It’s become a cliché that modern 4x4s spend most of their time navigating mall parking lots, occasionally taking on a pavement here and there, instead of grinding through mud and sand and mud and more mud.

However, with the new Ford Everest arriving in SA, packed full of the latest in Ford’s 4x4 technology, we thought mall parking lots and curbstones just wouldn’t be enough to challenge the latest bakkie-based SUV.

And so we headed out to the infamous Melk “Bos” 4x4 facility north of Cape Town, and the result is this video: a full off-road affair with all the mud-flinging, water-diving, side-skirt-scraping three-wheeled action you could hope for…or at least that I could pull off without breaking the car/injuring myself/breaking a camera.

With a new terrain response system, which you’ll see in action, it was as easy as turning a dial to deal with whatever the Ford wanted to climb over. And as capable as it felt from the get-go, it felt virtually invincible when in 4x4 low. It’s like running out of ammunition in a battle, only to remember you have a tank ready and waiting.

However, as good as it might be out here, what really matters is how the Everest fares in the hearts and minds of South African motorists. At around R650 000 for the top of the range Limited model in our video, it is pricier than the current Toyota Fortuner, but there’ll be a new one of those out early in 2016, and I think it’s fair to wait until then to compare the two.

At that price, the Everest is in line with the Toyota Prado, and with its impressively luxurious interior, we think some buyers might be interested in comparing the two.

After a full day out in HelGat, the facility’s 4x4 crater of awesome, I was a) badly sunburnt and b) hugely impressed with how easy it was to pilot the Everest over the rough stuff. Either I am very good at this sort of thing, or the Everest is very good offroad. And I think we all know the answer to that.

0:00 Intro
0:41 The New Ford Everest: 4x4 off-roading
1:17 Terrain Response Feature
2:24 Pricing and 4×4 Appeal
3:11 Off-Road Obstacle
4:03 Ground clearance and wading depth
4:48 Rear seats
5:44 Interior
6:37 Off-roading on a big hill
8:08 Overview of the Ford Everest
8:28 Rivals & Pricing
9:31 Closing

Interested in a 2015 Ford Everest? We can help:
http://www.cars.co.za/newcars/Ford/Ev...

Read our First Drive impressions here:
http://www.cars.co.za/motoring_news/f...

See our First Look at the Everest in our studio:
http://www.cars.co.za/motoring_news/n...