal family SUV that will serve you well, whether it’s the daily grind, towing or going on holiday. Seven proper seats, the cavernous interior, comfortable driving position, decent handling, technology, safety and exterior design put it at the top of the family SUV pile.
Would I have one instead of the Ford Raptor? Probably not. Not because the Everest is average, it isn’t. The Raptor just suits my lifestyle better.
The Ford Everest Sport is priced at R965 400.